Sample records for long-term waste management

  1. Social scientist on board in long-term management of high level and/or long-lived radioactive waste in Belgium

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

    Parotte, C.

    In Belgium, the long-term management of radioactive waste is under the exclusive competence of the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials (knew as ONDRAF/NIRAS). Unlike low-level waste, no institutional policy has yet been formally approved for the long-term management of high level and/or long-lived radioactive waste (knew as B and C waste). In this context, ONDRAF/NIRAS considers the public and stakeholders' participation as an essential factor in the formulation of an effective and legitimate policy. This is why it has decided to integrate them in different ways during the elaboration of the Waste Plan (ONDRAF/NIRAS-document containing guidelinesmore » to make a principled policy decision about nuclear waste management). To do so, social scientists have been regularly mobilized either as external evaluators, follow-up committee members, or participatory observants. Hence, the Waste Plan is only the first step in a long decision-making process. For a PhD student under contract with ONDRAF/NIRAS, this mandate consists of thinking out a way to construct an inter-organizational innovative communication system that would be participative, transparent and embedded in a long-term perspective, thus integrating all the further legal steps to take throughout the decision-making process. In this regard, two paradoxical constraints must be taken into account: on the one hand, my own influence on the legal decision-making process should remain limited, because of a series of constraints, lock-ins and previous decisions which have to be respected; on the other hand, ONDRAF/NIRAS expects the research conclusions to be policy relevant and useful. In this paper, the purpose is twofold. Firstly, the issues raised by this policy mandate is an opportunity to question the per-formative dimensions of the social scientist in the decision-making process and, more specifically, to have a reflexive view on our position as PhD Student. Secondly, assuming the

  2. Sandia National Laboratories performance assessment methodology for long-term environmental programs : the history of nuclear waste management.

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

    Marietta, Melvin Gary; Anderson, D. Richard; Bonano, Evaristo J.

    2011-11-01

    Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is the world leader in the development of the detailed science underpinning the application of a probabilistic risk assessment methodology, referred to in this report as performance assessment (PA), for (1) understanding and forecasting the long-term behavior of a radioactive waste disposal system, (2) estimating the ability of the disposal system and its various components to isolate the waste, (3) developing regulations, (4) implementing programs to estimate the safety that the system can afford to individuals and to the environment, and (5) demonstrating compliance with the attendant regulatory requirements. This report documents the evolution of themore » SNL PA methodology from inception in the mid-1970s, summarizing major SNL PA applications including: the Subseabed Disposal Project PAs for high-level radioactive waste; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant PAs for disposal of defense transuranic waste; the Yucca Mountain Project total system PAs for deep geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; PAs for the Greater Confinement Borehole Disposal boreholes at the Nevada National Security Site; and PA evaluations for disposal of high-level wastes and Department of Energy spent nuclear fuels stored at Idaho National Laboratory. In addition, the report summarizes smaller PA programs for long-term cover systems implemented for the Monticello, Utah, mill-tailings repository; a PA for the SNL Mixed Waste Landfill in support of environmental restoration; PA support for radioactive waste management efforts in Egypt, Iraq, and Taiwan; and, most recently, PAs for analysis of alternative high-level radioactive waste disposal strategies including repositories deep borehole disposal and geologic repositories in shale and granite. Finally, this report summarizes the extension of the PA methodology for radioactive waste disposal toward development of an enhanced PA system for carbon sequestration and storage

  3. Design of the Long-term Waste Management Facility for Historic LLRW Port Hope Project - 13322

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

    Campbell, Don; Barton, David; Case, Glenn

    2013-07-01

    The Municipality of Port Hope is located on the northern shores of Lake Ontario approximately 100 km east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Starting in the 1930's, radium and later uranium processing by Eldorado Gold Mines Limited (subsequently Eldorado Nuclear Limited) (Eldorado) at their refinery in Port Hope resulted in the generation of process residues and wastes that were disposed of indiscriminately throughout the Municipality until about the mid-1950's. These process residues contained radium (Ra- 226), uranium, arsenic and other contaminants. Between 1944 and 1988, Eldorado was a Federal Crown Corporation, and as such, the Canadian Federal Government has assumed responsibilitymore » for the clean-up and long-term management of the historic waste produced by Eldorado during this period. The Port Hope Project involves the construction and development of a new long-term waste management facility (LTWMF), and the remediation and transfer of the historic wastes located within the Municipality of Port Hope to the new LTWMF. The new LTWMF will consist of an engineered above-ground containment mound designed to contain and isolate the wastes from the surrounding environment for the next several hundred years. The design of the engineered containment mound consists of a primary and secondary composite base liner system and composite final cover system, made up of both natural materials (e.g., compacted clay, granular materials) and synthetic materials (e.g., geo-synthetic clay liner, geo-membrane, geo-textiles). The engineered containment mound will cover an area of approximately 13 hectares and will contain the estimated 1.2 million cubic metres of waste that will be generated from the remedial activities within Port Hope. The LTWMF will also include infrastructure and support facilities such as access roads, administrative offices, laboratory, equipment and personnel decontamination facilities, waste water treatment plant and other ancillary facilities. Preliminary

  4. Inexact fuzzy-stochastic mixed-integer programming approach for long-term planning of waste management--Part A: methodology.

    PubMed

    Guo, P; Huang, G H

    2009-01-01

    In this study, an inexact fuzzy chance-constrained two-stage mixed-integer linear programming (IFCTIP) approach is proposed for supporting long-term planning of waste-management systems under multiple uncertainties in the City of Regina, Canada. The method improves upon the existing inexact two-stage programming and mixed-integer linear programming techniques by incorporating uncertainties expressed as multiple uncertainties of intervals and dual probability distributions within a general optimization framework. The developed method can provide an effective linkage between the predefined environmental policies and the associated economic implications. Four special characteristics of the proposed method make it unique compared with other optimization techniques that deal with uncertainties. Firstly, it provides a linkage to predefined policies that have to be respected when a modeling effort is undertaken; secondly, it is useful for tackling uncertainties presented as intervals, probabilities, fuzzy sets and their incorporation; thirdly, it facilitates dynamic analysis for decisions of facility-expansion planning and waste-flow allocation within a multi-facility, multi-period, multi-level, and multi-option context; fourthly, the penalties are exercised with recourse against any infeasibility, which permits in-depth analyses of various policy scenarios that are associated with different levels of economic consequences when the promised solid waste-generation rates are violated. In a companion paper, the developed method is applied to a real case for the long-term planning of waste management in the City of Regina, Canada.

  5. Environmental evaluation of alternatives for long-term management of Defense high-level radioactive wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

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

    Not Available

    1982-09-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering the selection of a strategy for the long-term management of the defense high-level wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). This report describes the environmental impacts of alternative strategies. These alternative strategies include leaving the calcine in its present form at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), or retrieving and modifying the calcine to a more durable waste form and disposing of it either at the INEL or in an offsite repository. This report addresses only the alternatives for a program to manage the high-level waste generated at the ICPP. 24more » figures, 60 tables.« less

  6. Solid Waste Management Units And Areas Of Concern Annual Long-Term Monitoring & Maintenance Report For Calendar Year 2016.

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

    Dotson, Patrick Wells; Little, Bonnie Colleen

    Long-term controls were maintained at 21 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and Areas of Concern (AOCs) in accordance with the requirements of the “Long-Term Monitoring and Maintenance Plan for SWMUs and AOCs Granted Corrective Action Complete with Controls” in Attachment M of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Operating Permit, which took effect February 26, 2015. Maintenance and controls at these SWMUs and AOCs are described and documented in this report. Conditions requiring maintenance or repair activities were not identified for any of the inspected SWMUs or AOCs. Based upon the inspections performed and site conditions observed, the administrativemore » and physical institutional controls in place at the SWMUs and AOCs are effectively providing continued protection of human health and the environment. This report does not present monitoring and maintenance activities for SWMU 76, the Mixed Waste Landfill; those activities adhere to the approved MWL LTMM Plan, Section 4.8.1 requiring a separate annual report which will be submitted to the NMED by June 30, 2017.« less

  7. Management training in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Evashwick, Connie

    2002-01-01

    The education of health care administrators faces its most dramatic change since the inception of the field. Recent discussions at the national level call for major overhaul of curricula and teaching modalities, including moving education to position students for evidence-based practice. This paper presents recommendations for incorporating training about chronic and long-term care into health care management curricula. It asserts that all health care management students should have a basic knowledge of the fundamental policy, operating, and financing principles of long-term care. The majority of people using the health care delivery system today, and increasingly in the future, suffer from chronic conditions. Long-term care services, although less expansive in structure, far outnumber acute care services and health plans. They will grow in the future to meet the portending demand. To maximize job opportunities and to optimize performance in any job, health care administrators need to know about the long-term care delivery system. This paper delineates critical topics pertaining to long-term care, organized according to 11 fundamental management areas in which the field is developing core competencies. The contents were derived from a year-long process of asking stakeholders in the various facets of long-term care what topics they thought were essential for administrators to know. The topics delineated in this document represent the consensus about essential knowledge that all health care administrators should have about long-term care, whether specializing in long-term care or following a more general management career. The education of health care administrators faces its most dramatic change since the inception ofthe field. Recent discussions at the national level call for major overhaul of curricula and teaching modalities, including moving education to position students to perform according to evidence-based practice. It is thus timely to consider content, as

  8. Management challenges faced by managers of New Zealand long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Madas, E; North, N

    2000-01-01

    This article reports on a postal survey of 78 long-term care managers in one region of New Zealand, of whom 45 (58%) responded. Most long-term care managers (73.2%) were middle-aged females holding nursing but not management qualifications. Most long-term care facilities (69%) tended to be stand-alone facilities providing a single type of care (rest home or continuing care hospital). The most prominent issues facing managers were considered to be inadequate funding to match the growing costs of providing long-term care and occupancy levels. Managers believed that political/regulatory, economic and social factors influenced these issues. Despite a turbulent health care environment and the challenges facing managers, long-term care managers reported they were coping well and valued networking.

  9. Industrial Program of Waste Management - Cigeo Project - 13033

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

    Butez, Marc; Bartagnon, Olivier; Gagner, Laurent

    2013-07-01

    The French Planning Act of 28 June 2006 prescribed that a reversible repository in a deep geological formation be chosen as the reference solution for the long-term management of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste. It also entrusted the responsibility of further studies and design of the repository (named Cigeo) upon the French Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra), in order for the review of the creation-license application to start in 2015 and, subject to its approval, the commissioning of the repository to take place in 2025. Andra is responsible for siting, designing, implementing, operating the future geological repository, including operationalmore » and long term safety and waste acceptance. Nuclear operators (Electricite de France (EDF), AREVA NC, and the French Commission in charge of Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) are technically and financially responsible for the waste they generate, with no limit in time. They provide Andra, on one hand, with waste packages related input data, and on the other hand with their long term industrial experiences of high and intermediate-level long-lived radwaste management and nuclear operation. Andra, EDF, AREVA and CEA established a cooperation agreement for strengthening their collaborations in these fields. Within this agreement Andra and the nuclear operators have defined an industrial program for waste management. This program includes the waste inventory to be taken into account for the design of the Cigeo project and the structural hypothesis underlying its phased development. It schedules the delivery of the different categories of waste and defines associated flows. (authors)« less

  10. Final Long-Term Management and Storage of Elemental Mercury Environmental Impact Statement Volume1

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

    Not Available

    2011-01-01

    Pursuant to the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-414), DOE was directed to designate a facility or facilities for the long-term management and storage of elemental mercury generated within the United States. Therefore, DOE has analyzed the storage of up to 10,000 metric tons (11,000 tons) of elemental mercury in a facility(ies) constructed and operated in accordance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (74 FR 31723).DOE prepared this Final Mercury Storage EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 etmore » seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), and DOE’s NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR 1021) to evaluate reasonable alternatives for a facility(ies) for the long-term management and storage of elemental mercury. This Final Mercury Storage EIS analyzes the potential environmental, human health, and socioeconomic impacts of elemental mercury storage at seven candidate locations:Grand Junction Disposal Site near Grand Junction, Colorado; Hanford Site near Richland, Washington; Hawthorne Army Depot near Hawthorne, Nevada; Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho;Kansas City Plant in Kansas City, Missouri; Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina; and Waste Control Specialists, LLC, site near Andrews, Texas. As required by CEQ NEPA regulations, the No Action Alternative was also analyzed as a basis for comparison. DOE intends to decide (1) where to locate the elemental mercury storage facility(ies) and (2) whether to use existing buildings, new buildings, or a combination of existing and new buildings. DOE’s Preferred Alternative for the long-term management and storage of mercury is the Waste Control Specialists, LLC, site near Andrews, Texas.« less

  11. Final Long-Term Management and Storage of Elemental Mercury Environmental Impact Statement Volume 2

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

    Not Available

    Pursuant to the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-414), DOE was directed to designate a facility or facilities for the long-term management and storage of elemental mercury generated within the United States. Therefore, DOE has analyzed the storage of up to 10,000 metric tons (11,000 tons) of elemental mercury in a facility(ies) constructed and operated in accordance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (74 FR 31723). DOE prepared this Final Mercury Storage EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321more » et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), and DOE’s NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR 1021) to evaluate reasonable alternatives for a facility(ies) for the long-term management and storage of elemental mercury. This Final Mercury Storage EIS analyzes the potential environmental, human health, and socioeconomic impacts of elemental mercury storage at seven candidate locations: Grand Junction Disposal Site near Grand Junction, Colorado; Hanford Site near Richland, Washington; Hawthorne Army Depot near Hawthorne, Nevada; Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho; Kansas City Plant in Kansas City, Missouri; Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina; and Waste Control Specialists, LLC, site near Andrews, Texas. As required by CEQ NEPA regulations, the No Action Alternative was also analyzed as a basis for comparison. DOE intends to decide (1) where to locate the elemental mercury storage facility(ies) and (2) whether to use existing buildings, new buildings, or a combination of existing and new buildings. DOE’s Preferred Alternative for the long-term management and storage of mercury is the Waste Control Specialists, LLC, site near Andrews, Texas.« less

  12. Complications Associated with Long-Term Disposition of Newly-Generated Transuranic Waste: A National Laboratory Perspective

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

    B.J. Orchard; L.A. Harvego; T.L. Carlson

    The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is a multipurpose national laboratory delivering specialized science and engineering solutions for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Sponsorship of INL was formally transferred to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) by Secretary Spencer Abraham in July 2002. The move to NE, and designation as the DOE lead nuclear energy laboratory for reactor technology, supports the nation’s expanding nuclear energy initiatives, placing INL at the center of work to develop advanced Generation IV nuclear energy systems; nuclear energy/hydrogen coproduction technology; advanced nuclear energy fuel cycle technologies; and providing national security answersmore » to national infrastructure needs. As a result of the Laboratory’s NE mission, INL generates both contact-handled and remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste from ongoing operations. Generation rates are relatively small and fluctuate based on specific programs and project activities being conducted; however, the Laboratory will continue to generate TRU waste well into the future in association with the NE mission. Currently, plans and capabilities are being established to transfer INL’s contact-handled TRU waste to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Plant (AMWTP) for certification and disposal to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Remote-handled TRU waste is currently placed in storage at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). In an effort to minimize future liabilities associated with the INL NE mission, INL is evaluating and assessing options for the management and disposition of all its TRU waste on a real-time basis at time of generation. This paper summarizes near-term activities to minimize future re handling of INL’s TRU waste, as well as, potential complications associated with the long-term disposition of newly-generated TRU waste. Potential complications impacting the disposition of INL newly-generated TRU waste include, but are not

  13. Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste: A Long-Term Socio-Technical Experiment.

    PubMed

    Schröder, Jantine

    2016-06-01

    In this article we investigate whether long-term radioactive waste management by means of geological disposal can be understood as a social experiment. Geological disposal is a rather particular technology in the way it deals with the analytical and ethical complexities implied by the idea of technological innovation as social experimentation, because it is presented as a technology that ultimately functions without human involvement. We argue that, even when the long term function of the 'social' is foreseen to be restricted to safeguarding the functioning of the 'technical', geological disposal is still a social experiment. In order to better understand this argument and explore how it could be addressed, we elaborate the idea of social experimentation with the notion of co-production and the analytical tools of delegation, prescription and network as developed by actor-network theory. In doing so we emphasize that geological disposal inherently involves relations between surface and subsurface, between humans and nonhumans, between the social, material and natural realm, and that these relations require recognition and further elaboration. In other words, we argue that geological disposal concurrently is a social and a technical experiment, or better, a long-term socio-technical experiment. We end with proposing the idea of 'actor-networking' as a sensitizing concept for future research into what geological disposal as a socio-technical experiment could look like.

  14. The STRATEGY project: decision tools to aid sustainable restoration and long-term management of contaminated agricultural ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Howard, B J; Beresford, N A; Nisbet, A; Cox, G; Oughton, D H; Hunt, J; Alvarez, B; Andersson, K G; Liland, A; Voigt, G

    2005-01-01

    The STRATEGY project (Sustainable Restoration and Long-Term Management of Contaminated Rural, Urban and Industrial Ecosystems) aimed to provide a holistic decision framework for the selection of optimal restoration strategies for the long-term sustainable management of contaminated areas in Western Europe. A critical evaluation was carried out of countermeasures and waste disposal options, from which compendia of state-of-the-art restoration methods were compiled. A decision support system capable of optimising spatially varying restoration strategies, that considered the level of averted dose, costs (including those of waste disposal) and environmental side effects was developed. Appropriate methods of estimating indirect costs associated with side effects and of communicating with stakeholders were identified. The importance of stakeholder consultation at a local level and of ensuring that any response is site and scenario specific were emphasised. A value matrix approach was suggested as a method of addressing social and ethical issues within the decision-making process, and was designed to be compatible with both the countermeasure compendia and the decision support system. The applicability and usefulness of STRATEGY outputs for food production systems in the medium to long term is assessed.

  15. Beyond the short term : transportation asset management for long-term sustainability, accountability and performance

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-01-01

    Transportation Asset Management (TAM) has long been recognized as a sound, long-term approach to managing infrastructure. It provides decision makers with a rational, long-term systematic process for making difficult and complex decisions about how t...

  16. Long-term management of patients with multiple sclerosis.

    PubMed

    Weightman, Cherie

    2006-07-01

    This article explores the challenges of long-term case management for patients who have multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently there is scant research into district nursing input into long-term management of patients who have MS. Until now the role of the community nurses has been confined to palliation or terminal care, focusing on the more physical manifestations of MS. The contemporary role of district nurse is going to evolve to include proactive approaches. Governmental initiatives demand proactive services, and place emphasis on self-care for patients with MS. Themes that emerge from this article relate to the pre-existing skills--such as managing patients with complex needs and the advanced assessment skills--that will be required to achieve this. What is clear is that community nurses already possess many of the prerequisite skills needed for long-term management, and they should not be daunted by this prospect.

  17. Design and operation of an anaerobic digester for waste management and fuel generation during long term lunar mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhoble, Abhishek S.; Pullammanappallil, Pratap C.

    2014-10-01

    Waste treatment and management for manned long term exploratory missions to moon will be a challenge due to longer mission duration. The present study investigated appropriate digester technologies that could be used on the base. The effect of stirring, operation temperature, organic loading rate and reactor design on the methane production rate and methane yield was studied. For the same duration of digestion, the unmixed digester produced 20-50% more methane than mixed system. Two-stage design which separated the soluble components from the solids and treated them separately had more rapid kinetics than one stage system, producing the target methane potential in one-half the retention time than the one stage system. The two stage system degraded 6% more solids than the single stage system. The two stage design formed the basis of a prototype digester sized for a four-person crew during one year exploratory lunar mission.

  18. Nontechnical issues in waste management: ethical, institutional, and political concerns

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

    Hebert, J.A.; Rankin, W.L.; Brown, P.G.

    1978-05-01

    The report consists of a presentation and distillation of major nontechnical issues surrounding commercial waste management, followed by ethical, institutional, and political analyses of these issues. The ethical analysis consists of a discusson of what is meant by ''ethics'' and ''morality'' in the waste management context and an illustrative attempt at an ethical analysis of the commercial nuclear waste problem. Two institutional analyses are presented: one is an analysis of the possible problems of long-term human institutions in waste management; the other is a presentation of institutional arrangements for the short term. A final chapter discusses issues and concerns involvingmore » intergovernmental relations--that is, local, state, and federal interface problems in waste management.« less

  19. Management of radioactive waste in Belgium: ONDRAF/NIRAS and Belgoprocess as major actors of the waste acceptance system

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

    Zaelen, Gunter van; Verheyen, Annick

    2007-07-01

    The management of radioactive waste in Belgium is undertaken by the national agency for radioactive waste and enriched fissile materials, ONDRAF/NIRAS, and its industrial partner Belgoprocess. ONDRAF/NIRAS has set up a management system designed to guarantee that the general public and the environment are protected against the potential hazards arising from radioactive waste. Belgoprocess is a private company, founded in 1984 and located in Dessel, Belgium. It is a subsidiary of ONDRAF/NIRAS and its activities focus on the safe processing and storage of radioactive waste. The management system of ONDRAF/NIRAS includes two aspects: a) an integrated system and b) anmore » acceptance system. The integrated system covers all aspects of management ranging from the origin of waste to its transport, processing, interim storage and long-term management. The safety of radioactive waste management not only depends on the quality of the design and construction of the processing, temporary storage or disposal infrastructure, but also on the quality of the waste accepted by ONDRAF/NIRAS. In order to be manage d safely, both in the short and the long term, the waste transferred to ONDRAF/NIRAS must meet certain specific requirements. To that end, ONDRAF/NIRAS has developed an acceptance system. (authors)« less

  20. Managing Records for the Long Term - 12363

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

    Montgomery, John V.; Gueretta, Jeanie

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing vast amounts of information documenting historical and current operations. This information is critical to the operations of the DOE Office of Legacy Management. Managing legacy records and information is challenging in terms of accessibility and changing technology. The Office of Legacy Management is meeting these challenges by making records and information management an organizational priority. The Office of Legacy Management mission is to manage DOE post-closure responsibilities at former Cold War weapons sites to ensure the future protection of human health and the environment. These responsibilities include environmental stewardship andmore » long-term preservation and management of operational and environmental cleanup records associated with each site. A primary organizational goal for the Office of Legacy Management is to 'Preserve, Protect, and Share Records and Information'. Managing records for long-term preservation is an important responsibility. Adequate and dedicated resources and management support are required to perform this responsibility successfully. Records tell the story of an organization and may be required to defend an organization in court, provide historical information, identify lessons learned, or provide valuable information for researchers. Loss of records or the inability to retrieve records because of poor records management processes can have serious consequences and even lead to an organisation's downfall. Organizations must invest time and resources to establish a good records management program because of its significance to the organization as a whole. The Office of Legacy Management will continue to research and apply innovative ways of doing business to ensure that the organization stays at the forefront of effective records and information management. DOE is committed to preserving records that document our nation's Cold War legacy, and the Office of Legacy

  1. Evaluating the feasibility of biological waste processing for long term space missions.

    PubMed

    Garland, J L; Alazraki, M P; Atkinson, C F; Finger, B W

    1998-01-01

    Recycling waste products during orbital (e.g., International Space Station) and planetary missions (e.g., lunar base, Mars transit mission, Martian base) will reduce storage and resupply costs. Wastes streams on the space station will include human hygiene water, urine, faeces, and trash. Longer term missions will contain human waste and inedible plant material from plant growth systems used for atmospheric regeneration, food production, and water recycling. The feasibility of biological and physical-chemical waste recycling is being investigated as part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program. In-vessel composting has lower manpower requirements, lower water and volume requirements, and greater potential for sanitization of human waste compared to alternative bioreactor designs such as continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR). Residual solids from the process (i.e. compost) could be used a biological air filter, a plant nutrient source, and a carbon sink. Potential in-vessel composting designs for both near- and long-term space missions are presented and discussed with respect to the unique aspects of space-based systems.

  2. Evaluating the feasibility of biological waste processing for long term space missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garland, J. L.; Alazraki, M. P.; Atkinson, C. F.; Finger, B. W.; Sager, J. C. (Principal Investigator)

    1998-01-01

    Recycling waste products during orbital (e.g., International Space Station) and planetary missions (e.g., lunar base, Mars transit mission, Martian base) will reduce storage and resupply costs. Wastes streams on the space station will include human hygiene water, urine, faeces, and trash. Longer term missions will contain human waste and inedible plant material from plant growth systems used for atmospheric regeneration, food production, and water recycling. The feasibility of biological and physical-chemical waste recycling is being investigated as part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program. In-vessel composting has lower manpower requirements, lower water and volume requirements, and greater potential for sanitization of human waste compared to alternative bioreactor designs such as continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR). Residual solids from the process (i.e. compost) could be used a biological air filter, a plant nutrient source, and a carbon sink. Potential in-vessel composting designs for both near- and long-term space missions are presented and discussed with respect to the unique aspects of space-based systems.

  3. Nuclear Waste Disposal and Strategies for Predicting Long-Term Performance of Material

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

    Wicks, G G

    2001-03-28

    Ceramics have been an important part of the nuclear community for many years. On December 2, 1942, an historic event occurred under the West Stands of Stagg Field, at the University of Chicago. Man initiated his first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction and controlled it. The impact of this event on civilization is considered by many as monumental and compared by some to other significant events in history, such as the invention of the steam engine and the manufacturing of the first automobile. Making this event possible and the successful operation of this first man-made nuclear reactor, was the use ofmore » forty tons of UO2. The use of natural or enriched UO2 is still used today as a nuclear fuel in many nuclear power plants operating world-wide. Other ceramic materials, such as 238Pu, are used for other important purposes, such as ceramic fuels for space exploration to provide electrical power to operate instruments on board spacecrafts. Radioisotopic Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) are used to supply electrical power and consist of a nuclear heat source and converter to transform heat energy from radioactive decay into electrical power, thus providing reliable and relatively uniform power over the very long lifetime of a mission. These sources have been used in the Galileo spacecraft orbiting Jupiter and for scientific investigations of Saturn with the Cassini spacecraft. Still another very important series of applications using the unique properties of ceramics in the nuclear field, are as immobilization matrices for management of some of the most hazardous wastes known to man. For example, in long-term management of radioactive and hazardous wastes, glass matrices are currently in production immobilizing high-level radioactive materials, and cementious forms have also been produced to incorporate low level wastes. Also, as part of nuclear disarmament activities, assemblages of crystalline phases are being developed for immobilizing weapons grade

  4. On policies to regulate long-term risks from hazardous waste disposal sites under both intergenerational equity and intragenerational equity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shu, Zhongbin

    In recent years, it has been recognized that there is a need for a general philosophic policy to guide the regulation of societal activities that involve long-term and very long-term risks. Theses societal activities not only include the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes and global warming, but also include the disposal of non-radioactive carcinogens that never decay, such as arsenic, nickel, etc. In the past, attention has been focused on nuclear wastes. However, there has been international recognition that large quantities of non-radioactive wastes are being disposed of with little consideration of their long-term risks. The objectives of this dissertation are to present the significant long-term risks posed by non-radioactive carcinogens through case studies; develop the conceptual decision framework for setting the long-term risk policy; and illustrate that certain factors, such as discount rate, can significantly influence the results of long-term risk analysis. Therefore, the proposed decision-making framework can be used to systematically study the important policy questions on long-term risk regulations, and then subsequently help the decision-maker to make informed decisions. Regulatory disparities between high-level radioactive wastes and non-radioactive wastes are summarized. Long-term risk is rarely a consideration in the regulation of disposal of non-radioactive hazardous chemicals; and when it is, the matter has been handled in a somewhat perfunctory manner. Case studies of long-term risks are conducted for five Superfund sites that are contaminated with one or more non-radioactive carcinogens. Under the same assumptions used for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes, future subsistence farmers would be exposed to significant individual risks, in some cases with lifetime fatality risk equal to unity. The important policy questions on long-term risk regulation are identified, and the conceptual decision-making framework to regulate

  5. Progress and challenges to the global waste management system.

    PubMed

    Singh, Jagdeep; Laurenti, Rafael; Sinha, Rajib; Frostell, Björn

    2014-09-01

    Rapid economic growth, urbanization and increasing population have caused (materially intensive) resource consumption to increase, and consequently the release of large amounts of waste to the environment. From a global perspective, current waste and resource management lacks a holistic approach covering the whole chain of product design, raw material extraction, production, consumption, recycling and waste management. In this article, progress and different sustainability challenges facing the global waste management system are presented and discussed. The study leads to the conclusion that the current, rather isolated efforts, in different systems for waste management, waste reduction and resource management are indeed not sufficient in a long term sustainability perspective. In the future, to manage resources and wastes sustainably, waste management requires a more systems-oriented approach that addresses the root causes for the problems. A specific issue to address is the development of improved feedback information (statistics) on how waste generation is linked to consumption. © The Author(s) 2014.

  6. Management of long-term conditions in a prison setting.

    PubMed

    Perry, J

    This article, the fourth in a five-part series, explores the management of long-term conditions in the prison population, as well as patient-centred approaches to care and the challenges this may present. It discusses the effective management of chronic diseases and the importance of evidence-based practice in improving offender health care. The need for an understanding of the sociological and psychological perspectives of living with a long-term condition is explained.

  7. Issues that Drive Waste Management Technology Development for Space Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, John W.; Levri, Julie A.; Hogan, John A.; Wignarajah, Kanapathipillai

    2005-01-01

    Waste management technologies for space life support systems are currently at low development levels. Manual compaction of waste in plastic bags and overboard disposal to earth return vehicles are the primary current waste management methods. Particularly on future missions, continuance of current waste management methods would tend to expose the crew to waste hazards, forfeit recoverable resources such as water, consume valuable crew time, contaminate planetary surfaces, and risk return to Earth of extraterrestrial life. Improvement of waste management capabilities is needed for adequate management of wastes. Improvements include recovery of water and other resources, conversion of waste to states harmless to humans, long-term containment of wastes, and disposal of waste. Current NASA requirements documents on waste management are generally not highly detailed. More detailed requirements are needed to guide the development of waste management technologies that will adequately manage waste. In addition to satisfying requirements, waste management technologies must also recover resources. Recovery of resources such as water and habitat volume can reduce mission cost. This paper explores the drivers for waste management technology development including requirements and resource recovery.

  8. High-level radioactive waste management alternatives

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

    None

    1974-05-01

    A summary of a comprehensive overview study of potential alternatives for long-term management of high-level radioactive waste is presented. The concepts studied included disposal in geologic formations, disposal in seabeds, disposal in ice caps, disposal into space, and elimination by transmutation. (TFD)

  9. The Management of Chemical Waste in a University Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coons, David Michael

    This thesis describes a study of the management of chemical waste at the State University of New York at Binghamton. The study revealed that the majority of chemical waste at the university is in the form of hazardous waste. It was hypothesized that the volume, related costs, and potential long-term liability associated with the disposal of…

  10. Long-term outcome of nonoperative pediatric splenic injury management.

    PubMed

    Kristoffersen, Kristian W; Mooney, David P

    2007-06-01

    Nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt splenic trauma is the standard of care in hemodynamically stable children. The long-term risk of this strategy remains unknown. The object of this study was to investigate the incidence of long-term complications after NOM of pediatric splenic injury. All children who underwent NOM for blunt splenic trauma over an 11-year period were identified. Patients were interviewed for any ailments that could be related to their splenic injury, and hospital data were analyzed. A total of 266 patients were identified, and 228 patients (86%) were interviewed. Mean follow-up time was 5 +/- 3 years. One patient had a delayed complication, a splenic pseudocyst. Pain more than 4 weeks after injury was unusual. Time until return to full activity varied broadly. The incidence of long-term complications after NOM of pediatric splenic injury was 1 (0.44%) in 228 patients. Nonoperative management of pediatric blunt splenic trauma in children is associated with a minimal risk of long-term complications.

  11. Radioactive Waste Management in Non-Nuclear Countries - 13070

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

    Kubelka, Dragan; Trifunovic, Dejan

    2013-07-01

    This paper challenges internationally accepted concepts of dissemination of responsibilities between all stakeholders involved in national radioactive waste management infrastructure in the countries without nuclear power program. Mainly it concerns countries classified as class A and potentially B countries according to International Atomic Energy Agency. It will be shown that in such countries long term sustainability of national radioactive waste management infrastructure is very sensitive issue that can be addressed by involving regulatory body in more active way in the infrastructure. In that way countries can mitigate possible consequences on the very sensitive open market of radioactive waste management services,more » comprised mainly of radioactive waste generators, operators of end-life management facilities and regulatory body. (authors)« less

  12. Long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste stabilized by trace elements.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lei; Jahng, Deokjin

    2012-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine if long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste in a semi-continuous single-stage reactor could be stabilized by supplementing trace elements. Contrary to the failure of anaerobic digestion of food waste alone, stable anaerobic digestion of food waste was achieved for 368 days by supplementing trace elements. Under the conditions of OLR (organic loading rates) of 2.19-6.64 g VS (volatile solid)/L day and 20-30 days of HRT (hydraulic retention time), a high methane yield (352-450 mL CH(4)/g VS(added)) was obtained, and no significant accumulation of volatile fatty acids was observed. The subsequent investigation on effects of individual trace elements (Co, Fe, Mo and Ni) showed that iron was essential for maintaining stable methane production. These results proved that the food waste used in this study was deficient in trace elements. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. The long-term acceleration of waste glass corrosion: A preliminary review

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

    Kielpinski, A.L.

    1995-07-01

    Whereas a prior conception of glass dissolution assumed a relatively rapid initial dissolution which then slowed to a smaller, fairly constant longer-term rate, some recent work suggests that these two stages are followed by a third phase of dissolution, in which the dissolution rate is accelerated with respect to what had previously been thought of as the final long-term rate. The goals of the present study are to compile experimental data which may have a bearing on this phenomena, and to provide an initial assessment of these data. The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) is contracted to develop glass formulationmore » models for vitrification of Hanford low-level waste (LLW), in support of the Hanford Tank Waste Remediation System Technology Development Program. The phenomenon of an increase in corrosion rate, following a period characterized by a low corrosion rate, has been observed by a number of researchers on a number of waste glass compositions. Despite inherent ambiguities arising from SA/V (glass surface area to solution volume ratio) and other effects, valid comparisons can be made in which accelerated corrosion was observed in one test, but not in another. Some glass compositions do not appear to attain a plateau region; it may be that the observation of continued, non-negligible corrosion in these glasses represents a passage from the initial rate to the accelerated rate. The long-term corrosion is a function of the interaction between the glass and its environment, including the leaching solution and the surrounding materials. Reaction path modeling and stability field considerations have been used with some success to predict the changes in corrosion rate over time, due to these interactions. The accelerated corrosion phenomenon highlights the need for such integrated corrosion modeling and the scenario-specific nature of a particular glass composition`s durability.« less

  14. A model to minimize joint total costs for industrial waste producers and waste management companies.

    PubMed

    Tietze-Stöckinger, Ingela; Fichtner, Wolf; Rentz, Otto

    2004-12-01

    The model LINKopt is a mixed-integer, linear programming model for mid- and long-term planning of waste management options on an inter-company level. There has been a large increase in the transportation of waste material in Germany, which has been attributed to the implementation of the European Directive 75/442/EEC on waste. Similar situations are expected to emerge in other European countries. The model LINKopt has been developed to determine a waste management system with minimal decision-relevant costs considering transportation, handling, storage and treatment of waste materials. The model can serve as a tool to evaluate various waste management strategies and to obtain the optimal combination of investment options. In addition to costs, ecological aspects are considered by determining the total mileage associated with the waste management system. The model has been applied to a German case study evaluating different investment options for a co-operation between Daimler-Chrysler AG at Rastatt, its suppliers, and the waste management company SITA P+R GmbH. The results show that the installation of waste management facilities at the premises of the waste producer would lead to significant reductions in costs and transportation.

  15. Long-term outcomes and management of lung transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Costa, Joseph; Benvenuto, Luke J; Sonett, Joshua R

    2017-06-01

    Lung transplantation is an established treatment for patients with end-stage lung disease. Improvements in immunosuppression and therapeutic management of infections have resulted in improved long-term survival and a decline in allograft rejection. Allograft rejection continues to be a serious complication following lung transplantation, thereby leading to acute graft failure and, subsequently, chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), the most common phenotype of CLAD, is the leading cause of late mortality and morbidity in lung recipients, with 50% having developed BOS within 5 years of lung transplantation. Infections in lung transplant recipients are also a significant complication and represent the most common cause of death within the first year. The success of lung transplantation depends on careful management of immunosuppressive regimens to reduce the rate of rejection, while monitoring recipients for infections and complications to help identify problems early. The long-term outcomes and management of lung transplant recipients are critically based on modulating natural immune response of the recipient to prevent acute and chronic rejection. Understanding the immune mechanisms and temporal correlation of acute and chronic rejection is thus critical in the long-term management of lung recipients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste stabilized by trace elements

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

    Zhang Lei, E-mail: wxzyfx@yahoo.com; Jahng, Deokjin, E-mail: djahng@mju.ac.kr

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Korean food waste was found to contain low level of trace elements. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stable anaerobic digestion of food waste was achieved by adding trace elements. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Iron played an important role in anaerobic digestion of food waste. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cobalt addition further enhanced the process performance in the presence of iron. - Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine if long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste in a semi-continuous single-stage reactor could be stabilized by supplementing trace elements. Contrary to the failure of anaerobic digestion of food waste alone, stable anaerobic digestion of food waste was achievedmore » for 368 days by supplementing trace elements. Under the conditions of OLR (organic loading rates) of 2.19-6.64 g VS (volatile solid)/L day and 20-30 days of HRT (hydraulic retention time), a high methane yield (352-450 mL CH{sub 4}/g VS{sub added}) was obtained, and no significant accumulation of volatile fatty acids was observed. The subsequent investigation on effects of individual trace elements (Co, Fe, Mo and Ni) showed that iron was essential for maintaining stable methane production. These results proved that the food waste used in this study was deficient in trace elements.« less

  17. Science, Society, and America's Nuclear Waste: The Waste Management System, Unit 4. Teacher Guide. Second Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Energy, Washington, DC. Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC.

    This guide is Unit 4 of the four-part series, Science, Society, and America's Nuclear Waste, produced by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The goal of this unit is to explain how transportation, a geologic repository, and the multi-purpose canister will work together to provide short-term and long-term…

  18. Bringing managed care home to the long-term care population.

    PubMed

    Nadash, Pamela; Ahrens, Joann

    2004-01-01

    Managed care has been proposed as a solution to the problems facing long-term care: its high costs, bias towards nursing homes, lack of coordination with acute and primary care, and inflexible service delivery. Kodner and Kyriacou (2003) argue that home care agencies may have considerable advantages in creating managed care systems for this population over traditional managed care organizations because of the experience home care organizations have in caring for older adults as well as people with disabilities. Although home care agencies are likely to better understand the needs of the long-term care population, they may lack the expertise and organizational resources to develop successful managed care organizations. Addressing these deficiencies will be key in order for home care organizations to successfully operate as managed care providers.

  19. Radionuclide Incorporation and Long Term Performance of Apatite Waste Forms

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

    Wang, Jianwei; Lian, Jie; Gao, Fei

    2016-01-04

    This project aims to combines state-of-the-art experimental and characterization techniques with atomistic simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. With an initial focus on long-lived I-129 and other radionuclides such as Cs, Sr in apatite structure, specific research objectives include the atomic scale understanding of: (1) incorporation behavior of the radionuclides and their effects on the crystal chemistry and phase stability; (2) stability and microstructure evolution of designed waste forms under coupled temperature and radiation environments; (3) incorporation and migration energetics of radionuclides and release behaviors as probed by DFT and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations;more » and (4) chemical durability as measured in dissolution experiments for long term performance evaluation and model validation.« less

  20. Comprehensive monitoring and management of a long-term thermophilic CSTR treating coffee grounds, coffee liquid, milk waste, and municipal sludge.

    PubMed

    Shofie, Mohammad; Qiao, Wei; Li, Qian; Takayanagi, Kazuyuki; Li, Yu-You

    2015-09-01

    The CSTR process has previously not been successfully applied to treat coffee residues under thermophilic temperature and long term operation. In this experiment, the CSTR was fed with mixture substrate (TS ∼ 70 g/L) of coffee grounds, coffee wastewater, milk waste and municipal sludge and it was operated under 55 °C for 225 days. A steady state was achieved under HRT 30 days and OLR 4.0 kg-COD/m(3)/d. However, there was an 35 days inhibition with VFA accumulation (propionic acid 700-1900 mg/L) when doubling the OLR by shortening HRT to 15 days. But, an addition of microelements and sulfate (0.5 g/L) in feedstock increased reactor resilience and stability under high loading rate and propionic acid stress. Continuous monitoring of hydrogen in biogas indicated the imbalance of acetogenesis. The effectiveness of comprehensive parameters (total VFA, propionic acid, IA/PA, IA/TA and CH4 content) was proved to manage the thermophilic system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Comparative Risk Analysis for Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Ni-Bin; Wang, S. F.

    1996-01-01

    Conventional solid waste management planning usually focuses on economic optimization, in which the related environmental impacts or risks are rarely considered. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the methodology of how optimization concepts and techniques can be applied to structure and solve risk management problems such that the impacts of air pollution, leachate, traffic congestion, and noise increments can be regulated in the iong-term planning of metropolitan solid waste management systems. Management alternatives are sequentially evaluated by adding several environmental risk control constraints stepwise in an attempt to improve the management strategies and reduce the risk impacts in the long run. Statistics associated with those risk control mechanisms are presented as well. Siting, routing, and financial decision making in such solid waste management systems can also be achieved with respect to various resource limitations and disposal requirements.

  2. Long-term surgical-orthodontic management of hemimandibular hyperplasia.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Samuel C; Goonewardene, Mithran S

    2016-05-01

    Hemimandibular hyperplasia (HH), also known as hemimandibular hypertrophy, is characterised by excessive unilateral three-dimensional growth of the mandible after birth. Vertical unilateral elongation of the mandible becomes clinically evident as a rare form of vertical facial asymmetry. Aberrant growth of the facial skeleton affects the developing dentition and the dental compensatory mechanism is usually unable to maintain optimal occlusal relationships. The resulting malocclusion is effectively managed by combined surgical-orthodontic care to address the facial, skeletal and dental problems that confront clinicians. Orthodontists are advised to assess patients with HH during the post-treatment retention stage for continuing mandibular growth and assess the stability of treatment outcomes with long-term follow-up and records as required. To present a case of hemimandibular hyperplasia treated successfully by combined surgical-orthodontic care and evaluated for stability over a seven-year follow-up period. Surgical-orthodontic management was accomplished in four stages: 1) pre-surgical orthodontic; 21 surgical; 3) post-surgical orthodontic; and 4) post-treatment orthodontic retention. Complete orthodontic records, including extra- and intra-oral photographs, study models, and cephalograms plus panoramic radiographs were taken at the pretreatment, post-treatment, and seven-year orthodontic retention time-points. Facial, skeletal and dental goals were achieved in the three planes of space and the long-term stability of the treatment results was shown during a post-treatment orthodontic retention period of seven years. Hemimandibular hyperplasia is a true growth anomaly which may be managed effectively. Clinicians may expect successful long-term correction and stability by utilising a comprehensive surgical-orthodontic treatment approach.

  3. Managing previously disposed waste to today's standards

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

    Not Available

    1990-01-01

    A Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) was established at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) in 1952 for controlled disposal of radioactive waste generated at the INEL. Between 1954 and 1970 waste characterized by long lived, alpha emitting radionuclides from the Rocky Flats Plant was also buried at this site. Migration of radionuclides and other hazardous substances from the buried Migration of radionuclides and other hazardous substances from the buried waste has recently been detected. A Buried Waste Program (BWP) was established to manage cleanup of the buried waste. This program has four objectives: (1) determine contaminant sources, (2) determinemore » extent of contamination, (3) mitigate migration, and (4) recommend an alternative for long term management of the waste. Activities designed to meet these objectives have been under way since the inception of the program. The regulatory environment governing these activities is evolving. Pursuant to permitting activities under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a Consent Order Compliance Agreement (COCA) for cleanup of past practice disposal units at the INEL. Subsequent to identification of the RWMC as a release site, cleanup activities proceeded under dual regulatory coverage of RCRA and the Atomic Energy Act. DOE, EPA, and the State of Idaho are negotiating a RCRA/Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Interagency Agreement (IAG) for management of waste disposal sites at the INEL as a result of the November 1989 listing of the INEL on the National Priority List (NPL). Decision making for selection of cleanup technology will be conducted under the CERCLA process supplemented as required to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 7 figs.« less

  4. Long-term forest management and climate effects on streamflow

    Treesearch

    Shelby G. Laird; C.R. Ford; S.H. Laseter; J.M. Vose

    2011-01-01

    Long-term watershed studies are a powerful tool for examining interactions among management activities, streamflow, and climatic variability. Understanding these interactions is critical for exploring the potential of forest management to adapt to or mitigate against the effects of climate change. The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, located in North Carolina, USA, is a...

  5. Management of long term sickness absence: a systematic realist review.

    PubMed

    Higgins, Angela; O'Halloran, Peter; Porter, Sam

    2012-09-01

    The increasing impact and costs of long term sickness absence have been well documented. However, the diversity and complexity of interventions and of the contexts in which these take place makes a traditional review problematic. Therefore, we undertook a systematic realist review to identify the dominant programme theories underlying best practice, to assess the evidence for these theories, and to throw light on important enabling or disabling contextual factors. A search of the scholarly literature from 1950 to 2011 identified 5,576 articles, of which 269 formed the basis of the review. We found that the dominant programme theories in relation to effective management related to: early intervention or referral by employers; having proactive organisational procedures; good communication and cooperation between stakeholders; and workplace-based occupational rehabilitation. Significant contextual factors were identified as the level of support for interventions from top management, the size and structure of the organisation, the level of financial and organisational investment in the management of long-term sickness absence, and the quality of relationships between managers and staff. Consequently, those with responsibility for managing absence should bear in mind the contextual factors that are likely to have an impact on interventions, and do what they can to ensure stakeholders have at least a mutual understanding (if not a common purpose) in relation to their perceptions of interventions, goals, culture and practice in the management of long term sickness absence.

  6. National information network and database system of hazardous waste management in China

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

    Ma Hongchang

    1996-12-31

    Industries in China generate large volumes of hazardous waste, which makes it essential for the nation to pay more attention to hazardous waste management. National laws and regulations, waste surveys, and manifest tracking and permission systems have been initiated. Some centralized hazardous waste disposal facilities are under construction. China`s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) has also obtained valuable information on hazardous waste management from developed countries. To effectively share this information with local environmental protection bureaus, NEPA developed a national information network and database system for hazardous waste management. This information network will have such functions as information collection, inquiry,more » and connection. The long-term objective is to establish and develop a national and local hazardous waste management information network. This network will significantly help decision makers and researchers because it will be easy to obtain information (e.g., experiences of developed countries in hazardous waste management) to enhance hazardous waste management in China. The information network consists of five parts: technology consulting, import-export management, regulation inquiry, waste survey, and literature inquiry.« less

  7. Vegetation cover and long-term conservation of radioactive waste packages: the case study of the CSM waste disposal facility (Manche District, France).

    PubMed

    Petit-Berghem, Yves; Lemperiere, Guy

    2012-03-01

    The CSM is the first French waste disposal facility for radioactive waste. Waste material is buried several meters deep and protected by a multi-layer cover, and equipped with a drainage system. On the surface, the plant cover is a grassland vegetation type. A scientific assessment has been carried out by the Géophen laboratory, University of Caen, in order to better characterize the plant cover (ecological groups and associated soils) and to observe its medium and long term evolution. Field assessments made on 10 plots were complemented by laboratory analyses carried out over a period of 1 year. The results indicate scenarios and alternative solutions which could arise, in order to passively ensure the long-term safety of the waste disposal system. Several proposals for a blanket solution are currently being studied and discussed, under the auspices of international research institutions in order to determine the most appropriate materials for the storage conditions. One proposal is an increased thickness of these materials associated with a geotechnical barrier since it is well adapted to the forest plants which are likely to colonize the site. The current experiments that are carried out will allow to select the best option and could provide feedback for other waste disposal facility sites already being operated in France (CSFMA waste disposal facility, Aube district) or in other countries.

  8. Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Field Sampling Plan for 2007

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

    T. Haney

    2007-07-31

    This field sampling plan describes the field investigations planned for the Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Project at the Idaho National Laboratory Site in 2007. This plan and the Quality Assurance Project Plan for Waste Area Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and Removal Actions constitute the sampling and analysis plan supporting long-term ecological monitoring sampling in 2007. The data collected under this plan will become part of the long-term ecological monitoring data set that is being collected annually. The data will be used t determine the requirements for the subsequent long-term ecological monitoring. This plan guides the 2007more » investigations, including sampling, quality assurance, quality control, analytical procedures, and data management. As such, this plan will help to ensure that the resulting monitoring data will be scientifically valid, defensible, and of known and acceptable quality.« less

  9. Managing soils for long-term productivity

    PubMed Central

    Syers, J. K.

    1997-01-01

    Meeting the goal of long-term agricultural productivity requires that soil degradation be halted and reversed. Soil fertility decline is a key factor in soil degradation and is probably the major cause of declining crop yields. There is evidence that the contribution of declining soil fertility to soil degradation has been underestimated.
    Sensitivity to soil degradation is implicit in the assessment of the sustainability of land management practices, with wide recognition of the fact that soils vary in their ability to resist change and recover subsequent to stress. The concept of resilience in relation to sustainability requires further elaboration and evaluation.
    In the context of soil degradation, a decline in soil fertility is primarily interpreted as the depletion of organic matter and plant nutrients. Despite a higher turnover rate of organic matter in the tropics there is no intrinsic difference between the organic matter content of soils from tropical and temperate regions. The level of organic matter in a soil is closely related to the above and below ground inputs. In the absence of adequate organic material inputs and where cultivation is continuous, soil organic matter declines progressively. Maintaining the quantity and quality of soil organic matter should be a guiding principle in developing management practices.
    Soil microbial biomass serves as an important reservoir of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S), and regulates the cycling of organic matter and nutrients. Because of its high turnover rate, microbial biomass reacts quickly to changes in management and is a sensitive indicator for monitoring and predicting changes in soil organic matter. Modelling techniques have been reasonably successful in predicting changes in soil organic matter with different organic material inputs, but there is little information from the tropics.
    Nutrient depletion through harvested crop components and residue removal, and by leaching and soil

  10. Waste Management Options for Long-Duration Space Missions: When to Reject, Reuse, or Recycle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Linne, Diane L.; Palaszewski, Bryan A.; Gokoglu, Suleyman; Gallo, Christopher A.; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswamy; Hegde, Uday G.

    2014-01-01

    The amount of waste generated on long-duration space missions away from Earth orbit creates the daunting challenge of how to manage the waste through reuse, rejection, or recycle. The option to merely dispose of the solid waste through an airlock to space was studied for both Earth-moon libration point missions and crewed Mars missions. Although the unique dynamic characteristics of an orbit around L2 might allow some discarded waste to intersect the lunar surface before re-impacting the spacecraft, the large amount of waste needed to be managed and potential hazards associated with volatiles recondensing on the spacecraft surfaces make this option problematic. A second option evaluated is to process the waste into useful gases to be either vented to space or used in various propulsion systems. These propellants could then be used to provide the yearly station-keeping needs at an L2 orbit, or if processed into oxygen and methane propellants, could be used to augment science exploration by enabling lunar mini landers to the far side of the moon.

  11. Enabling Long-Term Oceanographic Research: Changing Data Practices, Information Management Strategies and Informatics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baker, K. S.; Chandler, C. L.

    2008-12-01

    Data management and informatics research are in a state of change in terms of data practices, information strategies, and roles. New ways of thinking about data and data management can facilitate interdisciplinary global ocean science. To meet contemporary expectations for local data use and reuse by a variety of audiences, collaborative strategies involving diverse teams of information professionals are developing. Such changes are fostering the growth of information infrastructures that support multi-scale sampling, data integration, and nascent networks of data repositories. In this retrospective, two examples of oceanographic projects incorporating data management in partnership with long-term science programs are reviewed: the Palmer Station Long-Term Ecological Research program (Palmer LTER) and the United States Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (US JGOFS). Lessons learned - short-term and long-term - from a decade of data management within these two communities will be presented. A conceptual framework called Ocean Informatics provides one example for managing the complexities inherent to sharing oceanographic data. Elements are discussed that address the economies-of-scale as well as the complexities-of-scale pertinent to a broad vision of information management and scientific research.

  12. Long-term high-level waste technology. Composite report

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cornman, W. R.

    1981-12-01

    Research and development studies on the immobilization of high-level wastes from the chemical reprocessing of nuclear reactor fuels are summarized. The reports are grouped under the following tasks: (1) program management and support; (2) waste preparation; (3) waste fixation; and (4) final handling. Some of the highlights are: leaching properties were obtained for titanate and tailored ceramic materials being developed at ICPP to immobilize zirconia calcine; comparative leach tests, hot-cell tests, and process evaluations were conducted of waste form alternatives to borosilicate glass for the immobilization of SRP high-level wastes, experiments were run at ANL to qualify neutron activation analysis and radioactive tracers for measuring leach rates from simulated waste glasses; comparative leach test samples of SYNROC D were prepared, characterized, and tested at LLNL; encapsulation of glass marbles with lead or lead alloys was demonstrated on an engineering scale at PNL; a canister for reference Commercial HLW was designed at PNL; a study of the optimization of salt-crete was completed at SRL; a risk assessment showed that an investment for tornado dampers in the interim storage building of the DWPF is unjustified.

  13. A United States perspective on long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials.

    PubMed

    Jones, C Rick

    2004-01-01

    The US has far-reaching and extensive experience in the long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials. This experience base includes the Department of Energy's continued follow-up with Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the 1940s at the Radiological Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan, the long-term management of the Marshall Islands Programme, the clean-up of the US nuclear weapons complex and the ongoing management of accident sites such as in Palomares, Spain. This paper discusses the lessons learnt and best practices gained from this far-reaching and extensive experience in the long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials. Copyright 2004 Oxford University Press

  14. The changing flow of management information systems in long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Stokes, D F

    1997-08-01

    Over the past three decades, the long-term care community has seen continual increases in the complexity and sophistication of management information systems. These changes have been brought about by the ever-increasing demands on owners and managers to provide accurate and timely data to both regulators and financial investors. The evolution of these systems has increased rapidly in recent years as the nation attempts to reinvent the funding mechanisms for long-term care.

  15. Managed Care and Long-Term Services for People with Mental Retardation. ARC Q&A.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arc, Arlington, TX.

    This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to summarize issues related to managed care and long-term services for people with mental retardation. Questions and answers address the following topics: the evolving concept of "managed care"; the application of managed care to provide cost-efficient long-term services for people with mental…

  16. The Swedish nuclear waste program and the long-term corrosion behaviour of copper

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosborg, B.; Werme, L.

    2008-09-01

    The principal strategy for high-level radioactive waste disposal in Sweden is to enclose the spent fuel in tightly sealed copper canisters that are embedded in bentonite clay about 500 m down in the Swedish bedrock. Besides rock movements, the biggest threat to the canister in the repository is corrosion. 'Nature' has proven that copper can last many million of years under proper conditions, bentonite clay has existed for many million years, and the Fennoscandia bedrock shield is stable. The groundwater may not stay the very same over very long periods considering glaciations, but this will not have dramatic consequences for the canister performance. While nature has shown the way, research refines and verifies. The most important task from a corrosion perspective is to ascertain a proper near-field environment. The background and status of the Swedish nuclear waste program are presented together with information about the long-term corrosion behaviour of copper with focus on the oxic period.

  17. Long-term sampling of CO(2) from waste-to-energy plants: (14)C determination methodology, data variation and uncertainty.

    PubMed

    Fuglsang, Karsten; Pedersen, Niels Hald; Larsen, Anna Warberg; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

    2014-02-01

    A dedicated sampling and measurement method was developed for long-term measurements of biogenic and fossil-derived CO(2) from thermal waste-to-energy processes. Based on long-term sampling of CO(2) and (14)C determination, plant-specific emission factors can be determined more accurately, and the annual emission of fossil CO(2) from waste-to-energy plants can be monitored according to carbon trading schemes and renewable energy certificates. Weekly and monthly measurements were performed at five Danish waste incinerators. Significant variations between fractions of biogenic CO(2) emitted were observed, not only over time, but also between plants. From the results of monthly samples at one plant, the annual mean fraction of biogenic CO(2) was found to be 69% of the total annual CO(2) emissions. From weekly samples, taken every 3 months at the five plants, significant seasonal variations in biogenic CO(2) emissions were observed (between 56% and 71% biogenic CO(2)). These variations confirmed that biomass fractions in the waste can vary considerably, not only from day to day but also from month to month. An uncertainty budget for the measurement method itself showed that the expanded uncertainty of the method was ± 4.0 pmC (95 % confidence interval) at 62 pmC. The long-term sampling method was found to be useful for waste incinerators for determination of annual fossil and biogenic CO(2) emissions with relatively low uncertainty.

  18. San Francisco Bay Long Term Management Strategy for Dredging

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The San Francisco Bay Long Term Management Strategy (LTMS) is a cooperative effort to develop a new approach to dredging and dredged material disposal in the San Francisco Bay area. The LTMS serves as the Regional Dredging Team for the San Francisco area.

  19. Importance of Data Management in a Long-Term Biological Monitoring Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christensen, Sigurd W.; Brandt, Craig C.; McCracken, Mary K.

    2011-06-01

    The long-term Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) has always needed to collect and retain high-quality data on which to base its assessments of ecological status of streams and their recovery after remediation. Its formal quality assurance, data processing, and data management components all contribute to meeting this need. The Quality Assurance Program comprehensively addresses requirements from various institutions, funders, and regulators, and includes a data management component. Centralized data management began a few years into the program when an existing relational database was adapted and extended to handle biological data. The database's main data tables and several key reference tables are described. One of the most important related activities supporting long-term analyses was the establishing of standards for sampling site names, taxonomic identification, flagging, and other components. The implemented relational database supports the transmittal of data to the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) as the permanent repository. We also discuss some limitations to our implementation. Some types of program data were not easily accommodated in the central systems, and many possible data-sharing and integration options are not easily accessible to investigators. From our experience we offer data management advice to other biologically oriented long-term environmental sampling and analysis programs.

  20. An analysis of the technical status of high level radioactive waste and spent fuel management systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    English, T.; Miller, C.; Bullard, E.; Campbell, R.; Chockie, A.; Divita, E.; Douthitt, C.; Edelson, E.; Lees, L.

    1977-01-01

    The technical status of the old U.S. mailine program for high level radioactive nuclear waste management, and the newly-developing program for disposal of unreprocessed spent fuel was assessed. The method of long term containment for both of these waste forms is considered to be deep geologic isolation in bedded salt. Each major component of both waste management systems is analyzed in terms of its scientific feasibility, technical achievability and engineering achievability. The resulting matrix leads to a systematic identification of major unresolved technical or scientific questions and/or gaps in these programs.

  1. Effect of long-term industrial waste effluent pollution on soil enzyme activities and bacterial community composition.

    PubMed

    Subrahmanyam, Gangavarapu; Shen, Ju-Pei; Liu, Yu-Rong; Archana, Gattupalli; Zhang, Li-Mei

    2016-02-01

    Although numerous studies have addressed the influence of exogenous pollutants on microorganisms, the effect of long-term industrial waste effluent (IWE) pollution on the activity and diversity of soil bacteria was still unclear. Three soil samples characterized as uncontaminated (R1), moderately contaminated (R2), and highly contaminated (R3) receiving mixed organic and heavy metal pollutants for more than 20 years through IWE were collected along the Mahi River basin, Gujarat, western India. Basal soil respiration and in situ enzyme activities indicated an apparent deleterious effect of IWE on microbial activity and soil function. Community composition profiling of soil bacteria using 16S rRNA gene amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method indicated an apparent bacterial community shift in the IWE-affected soils. Cloning and sequencing of DGGE bands revealed that the dominated bacterial phyla in polluted soil were affiliated with Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, indicating that these bacterial phyla may have a high tolerance to pollutants. We suggested that specific bacterial phyla along with soil enzyme activities could be used as relevant biological indicators for long-term pollution assessment on soil quality. Graphical Abstract Bacterial community profiling and soil enzyme activities in long-term industrial waste effluent polluted soils.

  2. Long-term cost-effectiveness of disease management in systolic heart failure.

    PubMed

    Miller, George; Randolph, Stephen; Forkner, Emma; Smith, Brad; Galbreath, Autumn Dawn

    2009-01-01

    Although congestive heart failure (CHF) is a primary target for disease management programs, previous studies have generated mixed results regarding the effectiveness and cost savings of disease management when applied to CHF. We estimated the long-term impact of systolic heart failure disease management from the results of an 18-month clinical trial. We used data generated from the trial (starting population distributions, resource utilization, mortality rates, and transition probabilities) in a Markov model to project results of continuing the disease management program for the patients' lifetimes. Outputs included distribution of illness severity, mortality, resource consumption, and the cost of resources consumed. Both cost and effectiveness were discounted at a rate of 3% per year. Cost-effectiveness was computed as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Model results were validated against trial data and indicated that, over their lifetimes, patients experienced a lifespan extension of 51 days. Combined discounted lifetime program and medical costs were $4850 higher in the disease management group than the control group, but the program had a favorable long-term discounted cost-effectiveness of $43,650/QALY. These results are robust to assumptions regarding mortality rates, the impact of aging on the cost of care, the discount rate, utility values, and the targeted population. Estimation of the clinical benefits and financial burden of disease management can be enhanced by model-based analyses to project costs and effectiveness. Our results suggest that disease management of heart failure patients can be cost-effective over the long term.

  3. From Sky to Archive: Long Term Management of Sky Survey Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darch, Peter T.; Sands, Ashley E.; Borgman, Christine; Golshan, Milena S.; Traweek, Sharon

    2017-01-01

    Sky survey data may remain scientifically valuable long beyond the end of a survey’s operational period, both for continuing inquiry and for calibrating and testing instruments for subsequent generations of surveys. Astronomy infrastructure has many stakeholders, including those concerned with data management. Research libraries are increasingly partnering with scholars to sustain access to data.The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) was among the first major scientific projects to partner with libraries in this way, embarking on a data transfer process with two university libraries. We report on a qualitative case study of this process.Ideally, long-term sustainability of sky survey data would be a key part of planning and construction, but rarely does this occur. Teams are under pressure to deliver a project on time and on budget that produces high-quality data during its operational period, leaving few resources available to plan long-term data management. The difficulty of planning is further compounded by the complexity of predicting circumstances and needs of the astronomy community in future decades. SDSS team members regarded libraries, long-lived institutions concerned with access to scholarship, as a potential solution to long-term data sustainability.As the SDSS data transfer was the first of this scale attempted - 160 TB of data - astronomers and library staff were faced with scoping the range of activities involved. They spent two years planning this five-year process. While successful overall as demonstration projects, the libraries encountered many obstacles. We found all parties experienced difficulty in articulating their notions of “scientific data,” “archiving,” “serving,” and “providing access” to the datasets. Activities and interpretations of the data transfer process varied by institutional motivations for participation and by available infrastructure. We conclude several, rather than a single, “library solutions” for long-term

  4. Change Ahead: Transient Scenarios for Long-term Water Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Beersma, Jules; Schellekens, Jaap

    2013-04-01

    While the use of an ensemble of transient scenarios is common in climate change studies, they are rarely used in water management studies. Present planning studies on long-term water management often use a few plausible futures for one or two projection years, ignoring the dynamic aspect of adaptation through the interaction between the water system and society. Over the course of time society experiences, learns and adapts to changes and events, making policy responses part of a plausible future, and thus the success of a water management strategy. Exploring transient scenarios and policy options over time can support decision making on water management strategies in an uncertain and changing environment. We have developed and applied such a method, called exploring adaptation pathways (Haasnoot et al., 2012; Haasnoot et al., 2011). This method uses multiple realisations of transient scenarios to assess the efficacy of policy actions over time. In case specified objectives are not achieved anymore, an adaptation tipping point (Kwadijk et al., 2010) is reached. After reaching a tipping point, additional actions are needed to reach the objectives. As a result, a pathway emerges. In this presentation we describe the development of transient scenarios for long term water management, and how these scenarios can be used for long term water management under uncertainty. We illustrate this with thought experiments, and results from computational modeling experiment for exploring adaptation pathways in the lower Rhine delta. The results and the thought experiments show, among others, that climate variability is at least just as important as climate change for taking decisions in water management. References Haasnoot, M., Middelkoop, H., Offermans, A., Beek, E., Deursen, W.A.v. (2012) Exploring pathways for sustainable water management in river deltas in a changing environment. Climatic Change 115, 795-819. Haasnoot, M., Middelkoop, H., van Beek, E., van Deursen, W

  5. Importance of Data Management in a Long-term Biological Monitoring Program

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

    Christensen, Sigurd W; Brandt, Craig C; McCracken, Kitty

    2011-01-01

    The long-term Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) has always needed to collect and retain high-quality data on which to base its assessments of ecological status of streams and their recovery after remediation. Its formal quality assurance, data processing, and data management components all contribute to this need. The Quality Assurance Program comprehensively addresses requirements from various institutions, funders, and regulators, and includes a data management component. Centralized data management began a few years into the program. An existing relational database was adapted and extended to handle biological data. Data modeling enabled the program's database to process, store, and retrievemore » its data. The data base's main data tables and several key reference tables are described. One of the most important related activities supporting long-term analyses was the establishing of standards for sampling site names, taxonomic identification, flagging, and other components. There are limitations. Some types of program data were not easily accommodated in the central systems, and many possible data-sharing and integration options are not easily accessible to investigators. The implemented relational database supports the transmittal of data to the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) as the permanent repository. From our experience we offer data management advice to other biologically oriented long-term environmental sampling and analysis programs.« less

  6. Nurse Case Managers' Experiences on Case Management for Long-term Hospitalization in Korea.

    PubMed

    Oh, Jinjoo; Oh, Seieun

    2017-12-01

    The implementation of case management for long-term hospitalization use has been approved for controlling medical cost increases in other countries. But, introduction of the case management in Korea has created issues that hinder its effective operation. This qualitative study aimed to obtain further understanding of the issues surrounding the management of Medical Aid beneficiaries' use of long-term hospitalization from the case managers' perspectives and to provide suggestions for successful case management. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Medical Aid case managers with 3 or more years of case management experience were recruited from urban, suburban, and rural regions. Data were collected through in-depth interviews: 12 nurse case managers participated in focus group interviews and 11 participated in individual one-on-one interviews. Four major themes emerged: on-site obstacles that hinder work progress; going in an opposite direction; ambiguous position of case managers; and work-related emotions. Eleven subthemes were discovered: chasing potential candidates; becoming an enemy; discharging patients who have nowhere to go; welfare-centered national policies increasing medical costs; Medical Aid Program that encourages hospitalization; misuse of hospitalization; feeling limited; working without authority; fulfilling the expected role; fretting about social criticism; and feeling neglected and unprotected. The findings highlight the complexity and ambiguity of the issues faced by case managers. Successful management of Medical Aid resources requires the orchestrated efforts and collaboration of multiple stakeholders. More systematized support and resources for nurse case managers are essential to fully implement this nursing innovation in Korea. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Mixing-controlled uncertainty in long-term predictions of acid rock drainage from heterogeneous waste-rock piles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pedretti, D.; Beckie, R. D.; Mayer, K. U.

    2015-12-01

    The chemistry of drainage from waste-rock piles at mine sites is difficult to predict because of a number of uncertainties including heterogeneous reactive mineral content, distribution of minerals, weathering rates and physical flow properties. In this presentation, we examine the effects of mixing on drainage chemistry over timescales of 100s of years. We use a 1-D streamtube conceptualization of flow in waste rocks and multicomponent reactive transport modeling. We simplify the reactive system to consist of acid-producing sulfide minerals and acid-neutralizing carbonate minerals and secondary sulfate and iron oxide minerals. We create multiple realizations of waste-rock piles with distinct distributions of reactive minerals along each flow path and examine the uncertainty of drainage geochemistry through time. The limited mixing of streamtubes that is characteristic of the vertical unsaturated flow in many waste-rock piles, allows individual flowpaths to sustain acid or neutral conditions to the base of the pile, where the streamtubes mix. Consequently, mixing and the acidity/alkalinity balance of the streamtube waters, and not the overall acid- and base-producing mineral contents, control the instantaneous discharge chemistry. Our results show that the limited mixing implied by preferential flow and the heterogeneous distribution of mineral contents lead to large uncertainty in drainage chemistry over short and medium time scales. However, over longer timescales when one of either the acid-producing or neutralizing primary phases is depleted, the drainage chemistry becomes less controlled by mixing and in turn less uncertain. A correct understanding of the temporal variability of uncertainty is key to make informed long-term decisions in mining settings regarding the management of waste material.

  8. A Challenge for Radioactive Waste Management: Memory Preservation

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

    Charton, P.; Ouzounian, G.

    2008-07-01

    ANDRA, the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency, is responsible for managing all radioactive waste in France over the long term. In the case of short-lived waste for which disposal facilities have a life expectancy of a few centuries, the Agency has set up a system for preserving the memory of those sites. Based on the historical analysis on a comparable timescale and on an appraisal of information-conservation means, a series of regulatory as well as technical provisions was made in order to ensure that sound information be transmitted to future generations. Requirements associated to the provisions deal mostly withmore » legibility and a clear understanding of the information that must be decrypted and understood at least during the lifetime of the facilities (i.e., a few centuries). It must therefore be preserved throughout the same period. Responses to the requirements will be presented notably on various information-recording media, together with the information-diffusion strategy to the different authorities and structures within French society. A concrete illustration of the achievements made so far is the Centre de la Manche Disposal Facility, which was closed down in 1994 and is currently in its post-closure monitoring phase since 2003. In the case of deep geological repositories for long-lived radioactive waste, preserving memory takes a different aspect. First of all, timescales are much longer and are counted in hundreds of thousands of years. It is therefore much more difficult to consider how to maintain the richness of the information over such time periods than it is for short-lived waste. Both the nature and the form of the information to be transmitted must be revised. It would be risky indeed to base memory preservation over the long term on similar mechanisms beyond 1,000 years. Based on the heritage of a much more ancient history, we must seek to find appropriate means in order to develop surface markers and even more to ensure

  9. Protecting Lake Ontario - Treating Wastewater from the Remediated Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Facility - 13227

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

    Freihammer, Till; Chaput, Barb; Vandergaast, Gary

    2013-07-01

    The Port Granby Project is part of the larger Port Hope Area Initiative, a community-based program for the development and implementation of a safe, local, long-term management solution for historic low level radioactive waste (LLRW) and marginally contaminated soils (MCS). The Port Granby Project involves the relocation and remediation of up to 0.45 million cubic metres of such waste from the current Port Granby Waste Management Facility located in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, adjacent to the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The waste material will be transferred to a new suitably engineered Long-Term Waste Management Facility (LTWMF) to be locatedmore » inland approximately 700 m from the existing site. The development of the LTWMF will include construction and commissioning of a new Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) designed to treat wastewater consisting of contaminated surface run off and leachate generated during the site remediation process at the Port Granby Waste Management Facility as well as long-term leachate generated at the new LTWMF. Numerous factors will influence the variable wastewater flow rates and influent loads to the new WWTP during remediation. The treatment processes will be comprised of equalization to minimize impacts from hydraulic peaks, fine screening, membrane bioreactor technology, and reverse osmosis. The residuals treatment will comprise of lime precipitation, thickening, dewatering, evaporation and drying. The distribution of the concentration of uranium and radium - 226 over the various process streams in the WWTP was estimated. This information was used to assess potential worker exposure to radioactivity in the various process areas. A mass balance approach was used to assess the distribution of uranium and radium - 226, by applying individual contaminant removal rates for each process element of the WTP, based on pilot scale results and experience-based assumptions. The mass balance calculations were repeated for

  10. Waste Information Management System with 2012-13 Waste Streams - 13095

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

    Upadhyay, H.; Quintero, W.; Lagos, L.

    2013-07-01

    The Waste Information Management System (WIMS) 2012-13 was updated to support the Department of Energy (DOE) accelerated cleanup program. The schedule compression required close coordination and a comprehensive review and prioritization of the barriers that impeded treatment and disposition of the waste streams at each site. Many issues related to waste treatment and disposal were potential critical path issues under the accelerated schedule. In order to facilitate accelerated cleanup initiatives, waste managers at DOE field sites and at DOE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., needed timely waste forecast and transportation information regarding the volumes and types of radioactive waste that wouldmore » be generated by DOE sites over the next 40 years. Each local DOE site historically collected, organized, and displayed waste forecast information in separate and unique systems. In order for interested parties to understand and view the complete DOE complex-wide picture, the radioactive waste and shipment information of each DOE site needed to be entered into a common application. The WIMS application was therefore created to serve as a common application to improve stakeholder comprehension and improve DOE radioactive waste treatment and disposal planning and scheduling. WIMS allows identification of total forecasted waste volumes, material classes, disposition sites, choke points, technological or regulatory barriers to treatment and disposal, along with forecasted waste transportation information by rail, truck and inter-modal shipments. The Applied Research Center (ARC) at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, developed and deployed the web-based forecast and transportation system and is responsible for updating the radioactive waste forecast and transportation data on a regular basis to ensure the long-term viability and value of this system. (authors)« less

  11. Leaching characteristics, ecotoxicity, and risk assessment based management of mine wastes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, J.; Ju, W. J.; Jho, E. H.; Nam, K.; Hong, J. K.

    2016-12-01

    Mine wastes generated during mining activities in metal mines generally contain high concentrations of metals that may impose toxic effects to surrounding environment. Thus, it is necessary to properly assess the mining-impacted landscapes for management. The study investigated leaching characteristics, potential environmental effects, and human health risk of mine wastes from three different metal mines in South Korea (molybdenum mine, lead-zinc mine, and magnetite mine). The heavy metal concentrations in the leachates obtained by using the Korean Standard Test Method for Solid Wastes (STM), Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP), and Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) met the Korea Waste Control Act and the USEPA region 3 regulatory levels accordingly, even though the mine wastes contained high concentrations of metals. Assuming that the leachates may get into nearby water sources, the leachate toxicity was tested using Daphnia Magna. The toxic unit (TU) values after 24 h and 48 h exposure of all the mine wastes tested met the Korea Allowable Effluent Water Quality Standards (TU<1). The column leaching test showed that the lead-zinc mine waste may have long-term toxic effects (TU>1 for the eluent at L/S of 30) implying that the long-term effect of mine wastes left in mining areas need to be assessed. Considering reuse of mine wastes as a way of managing mine wastes, the human health risk assessment of reusing the lead-zinc mine waste in industrial areas was carried out using the bioavailable fraction of the heavy metals contained in the mine wastes, which was determined by using the Solubility/Bioavailability Research Consortium method. There may be potential carcinogenic risk (9.7E-05) and non-carcinogenic risk (HI, Hazard Index of 1.0E+00) as CR≧1.0E-05 has carcinogenic risk and HI≧1.0E+00 has non-carcinogenic risk. Overall, this study shows that not only the concentration-based assessment but ecological toxic effect and human

  12. Environmental impact assessment of solid waste management in Beijing City, China

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

    Zhao Yan; Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing; Christensen, Thomas H.

    2011-04-15

    The environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management in Beijing City were evaluated using a life-cycle-based model, EASEWASTE, to take into account waste generation, collection, transportation, treatment/disposal technologies, and savings obtained by energy and material recovery. The current system, mainly involving the use of landfills, has manifested significant adverse environmental impacts caused by methane emissions from landfills and many other emissions from transfer stations. A short-term future scenario, where some of the landfills (which soon will reach their capacity because of rising amount of waste in Beijing City) are substituted by incinerators with energy recovery, would not result in significantmore » environmental improvement. This is primarily because of the low calorific value of mixed waste, and it is likely that the incinerators would require significant amounts of auxiliary fuels to support combustion of wet waste. As for the long-term future scenario, efficient source separation of food waste could result in significant environmental improvements, primarily because of increase in calorific value of remaining waste incinerated with energy recovery. Sensitivity analysis emphasized the importance of efficient source separation of food waste, as well as the electricity recovery in incinerators, in order to obtain an environmentally friendly waste management system in Beijing City.« less

  13. Developing a common framework for integrated solid waste management advances in Managua, Nicaragua.

    PubMed

    Olley, Jane E; IJgosse, Jeroen; Rudin, Victoria; Alabaster, Graham

    2014-09-01

    This article describes the municipal solid waste management system in Managua, Nicaragua. It updates an initial profile developed by the authors for the 2010 UN-HABITAT publication Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities and applies the methodology developed in that publication. In recent years, the municipality of Managua has been the beneficiary of a range of international cooperation projects aimed at improving municipal solid waste management in the city. The article describes how these technical assistance and infrastructure investments have changed the municipal solid waste management panorama in the city and analyses the sustainability of these changes. The article concludes that by working closely with the municipal government, the UN-HABITAT project Strengthening Capacities for Solid Waste Management in Managua was able to unite these separate efforts and situate them within a strategic framework to guide the evolution of the municipal solid waste management system in the forthcoming years. The creation of this multi-stakeholder platform allowed for the implementation of joint activities and ensured coherence in the products generated by the different projects. This approach could be replicated in other cities and in other sectors with similar effect. Developing a long term vision was essential for the advancement of municipal solid waste management in the city. Nevertheless, plan implementation may still be undermined by the pressures of the short term municipal administrative government, which emphasize operational over strategic investment. © The Author(s) 2014.

  14. Long-term metapopulation study of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia): survey methods, data management, and long-term population trends.

    PubMed

    Ojanen, Sami P; Nieminen, Marko; Meyke, Evgeniy; Pöyry, Juha; Hanski, Ilkka

    2013-10-01

    Long-term observational studies conducted at large (regional) spatial scales contribute to better understanding of landscape effects on population and evolutionary dynamics, including the conditions that affect long-term viability of species, but large-scale studies are expensive and logistically challenging to keep running for a long time. Here, we describe the long-term metapopulation study of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) that has been conducted since 1991 in a large network of 4000 habitat patches (dry meadows) within a study area of 50 by 70 km in the Åland Islands in Finland. We explain how the landscape structure has been described, including definition, delimitation, and mapping of the habitat patches; methods of field survey, including the logistics, cost, and reliability of the survey; and data management using the EarthCape biodiversity platform. We describe the long-term metapopulation dynamics of the Glanville fritillary based on the survey. There has been no long-term change in the overall size of the metapopulation, but the level of spatial synchrony and hence the amplitude of fluctuations in year-to-year metapopulation dynamics have increased over the years, possibly due to increasing frequency of exceptional weather conditions. We discuss the added value of large-scale and long-term population studies, but also emphasize the need to integrate more targeted experimental studies in the context of long-term observational studies. For instance, in the case of the Glanville fritillary project, the long-term study has produced an opportunity to sample individuals for experiments from local populations with a known demographic history. These studies have demonstrated striking differences in dispersal rate and other life-history traits of individuals from newly established local populations (the offspring of colonizers) versus individuals from old, established local populations. The long-term observational study has stimulated the

  15. Long-term metapopulation study of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia): survey methods, data management, and long-term population trends

    PubMed Central

    Ojanen, Sami P; Nieminen, Marko; Meyke, Evgeniy; Pöyry, Juha; Hanski, Ilkka

    2013-01-01

    Long-term observational studies conducted at large (regional) spatial scales contribute to better understanding of landscape effects on population and evolutionary dynamics, including the conditions that affect long-term viability of species, but large-scale studies are expensive and logistically challenging to keep running for a long time. Here, we describe the long-term metapopulation study of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) that has been conducted since 1991 in a large network of 4000 habitat patches (dry meadows) within a study area of 50 by 70 km in the Åland Islands in Finland. We explain how the landscape structure has been described, including definition, delimitation, and mapping of the habitat patches; methods of field survey, including the logistics, cost, and reliability of the survey; and data management using the EarthCape biodiversity platform. We describe the long-term metapopulation dynamics of the Glanville fritillary based on the survey. There has been no long-term change in the overall size of the metapopulation, but the level of spatial synchrony and hence the amplitude of fluctuations in year-to-year metapopulation dynamics have increased over the years, possibly due to increasing frequency of exceptional weather conditions. We discuss the added value of large-scale and long-term population studies, but also emphasize the need to integrate more targeted experimental studies in the context of long-term observational studies. For instance, in the case of the Glanville fritillary project, the long-term study has produced an opportunity to sample individuals for experiments from local populations with a known demographic history. These studies have demonstrated striking differences in dispersal rate and other life-history traits of individuals from newly established local populations (the offspring of colonizers) versus individuals from old, established local populations. The long-term observational study has stimulated the

  16. Creature comforts: personal communities, pets and the work of managing a long-term condition.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Helen L; Rogers, Anne; Kapadia, Dharmi; Pilgrim, Jack; Reeves, David; Vassilev, Ivaylo

    2013-06-01

    To explore in the context of peoples' personal social networks, the contribution that pets make to 'the work' associated with the management of long-term conditions. Mixed methods survey with nested parallel qualitative study; 300 participants were drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices across Greater Manchester in the North West of England. Notions of 'work' were used to describe the illness and everyday activities associated with chronic illness. Nineteen percent of participants identified at least one pet within their network. Pets contributed mostly to managing emotions (emotional work), to enhancing a sense of self identity (biographical work) and to a lesser extent practical tasks (everyday work). There were indicators that pets mediated relationships for people living with a long-term condition through very weak ties with others in domestic and community settings. The findings suggest that pets have unique qualities and are not simply substitutes for human relationships in long-term condition management. The study has potential implications for furthering a social contextual analysis of chronic illness, the understanding of relationships, and the meaning and the role of companion animals in long-term condition management.

  17. Creature comforts: personal communities, pets and the work of managing a long-term condition

    PubMed Central

    Brooks, Helen L; Rogers, Anne; Kapadia, Dharmi; Pilgrim, Jack; Reeves, David; Vassilev, Ivaylo

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: To explore in the context of peoples’ personal social networks, the contribution that pets make to ‘the work’ associated with the management of long-term conditions. Method: Mixed methods survey with nested parallel qualitative study; 300 participants were drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices across Greater Manchester in the North West of England. Notions of ‘work’ were used to describe the illness and everyday activities associated with chronic illness. Results: Nineteen percent of participants identified at least one pet within their network. Pets contributed mostly to managing emotions (emotional work), to enhancing a sense of self identity (biographical work) and to a lesser extent practical tasks (everyday work). There were indicators that pets mediated relationships for people living with a long-term condition through very weak ties with others in domestic and community settings. Conclusion: The findings suggest that pets have unique qualities and are not simply substitutes for human relationships in long-term condition management. The study has potential implications for furthering a social contextual analysis of chronic illness, the understanding of relationships, and the meaning and the role of companion animals in long-term condition management. PMID:22777565

  18. Long-term leaching behavior of phenol in cement/activated-carbon solidified/stabilized hazardous waste.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jianguo; Nie, Xiaoqin; Zeng, Xianwei; Su, Zhaoji

    2013-01-30

    The long-term leaching behavior of phenol in solidified/stabilized (S/S) hazardous wastes cured for 28 d with different amounts of activated carbon (AC) was investigated using synthetic inorganic acid (H(2)SO(4):HNO(3) = 2:1, pH = 3.2), acetic acid buffer (HAc/NaAc, pH = 4.93), and deionized water as leachants to simulate the leaching of phenol in three exposure scenarios: acid-precipitation, co-disposal, and neutral-precipitation. Phenol immobilization was enhanced by AC adsorption and impaired by the growth of micropores with increasing amount of AC; thus the optimal added amount of AC to be to added S/S wastes was 2%. The leaching behavior of phenol in co-disposal scenario was unpredictable due to inadequate ionization of HAc in the HAc-NaAc buffer solution. The findings indicated that S/S products should be disposed of in hazardous waste landfills rather than municipal solid waste landfills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Wildfire Mitigation and Private Lands: Managing Long-Term Vulnerabilities

    Treesearch

    Brian Muller; Stacey Schulte

    2006-01-01

    Long-term management of wildfire vulnerability requires strategies that address complex interactions between fire ecology and human settlement. In this paper, we examine the integration of wildfire mitigation and land use planning in county governments in the western U.S. This research relies on data from two sources. First, we conducted a survey of land use...

  20. Analysis of accident sequences and source terms at waste treatment and storage facilities for waste generated by U.S. Department of Energy Waste Management Operations, Volume 3: Appendixes C-H

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

    Mueller, C.; Nabelssi, B.; Roglans-Ribas, J.

    1995-04-01

    This report contains the Appendices for the Analysis of Accident Sequences and Source Terms at Waste Treatment and Storage Facilities for Waste Generated by the U.S. Department of Energy Waste Management Operations. The main report documents the methodology, computational framework, and results of facility accident analyses performed as a part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS). The accident sequences potentially important to human health risk are specified, their frequencies are assessed, and the resultant radiological and chemical source terms are evaluated. A personal computer-based computational framework and database have been developedmore » that provide these results as input to the WM PEIS for calculation of human health risk impacts. This report summarizes the accident analyses and aggregates the key results for each of the waste streams. Source terms are estimated and results are presented for each of the major DOE sites and facilities by WM PEIS alternative for each waste stream. The appendices identify the potential atmospheric release of each toxic chemical or radionuclide for each accident scenario studied. They also provide discussion of specific accident analysis data and guidance used or consulted in this report.« less

  1. Shifting to Medicaid-Managed Long-Term Care: Are Vulnerable Florida Beneficiaries Properly Informed?

    PubMed

    Peterson, Lindsay J; Hyer, Kathryn

    2016-10-01

    To examine and assess the adequacy of informational material provided to Florida long-term care beneficiaries being required to choose a managed care provider as part of a statewide, mandatory shift to Medicaid-managed long-term care (MMLTC). Informational materials provided by the state of Florida to 90,000 Medicaid long-term care beneficiaries via print mailings and a state website were examined using established content, usability, and readability criteria. Overall, the presentation minimized cognitive complexity, but the information was lacking in critical areas, such as providing clear explanations of the change taking place and the significance of beneficiaries' choices, and enabling beneficiaries to assess their own needs and preferences. A key feature of managed care is the users' choice of plans, but amid a significant policy shift toward MMLTC in Florida, vulnerable beneficiaries may not be receiving the information necessary to make choices that best meet their needs. Our analysis offers lessons to other states shifting to MMLTC. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Long-term high-solids anaerobic digestion of food waste: Effects of ammonia on process performance and microbial community.

    PubMed

    Peng, Xuya; Zhang, ShangYi; Li, Lei; Zhao, Xiaofei; Ma, Yao; Shi, Dezhi

    2018-04-22

    A long-term high solids anaerobic digestion of food waste was conducted to identify microbial mechanisms of ammonia inhibition during digestion and to clarify correlations between ammonia accumulation, microbial community dynamics (diversity, composition, and interactions), and process stability. Results show that the effects of ammonia on process performance and microbial community were indirectly caused by volatile fatty acid accumulation. Excess free ammonia blocked acetate metabolism, leading to process instability. Accumulated acetate caused feedback inhibition at the acetogenesis stage, which resulted in considerable accumulation of propionate, valerate, and other long-chain fatty acids. This high concentration of volatile fatty acids reduced the abundance of syntrophic acetogenic bacteria and allowed hydrolytic fermentative bacteria to dominate. The normally interactive and orderly metabolic network was broken, which further exacerbated the process instability. These results improve the understanding of microbial mechanisms which contribute to process instability and provide guidance for the microbial management of anaerobic digesters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Investigating factors influencing construction waste management efforts in developing countries: an experience from Thailand.

    PubMed

    Manowong, Ektewan

    2012-01-01

    Rapid economic growth and urbanization in developing countries lead to extensive construction activities that generate a large amount of waste. A challenge is how to manage construction waste in the most sustainable way. In the developing world, research on construction waste management is scarce and such academic knowledge needs to be responsive to actual practices in the industry in order to be implemented. As construction projects involve a number of participants and stakeholders, their participation and commitment can have a major influence on the goals of green and sustainable construction for urban development. This study provides a significant step in conducting a very first research of this kind in Thailand by aiming to investigate the level of construction stakeholders' commitment as well as the achievement of construction waste management in order to improve short-term practices and to establish a long-term strategic construction waste management plan. In this study, a structural equation model was employed to investigate the influence of factors that are related to environmental aspects, social aspects, and economic aspect of construction waste management. Concern about health and safety was found to be the most significant and dominant influence on the achievement of sustainable construction waste management. Other factors affecting the successful management of construction waste in Thai construction projects were also identified. It is perceived that this study has potential to contribute useful guidelines for practitioners both in Thailand and other developing countries with similar contexts.

  4. Key Performance Criteria Affecting the Most the Safety of a Nuclear Waste Long Term Storage : A Case Study Commissioned by CEA

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

    Marvy, A.; Lioure, A; Heriard-Dubreuil, G.

    2003-02-24

    As part of the work scope set in the French law on high level long lived waste R&D passed in 1991, CEA is conducting a research program to establish the scientific basis and assess the feasibility of long term storage as an option for the safe management of nuclear waste for periods as long as centuries. This goal is a significant departure from the current industrial practice where storage facilities are usually built to last only a few decades. From a technical viewpoint such an extension in time seems feasible provided care and maintenance is exercised. Considering such long periodsmore » of time, the risk for Society of loosing oversight and control of such a facility is real, which triggers the question of whether and how long term storage safety can be actually achieved. Therefore CEA commissioned a study (1) in which MUTADIS Consultants (2) and CEPN (3) were both involved. The case study looks into several past and actual human enterprises conducted over significant periods o f time, one of them dating back to the end of the 18th century, and all identified out of the nuclear field. Then-prevailing societal behavior and organizational structures are screened out to show how they were or are still able to cope with similar oversight and control goals. As a result, the study group formulated a set of performance criteria relating to issues like responsibility, securing funds, legal and legislative implications, economic sustainable development, all being areas which are not traditionally considered as far as technical studies are concerned. These criteria can be most useful from the design stage onward, first in an attempt to define the facility construction and operating guiding principles, and thereafter to substantiate the safety case for long term storage and get geared to the public dialogue on that undertaking should it become a reality.« less

  5. Long term management practices influenced soil aggregation and carbon dynamics

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soil aggregation protects soil organic C (SOC) against rapid decomposition, improves soil quality, and reduces soil erosion potential. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of long-term (21 yrs.) management practices on SOC, water stable aggregate (WSA), and aggregate-associated ...

  6. Dynamic analysis for solid waste management systems: an inexact multistage integer programming approach.

    PubMed

    Li, Yongping; Huang, Guohe

    2009-03-01

    In this study, a dynamic analysis approach based on an inexact multistage integer programming (IMIP) model is developed for supporting municipal solid waste (MSW) management under uncertainty. Techniques of interval-parameter programming and multistage stochastic programming are incorporated within an integer-programming framework. The developed IMIP can deal with uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and interval numbers, and can reflect the dynamics in terms of decisions for waste-flow allocation and facility-capacity expansion over a multistage context. Moreover, the IMIP can be used for analyzing various policy scenarios that are associated with different levels of economic consequences. The developed method is applied to a case study of long-term waste-management planning. The results indicate that reasonable solutions have been generated for binary and continuous variables. They can help generate desired decisions of system-capacity expansion and waste-flow allocation with a minimized system cost and maximized system reliability.

  7. Clostridium difficile in the Long-Term Care Facility: Prevention and Management

    PubMed Central

    Jump, Robin L. P.; Donskey, Curtis J.

    2014-01-01

    Residents of long-term care facilities are at high risk for Clostridium difficile infection due to frequent antibiotic exposure in a population already rendered vulnerable to infection due to advanced age, multiple comorbid conditions and communal living conditions. Moreover, asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic C. difficile and recurrent infections are prevalent in this population. Here, we discuss epidemiology and management of C. difficile infection among residents of long-term care facilities. Also, recognizing that both the population and culture differs significantly from that of hospitals, we also address prevention strategies specific to LTCFs. PMID:25685657

  8. Enabling long-term oceanographic research: Changing data practices, information management strategies and informatics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baker, Karen S.; Chandler, Cynthia L.

    2008-09-01

    Interdisciplinary global ocean science requires new ways of thinking about data and data management. With new data policies and growing technological capabilities, datasets of increasing variety and complexity are being made available digitally and data management is coming to be recognized as an integral part of scientific research. To meet the changing expectations of scientists collecting data and of data reuse by others, collaborative strategies involving diverse teams of information professionals are developing. These changes are stimulating the growth of information infrastructures that support multi-scale sampling, data repositories, and data integration. Two examples of oceanographic projects incorporating data management in partnership with science programs are discussed: the Palmer Station Long-Term Ecological Research program (Palmer LTER) and the United States Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (US JGOFS). Lessons learned from a decade of data management within these communities provide an experience base from which to develop information management strategies—short-term and long-term. Ocean Informatics provides one example of a conceptual framework for managing the complexities inherent to sharing oceanographic data. Elements are introduced that address the economies-of-scale and the complexities-of-scale pertinent to a broader vision of information management and scientific research.

  9. Integration of devices into long-term condition management: a synthesis of qualitative studies.

    PubMed

    Gately, Claire; Rogers, Anne; Kirk, Susan; McNally, Rosalind

    2008-06-01

    Understanding peoples' responses to and ability to incorporate technology for managing long-term conditions into their everyday lives is relevant for informing the development and implementation of new technologies as part of future long-term condition management in domestic environments. Future research and theory building can be facilitated by the synthesis of existing qualitative studies. A systematic search for qualitative studies of health technologies at home was undertaken on OVID CINAHL, OVID Medline and CSA databases for the period 1996-2006. Studies (n = 12) that met the inclusion criteria were synthesized and their analyses subjected to qualitative meta-synthesis. Analyses clustered into five themes: (1) managing multiple uncertainties; (2) the reconstruction of identity; (3) the struggle to remain autonomous while allowing dependence; (4) coming to terms with living a technology-assisted life; and (5) the usability of devices. These translated into a line of argument synthesis in which technology takes on the status of a personified ;other' around which a set of personal and relational attributions are subsequently constructed. These allow the extension of existing illness work to incorporate new technologies. Ambivalence about the value of technologies that are designed to assist with the management of a long-term condition reflects experiences of the disruptive effects of health technologies on personal identities and strategies of managing illness. At the same time, they are highly valued because they provided new opportunities to complete aspects of illness work that were previously impossible.

  10. Complications and management of forgotten long-term biliary stents.

    PubMed

    Sohn, Se Hoon; Park, Jae Hyun; Kim, Kook Hyun; Kim, Tae Nyeun

    2017-01-28

    To evaluate complications and management outcomes of retained long-term plastic biliary stents. Endoscopic plastic biliary stent placement was performed in 802 patients at Yeungnam University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2014. Follow-up loss with a subsequently forgotten stent for more than 12 mo occurred in 38 patients. We retrospectively examined the cause of biliary stent insertion, status of stents, complications associated with biliary stents and management outcomes of long-term plastic biliary stents. Continuous variables were analyzed using the t test. Observed frequencies in subsets of the study population were compared using Fisher's exact test and χ 2 tests. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05 (two-tailed). Mean age of patients was 73.7 ± 12 years and male-to-female ratio was 2.2:1. Indications of plastic biliary stent insertion were bile duct stones (63.2%, 24/38) and benign bile duct stricture (52.6%, 20/38). Mean duration of retained plastic stent was 22.6 ± 12.2 mo, and in 10 cases (26.3%), stents were retained for more than 24 mo. Common bile duct (CBD) stones or sludge were found in most cases (92.1%, 35/38). The most common complication was acute cholangitis (94.7%, 36/38). Stent removal by endoscopic approach was successfully performed in 92.1% (35/38) of the cases. In 3 cases, an additional plastic stent was inserted alongside the previous stent due to failure of the stent removal. Endoscopic removal of bile duct stones was successful in 73.7% (28/38) of the cases. When patients were divided into two groups by duration of stent placement (12 to 24 mo vs over 24 mo), there were no differences in the development of cholangitis, presence of biliary stones, and success rate of endoscopic removal of stones and biliary stents. The most common complication of retained long-term plastic biliary stents was acute cholangitis associated with CBD stones. Endoscopic management was successfully performed in most cases.

  11. Complications and management of forgotten long-term biliary stents

    PubMed Central

    Sohn, Se Hoon; Park, Jae Hyun; Kim, Kook Hyun; Kim, Tae Nyeun

    2017-01-01

    AIM To evaluate complications and management outcomes of retained long-term plastic biliary stents. METHODS Endoscopic plastic biliary stent placement was performed in 802 patients at Yeungnam University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2014. Follow-up loss with a subsequently forgotten stent for more than 12 mo occurred in 38 patients. We retrospectively examined the cause of biliary stent insertion, status of stents, complications associated with biliary stents and management outcomes of long-term plastic biliary stents. Continuous variables were analyzed using the t test. Observed frequencies in subsets of the study population were compared using Fisher’s exact test and χ2 tests. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05 (two-tailed). RESULTS Mean age of patients was 73.7 ± 12 years and male-to-female ratio was 2.2:1. Indications of plastic biliary stent insertion were bile duct stones (63.2%, 24/38) and benign bile duct stricture (52.6%, 20/38). Mean duration of retained plastic stent was 22.6 ± 12.2 mo, and in 10 cases (26.3%), stents were retained for more than 24 mo. Common bile duct (CBD) stones or sludge were found in most cases (92.1%, 35/38). The most common complication was acute cholangitis (94.7%, 36/38). Stent removal by endoscopic approach was successfully performed in 92.1% (35/38) of the cases. In 3 cases, an additional plastic stent was inserted alongside the previous stent due to failure of the stent removal. Endoscopic removal of bile duct stones was successful in 73.7% (28/38) of the cases. When patients were divided into two groups by duration of stent placement (12 to 24 mo vs over 24 mo), there were no differences in the development of cholangitis, presence of biliary stones, and success rate of endoscopic removal of stones and biliary stents. CONCLUSION The most common complication of retained long-term plastic biliary stents was acute cholangitis associated with CBD stones. Endoscopic management was successfully

  12. Radioactive waste management in France and international cooperation

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

    Marque, Y.

    1991-01-01

    Long-term industrial management of radioactive waste in France is carried out by the Agence Nationale pour la gestion des Dechets Radioactifs. (ANDRA), which is a public body responsible mainly for siting, design, construction, and operation of the disposal facilities for every kind of radioactive waste produced in the country. Furthermore, ANDRA has to define and control the required quality of waste packages delivered for disposal. As far as disposal is concerned, it is customary in France to classify waste in two main categories. The first category includes all the so-called short-lived low-level waste (LLW) containing mainly radioactive substances have long-half-life substances. The second category includes waste that contains a significant amount of long-lived substances such as transuranic nuclides. Throughout the world, public acceptance is at present the main issue in the siting of a disposal facility. Development of international cooperation is desirable in order to present a consistent international policy, whatever technical options may be chosen according to local considerations and possibilities. It can also be very fruitful to have bilateral collaboration where approaches in the two countries seem to be similar. International cooperation is already a matter of fact within the framework of international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Commission of European Communities.« less

  13. Near-Term Actions to Address Long-Term Climate Risk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lempert, R. J.

    2014-12-01

    Addressing climate change requires effective long-term policy making, which occurs when reflecting on potential events decades or more in the future causes policy makers to choose near-term actions different than those they would otherwise pursue. Contrary to some expectations, policy makers do sometimes make such long-term decisions, but not as commonly and successfully as climate change may require. In recent years however, the new capabilities of analytic decision support tools, combined with improved understanding of cognitive and organizational behaviors, has significantly improved the methods available for organizations to manage longer-term climate risks. In particular, these tools allow decision makers to understand what near-term actions consistently contribute to achieving both short- and long-term societal goals, even in the face of deep uncertainty regarding the long-term future. This talk will describe applications of these approaches for infrastructure, water, and flood risk management planning, as well as studies of how near-term choices about policy architectures can affect long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction pathways.

  14. Recent developments in the French programme for radioactive waste management planning Act of 28 june 2006

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

    Ouzounian, G.

    2007-07-01

    In 2005, new developments on radioactive-waste management in France were marked mostly by the preparation of the 2006 milestone specified in the act of 30 December 1991. A bill on radioactive waste management has been prepared by the Government at the beginning of 2006 and passed to the French Parliament on 15 June 2006. The Planning Act on the sustainable management of radioactive materials and wastes has been drawn from the results of the 15 years of research performed by ANDRA and the CEA on 'partitioning and transmutation of long-lived radionuclides', 'deep geological disposal' and 'conditioning and long term interimmore » storage'. Major milestones during those two last years are presented, including reviews of the Dossier 2005, official reports, the Public Debate, and finally the Planning Act. (authors)« less

  15. Waste to energy--key element for sustainable waste management.

    PubMed

    Brunner, Paul H; Rechberger, Helmut

    2015-03-01

    Human activities inevitably result in wastes. The higher the material turnover, and the more complex and divers the materials produced, the more challenging it is for waste management to reach the goals of "protection of men and environment" and "resource conservation". Waste incineration, introduced originally for volume reduction and hygienic reasons, went through a long and intense development. Together with prevention and recycling measures, waste to energy (WTE) facilities contribute significantly to reaching the goals of waste management. Sophisticated air pollution control (APC) devices ensure that emissions are environmentally safe. Incinerators are crucial and unique for the complete destruction of hazardous organic materials, to reduce risks due to pathogenic microorganisms and viruses, and for concentrating valuable as well as toxic metals in certain fractions. Bottom ash and APC residues have become new sources of secondary metals, hence incineration has become a materials recycling facility, too. WTE plants are supporting decisions about waste and environmental management: They can routinely and cost effectively supply information about chemical waste composition as well as about the ratio of biogenic to fossil carbon in MSW and off-gas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The essential value of long-term experimental data for hydrology and water management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tetzlaff, Doerthe; Carey, Sean K.; McNamara, James P.; Laudon, Hjalmar; Soulsby, Chris

    2017-04-01

    Observations and data from long-term experimental watersheds are the foundation of hydrology as a geoscience. They allow us to benchmark process understanding, observe trends and natural cycles, and are prerequisites for testing predictive models. Long-term experimental watersheds also are places where new measurement technologies are developed. These studies offer a crucial evidence base for understanding and managing the provision of clean water supplies, predicting and mitigating the effects of floods, and protecting ecosystem services provided by rivers and wetlands. They also show how to manage land and water in an integrated, sustainable way that reduces environmental and economic costs.

  17. TRU Waste Management Program. Cost/schedule optimization analysis

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

    Detamore, J.A.; Raudenbush, M.H.; Wolaver, R.W.

    This Current Year Work Plan presents in detail a description of the activities to be performed by the Joint Integration Office Rockwell International (JIO/RI) during FY86. It breaks down the activities into two major work areas: Program Management and Program Analysis. Program Management is performed by the JIO/RI by providing technical planning and guidance for the development of advanced TRU waste management capabilities. This includes equipment/facility design, engineering, construction, and operations. These functions are integrated to allow transition from interim storage to final disposition. JIO/RI tasks include program requirements identification, long-range technical planning, budget development, program planning document preparation, taskmore » guidance development, task monitoring, task progress information gathering and reporting to DOE, interfacing with other agencies and DOE lead programs, integrating public involvement with program efforts, and preparation of reports for DOE detailing program status. Program Analysis is performed by the JIO/RI to support identification and assessment of alternatives, and development of long-term TRU waste program capabilities. These analyses include short-term analyses in response to DOE information requests, along with performing an RH Cost/Schedule Optimization report. Systems models will be developed, updated, and upgraded as needed to enhance JIO/RI's capability to evaluate the adequacy of program efforts in various fields. A TRU program data base will be maintained and updated to provide DOE with timely responses to inventory related questions.« less

  18. Through the Eyes of Nurse Managers in Long-Term Care: Identifying Perceived Competencies and Skills.

    PubMed

    Dever, Kathleen H

    2018-05-01

    Nurse managers (NMs) in long-term care supervise health care services for individuals with high acuity levels and numerous comorbidities. There is minimal research identifying NMs' skills and competencies as unit leaders within the long-term care environment. The current mixed-methods study identified NMs' leadership skills and competencies. Nineteen NMs with ≥5 years' long-term care management experience completed the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool and were individually interviewed. They rated their clinical skills at the competent level and their financial/strategic management skills at the novice level. All other skill categories, including leadership reflective practice, diversity, human resource leadership/management, relationship management, performance improvement, and problem solving, were rated at a competent level. Emergent interview qualitative themes included their visibility on the unit, trial and error learning, a sense of "aloneness" due to the absence of other RNs, NM position being a tough job, need for peer support, role modeling, and importance of supporting the resident through their "final journey." [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(5), 32-38.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  19. Community Solutions for Stormwater Management: A Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This draft guide describes how to develop a comprehensive long-term community stormwater plan that integrates stormwater management with communities’ broader plans for economic development, infrastructure investment and environmental compliance.

  20. Of trophies and pillars: exploring the terror management functions of short-term and long-term relationship partners.

    PubMed

    Kosloff, Spee; Greenberg, Jeff; Sullivan, Daniel; Weise, David

    2010-08-01

    Prior terror management research shows that mortality salience (MS) motivates both self-esteem striving and worldview bolstering. The present research examined these processes in the context of dating preferences. It was hypothesized that in short-term romantic contexts, MS-induced self-esteem striving motivates interest in dating a physically attractive other, whereas in long-term romantic contexts, MS-induced motives for worldview validation heighten interest in dating a same-religion other. Study 1 showed that in a short-term dating context, MS increased preference for an attractive but religiously dissimilar person, whereas in a long-term dating context, MS increased preference for a religiously similar, less attractive person. Study 2 clarified that MS motivates preference for attractive short-term partners for their self-enhancing properties rather than their potential sexual availability. Study 3 supported the theorized processes, showing that under MS, self-esteem-relevant constructs became spontaneously accessible in short-term dating contexts, whereas worldview-relevant constructs became spontaneously accessible in long-term dating contexts.

  1. Management of patients with Alzheimer's disease in long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Maas, M

    1988-03-01

    The care of residents with AD in long-term care facilities presents a number of challenges to nursing staff. The institutionalized person with AD displays a number of behaviors that are difficult to manage on traditional, integrated nursing units. In these units, behaviors such as wandering and falling are often managed by chemical and physical restraints. Multiple, complex stimuli, common on integrated units, contribute to the confusion and disorientation experienced by residents with AD. An alternative setting, the special-care unit designed specifically to meet the needs of residents with AD, has been described. Special-care units modify the environment of the traditional nursing unit to promote the safety of demented residents. The units are an attempt to reduce or control the amount of sensory stimulation in order to prevent catastrophic behaviors in the residents and maximize patient functioning. Staff on special-care units are selected specifically for their commitment to the unique care demands required by residents with AD. Ordinarily, staff in long-term care settings need specialized education to provide this care. A research project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a special-care unit was also described. This research is valuable to residents with AD, their families, managers, and policy makers of long-term care institutions concerned with the effective use of resources. Considerable costs are involved in the construction and staffing of special-care units. However, the potential costs and threats to quality of care associated with care of residents with AD on traditional units make it imperative to evaluate the effectiveness of special-care units. With the increasing number of persons expected to develop AD, nurses, managers of long-term care facilities, and policy makers are faced with the difficult prospect of determining the most effective means of caring for these residents. Because there have been no definitive, comprehensive studies of

  2. Approaches to long-term conditions management and care for older people: similarities or differences?

    PubMed

    Tullett, Michael; Neno, Rebecca

    2008-03-01

    In the past few years, there has been an increased emphasis both on the care for older people and the management of long-term conditions within the United Kingdom. Currently, the Department of Health and the Scottish Executive identify and manage these two areas as separate entities. The aim of this article is to examine the current approaches to both of these areas of care and identify commonalities and articulate differences. The population across the world and particularly within the United Kingdom is ageing at an unprecedented rate. The numbers suffering long-term illness conditions has also risen sharply in recent years. As such, nurses need to be engaged at a strategic level in the design of robust and appropriate services for this increasing population group. A comprehensive literature review on long-term conditions and the care of older people was undertaken in an attempt to identify commonalities and differences in strategic and organizational approaches. A policy analysis was conducted to support the paper and establish links that may inform local service development. Proposing service development based on identified needs rather than organizational boundaries after the establishment of clear links between health and social care for those with long-term conditions and the ageing population. Nurse Managers need to be aware of the similarities and differences in political and theoretical approaches to the care for older people and the management of long-term conditions. By adopting this view, creativity in the service redesign and service provision can be fostered and nurtured as well as achieving a renewed focus on partnership working across organizational boundaries. With the current renewed political focus on health and social care, there is an opportunity in the UK to redefine the structure of care. This paper proposes similarities between caring for older people and for those with long-term conditions, and it is proposed these encapsulate the wider

  3. Long-term disease management of patients with coronary disease by cardiac rehabilitation program staff.

    PubMed

    Squires, Ray W; Montero-Gomez, Aura; Allison, Thomas G; Thomas, Randal J

    2008-01-01

    Randomized-clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of disease management for patients with coronary disease. It is not known if long-term disease management in routine clinical practice provided by cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program staff is possible. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and clinical benefits of a 3-year disease-management program in the setting of an outpatient CR facility. Consecutive patients (n = 503) referred to CR and who were available for long-term follow-up served as subjects. After a phase II CR program, disease managers assessed secondary-prevention goals every 3 to 6 months via face-to-face meetings with each patient. Outcome measures included use of cardioprotective medications, coronary risk factors, amount of habitual exercise training, and all-cause mortality. At 3 years, aspirin usage was 91%, statin usage 91%, beta-blocker usage 78%, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor usage 76%. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 90 +/- 23 mg/dL, systolic blood pressure was 126 +/- 19 mm Hg, and body mass index was 29.0 +/- 5.1 kg/m2. Exercise training averaged 139 +/- 123 minutes per week. Annual mortality was 1.9%. There were no differences (P > .05) in medication usage or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for men versus women, or for age below 65 years versus age 65 years or greater. Long-term disease management of patients with coronary disease in routine clinical practice by CR program staff is feasible and effective in achieving and maintaining secondary-prevention goals. Overweight remains a prevalent and persistent risk factor. We advocate expansion of CR programs into long-term coronary disease-management programs.

  4. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR THE LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF EXCESS MERCURY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper describes a systematic method for comparing options for the long-term management of surplus elemental mercury in the U.S., using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as embodied in commercially available Expert Choice software. A limited scope multi-criteria decisionan...

  5. Long-Term Condition Self-Management Support in Online Communities: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Papers.

    PubMed

    Allen, Chris; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Kennedy, Anne; Rogers, Anne

    2016-03-10

    Recent years have seen an exponential increase in people with long-term conditions using the Internet for information and support. Prior research has examined support for long-term condition self-management through the provision of illness, everyday, and emotional work in the context of traditional offline communities. However, less is known about how communities hosted in digital spaces contribute through the creation of social ties and the mobilization of an online illness "workforce." The aim was to understand the negotiation of long-term condition illness work in patient online communities and how such work may assist the self-management of long-term conditions in daily life. A systematic search of qualitative papers was undertaken using various online databases for articles published since 2004. A total of 21 papers met the inclusion criteria of using qualitative methods and examined the use of peer-led online communities for those with a long-term condition. A qualitative meta-synthesis was undertaken and the review followed a line of argument synthesis. The main themes identified in relation to the negotiation of self-management support were (1) redressing offline experiential information and knowledge deficits, (2) the influence of modeling and learning behaviors from others on self-management, (3) engagement that validates illness and negates offline frustrations, (4) tie formation and community building, (5) narrative expression and cathartic release, and (6) dissociative anonymity and invisibility. These translated into a line of argument synthesis in which four network mechanisms for self-management support in patient online communities were identified. These were (1) collective knowledge and identification through lived experience; (2) support, information, and engagement through readily accessible gifting relationships; (3) sociability that extends beyond illness; and (4) online disinhibition as a facilitator in the negotiation of self-management

  6. Long-Term Condition Self-Management Support in Online Communities: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Papers

    PubMed Central

    Vassilev, Ivaylo; Kennedy, Anne; Rogers, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Background Recent years have seen an exponential increase in people with long-term conditions using the Internet for information and support. Prior research has examined support for long-term condition self-management through the provision of illness, everyday, and emotional work in the context of traditional offline communities. However, less is known about how communities hosted in digital spaces contribute through the creation of social ties and the mobilization of an online illness “workforce.” Objective The aim was to understand the negotiation of long-term condition illness work in patient online communities and how such work may assist the self-management of long-term conditions in daily life. Methods A systematic search of qualitative papers was undertaken using various online databases for articles published since 2004. A total of 21 papers met the inclusion criteria of using qualitative methods and examined the use of peer-led online communities for those with a long-term condition. A qualitative meta-synthesis was undertaken and the review followed a line of argument synthesis. Results The main themes identified in relation to the negotiation of self-management support were (1) redressing offline experiential information and knowledge deficits, (2) the influence of modeling and learning behaviors from others on self-management, (3) engagement that validates illness and negates offline frustrations, (4) tie formation and community building, (5) narrative expression and cathartic release, and (6) dissociative anonymity and invisibility. These translated into a line of argument synthesis in which four network mechanisms for self-management support in patient online communities were identified. These were (1) collective knowledge and identification through lived experience; (2) support, information, and engagement through readily accessible gifting relationships; (3) sociability that extends beyond illness; and (4) online disinhibition as a facilitator

  7. Barriers and Facilitators in Pain Management in Long-Term Care Institutions: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Patricia; Solomon, Patricia; Raina, Parminder; Jadad, Alejandro R.

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to the management of pain in long-term care institutions. Formal caregivers practising in four long-term care institutions in Hamilton, Ontario participated in eight focus groups. Participants included 6 physicians, 19 registered nurses, 8 registered practical nurses, 13 health care aides and 8…

  8. Pelvic ring injuries: Surgical management and long-term outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Halawi, Mohamad J.

    2016-01-01

    Pelvic ring injuries present a therapeutic challenge to the orthopedic surgeon. Management is based on the patient's physiological status, fracture classification, and associated injuries. Surgical stabilization is indicated in unstable injury patterns and those that fail nonsurgical management. The optimal timing for definitive fixation is not clearly defined, but early stabilization is recommended. Surgical techniques include external fixation, open reduction and internal fixation, and minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis. Special considerations are required for concomitant acetabular fractures, sacral fractures, and those occurring in skeletally immature patients. Long-term outcomes are limited by lack of pelvis-specific outcome measures and burden of associated injuries. PMID:26908968

  9. Guide to effective research-management collaboration at long-term environmental research sites

    Treesearch

    Frederick J. Swanson; Steve Eubanks; Mary Beth Adams; John C. Brissette

    2010-01-01

    The Forest Service system of experimental forests and ranges (EFRs) and other sites of long-term silvicultural, watershed, and ecological research have contributed to science and natural resource management for more than a century. An important aspect of the success of EFR programs is strong collaboration between the research and land manager communities. This guide...

  10. Electronic waste management approaches: An overview

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

    Kiddee, Peeranart; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095; Naidu, Ravi, E-mail: ravi.naidu@crccare.com

    2013-05-15

    Highlights: ► Human toxicity of hazardous substances in e-waste. ► Environmental impacts of e-waste from disposal processes. ► Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to and solve e-waste problems. ► Key issues relating to tools managing e-waste for sustainable e-waste management. - Abstract: Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. This paper presents an overview of toxic substances present inmore » e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries. Several tools including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have been developed to manage e-wastes especially in developed countries. The key to success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect e-waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can complement each other to solve this issue. A national scheme such as EPR is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problems.« less

  11. Household hazardous waste management: a review.

    PubMed

    Inglezakis, Vassilis J; Moustakas, Konstantinos

    2015-03-01

    This paper deals with the waste stream of household hazardous waste (HHW) presenting existing management systems, legislation overview and other relevant quantitative and qualitative information. European Union legislation and international management schemes are summarized and presented in a concise manner by the use of diagrams in order to provide crucial information on HHW. Furthermore, sources and types, numerical figures about generation, collection and relevant management costs are within the scope of the present paper. The review shows that the term used to refer to hazardous waste generated in households is not clearly defined in legislation, while there is absence of specific acts regulating the management of HHW. The lack of obligation to segregate HHW from the household waste and the different terminology used makes it difficult to determine the quantities and composition of this waste stream, while its generation amount is relatively small and, therefore, is commonly overlooked in waste statistics. The paper aims to cover the gap in the related literature on a subject that is included within the crucial waste management challenges at world level, considering that HHW can also have impact on other waste streams by altering the redox conditions or causing direct reactions with other non hazardous waste substances. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Electronic waste management approaches: an overview.

    PubMed

    Kiddee, Peeranart; Naidu, Ravi; Wong, Ming H

    2013-05-01

    Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. This paper presents an overview of toxic substances present in e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries. Several tools including life cycle assessment (LCA), material flow analysis (MFA), multi criteria analysis (MCA) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) have been developed to manage e-wastes especially in developed countries. The key to success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect e-waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can complement each other to solve this issue. A national scheme such as EPR is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problems. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Long-Term Information Management (LTIM) of Safeguards Data at Repositories: Phase II

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

    Haddal, Risa N.

    One of the challenges of implementing safeguards for geological repositories will be the long-term preservation of safeguards-related data for 100 years or more. While most countries considering the construction and operation of such facilities agree that safeguards information should be preserved, there are gaps with respect to standardized requirements, guidelines, timescales, and approaches. This study analyzes those gaps and explores research to clarify stakeholder needs, identify current policies, approaches, best practices and international standards, and explores existing safeguards information management infrastructure. The study also attempts to clarify what a safeguards data classification system might look like, how long data shouldmore » be retained, and how information should be exchanged between stakeholders at different phases of a repository’s life cycle. The analysis produced a variety of recommendations on what information to preserve, how to preserve it, where to store it, retention options and how to exchange information in the long term. Key findings include the use of the globally recognized international records management standard, ISO15489, for guidance on the development of information management systems, and the development of a Key Information File (KIF). The KIF could be used to identify only the most relevant, high-level safeguards information and the history of decision making about the repository. The study also suggests implementing on-site and off-site records storage in digital and physical form; developing a safeguards data classification system; long-term records retention with periodic reviews every 5 to 10 years during each phase of the repository life cycle; and establishing transition procedures well in advance so that data shepherds and records officers can transfer information with incoming facility managers effectively and efficiently. These and other recommendations are further analyzed in this study.« less

  14. Recommendations for sexual expression management in long-term care: a qualitative needs assessment

    PubMed Central

    Syme, Maggie L.; Lichtenberg, Peter; Moye, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    Aims To conduct a qualitative needs assessment of Directors of Nursing regarding challenges and recommendations for addressing sexual expression and consent. Background Sexual expression management among long-term care residents is a complex issue for nursing home staff. Little guidance is available for those wanting to follow a person-centred approach. Policies and procedures are needed, and must be usable across long-term care settings. Design Qualitative design for in-depth exploration. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Directors of Nursing in the spring and summer of 2013, representing a range of regions, facility sizes and resident populations. Interview questions prompted them to identify recommendations that address challenges to improving sexual expression management in long-term care settings. Results Comparative thematic analysis resulted in several codes, which were grouped into eight overall categories. Recommendation categories that addressed key challenges included: address the issue, make environmental changes, identify staff expertise, provide education and training, assess sexuality initially and recurrently, establish policies/procedures for sexual expression management, develop assessment tools for sexual expression and consent, and clarify legal issues. The recommendation to develop national guidelines was observed across categories. Discussion Directors of Nursing report several challenges to sexual expression management in their facilities, and perceive their current methods to be ad hoc. A proactive approach to policy and procedure development is needed. PMID:27188413

  15. Waste to energy – key element for sustainable waste management

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

    Brunner, Paul H., E-mail: paul.h.brunner@tuwien.ac.at; Rechberger, Helmut

    2015-03-15

    Highlights: • First paper on the importance of incineration from a urban metabolism point of view. • Proves that incineration is necessary for sustainable waste management. • Historical and technical overview of 100 years development of MSW incineration. - Abstract: Human activities inevitably result in wastes. The higher the material turnover, and the more complex and divers the materials produced, the more challenging it is for waste management to reach the goals of “protection of men and environment” and “resource conservation”. Waste incineration, introduced originally for volume reduction and hygienic reasons, went through a long and intense development. Together withmore » prevention and recycling measures, waste to energy (WTE) facilities contribute significantly to reaching the goals of waste management. Sophisticated air pollution control (APC) devices ensure that emissions are environmentally safe. Incinerators are crucial and unique for the complete destruction of hazardous organic materials, to reduce risks due to pathogenic microorganisms and viruses, and for concentrating valuable as well as toxic metals in certain fractions. Bottom ash and APC residues have become new sources of secondary metals, hence incineration has become a materials recycling facility, too. WTE plants are supporting decisions about waste and environmental management: They can routinely and cost effectively supply information about chemical waste composition as well as about the ratio of biogenic to fossil carbon in MSW and off-gas.« less

  16. Developing cartoons for long-term condition self-management information

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Advocating the need to adopt more self-management policies has brought with it an increasing demand for information about living with and making decisions about long-term conditions, with a significant potential for using cartoons. However, the purposeful use of cartoons is notably absent in many areas of health care as is evidence of their acceptability to patients and lay others. This paper outlines the process used to develop and evaluate cartoons and their acceptability for a series of self-management guidebooks for people with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods Principles for a process to develop information and cartoons were developed. Cartoon topics were created using qualitative research methods to obtain lay views and experiences. The CKD guidebook was used to provide a detailed exemplar of the process. Focus group and trial participants were recruited from primary care CKD registers. The book was part of a trial intervention; selected participants evaluated the cartoons during in-depth interviews which incorporated think-aloud methods. Results In general, the cartoons developed by this process depict patient experiences, common situations, daily management dilemmas, making decisions and choices and the uncertainties associated with conditions. CKD cartoons were developed following two focus groups around the themes of getting a diagnosis; understanding the problem; feeling that facts were being withheld; and setting priorities. Think-aloud interviews with 27 trial participants found the CKD cartoons invoked amusement, recognition and reflection but were sometimes difficult to interpret. Conclusion Humour is frequently utilised by people with long-term conditions to help adjustment and coping. Cartoons can help provide clarity and understanding and could address concerns related to health literacy. Using cartoons to engage and motivate

  17. Developing cartoons for long-term condition self-management information.

    PubMed

    Kennedy, Anne; Rogers, Anne; Blickem, Christian; Daker-White, Gavin; Bowen, Robert

    2014-02-08

    Advocating the need to adopt more self-management policies has brought with it an increasing demand for information about living with and making decisions about long-term conditions, with a significant potential for using cartoons. However, the purposeful use of cartoons is notably absent in many areas of health care as is evidence of their acceptability to patients and lay others. This paper outlines the process used to develop and evaluate cartoons and their acceptability for a series of self-management guidebooks for people with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Principles for a process to develop information and cartoons were developed. Cartoon topics were created using qualitative research methods to obtain lay views and experiences. The CKD guidebook was used to provide a detailed exemplar of the process. Focus group and trial participants were recruited from primary care CKD registers. The book was part of a trial intervention; selected participants evaluated the cartoons during in-depth interviews which incorporated think-aloud methods. In general, the cartoons developed by this process depict patient experiences, common situations, daily management dilemmas, making decisions and choices and the uncertainties associated with conditions. CKD cartoons were developed following two focus groups around the themes of getting a diagnosis; understanding the problem; feeling that facts were being withheld; and setting priorities. Think-aloud interviews with 27 trial participants found the CKD cartoons invoked amusement, recognition and reflection but were sometimes difficult to interpret. Humour is frequently utilised by people with long-term conditions to help adjustment and coping. Cartoons can help provide clarity and understanding and could address concerns related to health literacy. Using cartoons to engage and motivate people is a consideration untapped by

  18. Solid waste management in Linamon, Lanao del Norte

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paragoso, Glaiza P.; Sapar, Cherine Mae A.; Magsayo, Joy R.; Lahoylahoy, Myrna E.; Guarin, Rica Mae B.

    2018-01-01

    In this modern world, Solid Waste Management is very important in maintaining a high quality of life so humans must manage and store waste efficiently and safely. Almost every day each household generates garbage or wastes. People throw things improperly without knowing the consequences. The main objective of the study was to assess the residents' Solid Waste Management. Specifically, it aimed to answer the following questions: What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender, educational attainment, occupation, monthly income, no. of household member; What is the knowledge of the respondents about Natural Environment?; How do respondents disposed garbage from the household?; What is the level of the respondents concern about proper waste management?; What is the willingness of the respondents to participate in proper Solid Waste Management?; What is the attitude of the respondents towards the Solid Waste Management? The said study was conducted at the Municipality of Linamon, which is a 5th class municipality located at the Eastern Gateway to Lanao del Norte, a south western Province of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. The study was conducted in the 8 barangays of the Municipality of Linamon, namely: Bosque, Larapan, Mago-ong, Napo, Poblacion, Purakan, Robocon, and Samburon. The Municipality has 3 urban barangays and 4 rural barangays. The study revealed that most of the respondents interviewed were housewives. Out of 313 respondents, 67.10 % did not understand the term natural environment, with major issue currently affecting natural environment as "household garbage'. The respondents dispose the yard trimmings and papers through burning. The plastic and glass is disposed through the garbage truck. The metals and damaged home appliances were disposed by selling it to the junk shop. The respondents disposed their garbage into an open container specifically in a sack, collected by garbage trucks. The study also revealed that the respondents were

  19. The essential value of long-term experimental data for hydrology and water management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tetzlaff, D.; Carey, S. K.; McNamara, J. P.; Laudon, H.; Soulsby, C.

    2017-12-01

    Observations and data from long-term experimental watersheds are the foundation of hydrology as a geoscience. They allow us to benchmark process understanding, observe trends and natural cycles, and are pre-requisites for testing predictive models. Long-term experimental watersheds also are places where new measurement technologies are developed. These studies offer a crucial evidence base for understanding and managing the provision of clean water supplies; predicting and mitigating the effects of floods, and protecting ecosystem services provided by rivers and wetlands. They also show how to manage land and water in an integrated, sustainable way that reduces environmental and economic costs. We present a number of compelling examples illustrating how hydrologic process understanding has been generated through comparing hypotheses to data, and how this understanding has been essential for managing water supplies, floods, and ecosystem services today.

  20. Challenges Experienced by School Managers in the Nkangala District, Mpumalanga, Regarding the Provision of Long Term Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Niekerk, E. J.

    2012-01-01

    The long term leadership task of creating favourable circumstances for followers to excel are discussed in this article using narratives supplied by education managers in schools of the Nkangala District in Mpumalanga Province. Thereby deficiencies in the long term leadership proficiency of these managers are identified with a view to be able to…

  1. Integrating natural and social sciences to inspire public confidence in radioactive waste policy case study - Committee on radioactive waste management

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

    Usher, Sam

    2007-07-01

    Integrating Natural and Social Sciences to Inspire Public Confidence in Radioactive Waste Policy Case Study: Committee on Radioactive Waste Management Implementing effective long-term radioactive waste management policy is challenging, and both UK and international experience is littered with policy and programme failures. Policy must not only be underpinned by sound science and technical rationale, it must also inspire the confidence of the public and other stakeholders. However, in today's modern society, communities will not simply accept the word of scientists for setting policy based purely on technical grounds. This is particularly so in areas where there are significant social andmore » ethical issues, such as radioactive waste disposal. To develop and implement effective policy, governments, waste owners and implementing bodies must develop processes which effectively integrate both complex technical and scientific issues, with equally challenging social and ethical concerns. These integrating processes must marry often intricate technical issues with broad public and stakeholder engagement programmes, in programmes which can expect the highest levels of public scrutiny, and must invariably be delivered within challenging time and budget constraints. This paper considers a model for how such integrating processes can be delivered. The paper reviews, as a case study, how such challenges were overcome by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), which, in July 2006, made recommendations to the UK government for the establishment of a long-term radioactive waste policy. Its recommendations were underpinned by sound science, but also engendered public confidence through undertaking the largest and most significant deliberative public and stakeholder engagement programme on a complex policy issue in the UK. Effective decision-making was enabled through the integration of both proven and bespoke methodologies, including Multi-criteria Decision

  2. LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP AT DOE HANFORD SITE - 12575

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

    MOREN RJ; GRINDSTAFF KD

    2012-01-11

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site is located in southeast Washington and consists of 1,518 square kilometers (586 square miles) of land. Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford workers produced plutonium for our nation's nuclear defense program until the mid 1980's. Since then, the site has been in cleanup mode that is being accomplished in phases. As we achieve remedial objectives and complete active cleanup, DOE will manage Hanford land under the Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) Program until completion of cleanup and the site becomes ready for transfer to the post cleanup landlord - currentlymore » planned for DOE's Office of Legacy Management (LM). We define Hanford's LTS Program in the ''Hanford Long-Term Stewardship Program Plan,'' (DOE/RL-201 0-35)[1], which describes the scope including the relationship between the cleanup projects and the LTS Program. DOE designed the LTS Program to manage and provide surveillance and maintenance (S&M) of institutional controls and associated monitoring of closed waste sites to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. DOE's Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and Hanford cleanup and operations contractors collaboratively developed this program over several years. The program's scope also includes 15 key activities that are identified in the DOE Program Plan (DOE/RL-2010-35). The LTS Program will transition 14 land segments through 2016. The combined land mass is approximately 570 square kilometers (220 square miles), with over 1,300 active and inactive waste sites and 3,363 wells. Land segments vary from buffer zone property with no known contamination to cocooned reactor buildings, demolished support facilities, and remediated cribs and trenches. DOE-RL will transition land management responsibilities from cleanup contractors to the Mission Support Contract (MSC), who will then administer the LTS Program for DOE-RL. This process requires an environment of cooperation

  3. Waste management in space: a NASA symposium. Special issue

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wydeven, T. (Principal Investigator)

    1991-01-01

    This special issue contains papers from the NASA Symposium on Waste Processing for Advanced Life Support, which was held at NASA Ames Research Center on September 11-13, 1990. Specialists in waste management from academia, government, and industry convened to exchange ideas and advise NASA in developing effective methods for waste management in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). Innovative and well-established methods were presented to assist in developing and managing wastes in closed systems for future long-duration space missions, especially missions to Mars.

  4. Municipal solid waste management planning for Xiamen City, China: a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based approach.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiujuan; Huang, Guohe; Zhao, Shan; Cheng, Guanhui; Wu, Yinghui; Zhu, Hua

    2017-11-01

    In this study, a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based waste management planning (SFIWP) model was developed and applied for supporting long-term planning of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Xiamen City, the special economic zone of Fujian Province, China. In the SFIWP model, the techniques of inventory model, stochastic linear fractional programming, and mixed-integer linear programming were integrated in a framework. Issues of waste inventory in MSW management system were solved, and the system efficiency was maximized through considering maximum net-diverted wastes under various constraint-violation risks. Decision alternatives for waste allocation and capacity expansion were also provided for MSW management planning in Xiamen. The obtained results showed that about 4.24 × 10 6  t of waste would be diverted from landfills when p i is 0.01, which accounted for 93% of waste in Xiamen City, and the waste diversion per unit of cost would be 26.327 × 10 3  t per $10 6 . The capacities of MSW management facilities including incinerators, composting facility, and landfills would be expanded due to increasing waste generation rate.

  5. [Perioperative management of long-term medication].

    PubMed

    Vogel Kahmann, I; Ruppen, W; Lurati Buse, G; Tsakiris, D A; Bruggisser, M

    2011-01-01

    Anesthesiologists and surgeons are increasingly faced with patients who are under long-term medication. Some of these drugs can interact with anaesthetics or anaesthesia and/or surgical interventions. As a result, patients may experience complications such as bleeding, ischemia, infection or severe circulatory reactions. On the other hand, perioperative discontinuation of medication is often more dangerous. The proportion of outpatient operations has increased dramatically in recent years and will probably continue to increase. Since the implementation of DRGs (pending in Switzerland, introduced in Germany for some time), the patient enters the hospital the day before operation. This means that the referring physician as well as anesthesiologists and surgeons at an early stage must deal with issues of perioperative pharmacotherapy. This review article is about the management of the major drug classes during the perioperative period. In addition to cardiac and centrally acting drugs and drugs that act on hemostasis and the endocrine system, special cases such as immunosuppressants and herbal remedies are mentioned.

  6. Surgeon's guide to anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications part two: antiplatelet agents and perioperative management of long-term anticoagulation

    PubMed Central

    Yeung, Louise Y Y; Sarani, Babak; Weinberg, Jordan A; McBeth, Paul B; May, Addison K

    2016-01-01

    An increasing number of potent antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications are being used for the long-term management of cardiac, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular conditions. Management of these medications in the perioperative and peri-injury settings can be challenging for surgeons, mandating an understanding of these agents and the risks and benefits of various management strategies. In this two part review, agents commonly encountered by surgeons in the perioperative and peri-injury settings are discussed and management strategies for patients on long-term antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy reviewed. In part one, we review warfarin and the new direct oral anticoagulants. In part two, we review antiplatelet agents and assessment of platelet function and the perioperative management of long-term anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy. PMID:29767644

  7. Modelling the effects of trade-offs between long and short-term objectives in fisheries management.

    PubMed

    Mardle, Simon; Pascoe, Sean

    2002-05-01

    Fisheries management is typically a complex problem, from both an environmental and political perspective. The main source of conflict occurs between the need for stock conservation and the need for fishing community well-being, which is typically measured by employment and income levels. For most fisheries, overexploitation of the stock requires a reduction in the level of fishing activity. While this may lead to long-term benefits (both conservation and economic), it also leads to a short-term reduction in employment and regional incomes. In regions which are heavily dependent on fisheries, short-term consequences of conservation efforts may be considerable. The relatively high degree of scientific uncertainty with respect to the status of the stocks and the relatively short lengths of political terms of office, generally give rise to the short-run view taking the highest priority when defining policy objectives. In this paper, a multi-objective model of the North Sea is developed that incorporates both long-term and short-term objectives. Optimal fleet sizes are estimated taking into consideration different preferences between the defined short-term and long-term objectives. The subsequent results from the model give the short-term and long-term equilibrium status of the fishery incorporating the effects of the short-term objectives. As would be expected, an optimal fleet from a short-term perspective is considerably larger than an optimal fleet from a long-run perspective. Conversely, stock sizes and sustainable yields are considerably lower in the long-term if a short-term perspective is used in setting management policies. The model results highlight what is essentially a principal-agent problem, with the objectives of the policy makers not necessarily reflecting the objectives of society as a whole.

  8. Emergency Response and Long Term Planning: Two sides of the Coin for Managing Water Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Metchis, K.; Beller-Simms, N.

    2014-12-01

    As projected by the US National Climate Assessment and the IPCC, extreme climate and weather events are occurring more frequently and with more intensity across the nation. Communities - and the water resource managers that serve them - are facing difficult choices to increase emergency preparedness, recover from costly impacts, and increase long term resilience. The presentation is based on a recent set of case studies about what happened in six communities that experienced one or more extreme events, focusing on water resource management. Two of the case studies will be presented, revealing that building climate resilience is not just about long term planning - it is also about taking the steps to be prepared for - and to be able to recover from - emergency events. The results of this study have implications for educating local officials on ways to think about resilience to balance both long-term and short-term preparedness.

  9. Towards sustainable groundwater use: Setting long-term goals, backcasting, and managing adaptively

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gleeson, T.; Alley, W.M.; Allen, D.M.; Sophocleous, M.A.; Zhou, Y.; Taniguchi, M.; Vandersteen, J.

    2012-01-01

    The sustainability of crucial earth resources, such as groundwater, is a critical issue. We consider groundwater sustainability a value-driven process of intra- and intergenerational equity that balances the environment, society, and economy. Synthesizing hydrogeological science and current sustainability concepts, we emphasize three sustainability approaches: setting multigenerational sustainability goals, backcasting, and managing adaptively. As most aquifer problems are long-term problems, we propose that multigenerational goals (50 to 100 years) for water quantity and quality that acknowledge the connections between groundwater, surface water, and ecosystems be set for many aquifers. The goals should be set by a watershed- or aquifer-based community in an inclusive and participatory manner. Policies for shorter time horizons should be developed by backcasting, and measures implemented through adaptive management to achieve the long-term goals. Two case histories illustrate the importance and complexity of a multigenerational perspective and adaptive management. These approaches could transform aquifer depletion and contamination to more sustainable groundwater use, providing groundwater for current and future generations while protecting ecological integrity and resilience. ?? 2011, The Author(s). Ground Water ?? 2011, National Ground Water Association.

  10. Long-term management impacts on carbon storage in Lake States forests

    Treesearch

    Matthew Powers; Randall Kolka; Brian Palik; Rachel McDonald; Martin Jurgensen

    2011-01-01

    We examined carbon storage following 50+ years of forest management in two long-term silvicultural studies in red pine and northern hardwood ecosystems of North America’s Great Lakes region. The studies contrasted various thinning intensities (red pine) or selection cuttings, shelterwoods, and diameter-limit cuttings (northern hardwoods) to unmanaged controls of...

  11. The Spanish General Radioactive Waste Management Plan

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

    Espejo, J.M.; Abreu, A.

    This paper mainly describes the strategies, the necessary actions and the technical solutions to be developed by ENRESA in the short, medium and long term, aimed at ensuring the adequate management of radioactive waste, the dismantling and decommissioning of nuclear and radioactive facilities and other activities, including economic and financial measures required to carry them out. Starting with the Spanish administrative organization in this field, which identifies the different agents involved and their roles, and after referring to the waste generation, the activities to be performed in the areas of LILW, SF and HLW management, decommissioning of installations and othersmore » are summarized. Finally, the future management costs are estimated and the financing system currently in force is explained. The so-called Sixth General Radioactive Waste Plan (6. GRWP), approved by the Spanish Government, is the 'master document' of reference where all the above mentioned issues are contemplated. In summary: The 6. GRWP includes the strategies and actions to be performed by Enresa in the coming years. The document, revised by the Government and subject to a process of public information, underlines the fact that Spain possesses an excellent infrastructure for the safe and efficient management of radioactive waste, from the administrative, technical and economic-financial points of view. From the administrative point of view there is an organisation, supported by ample legislative developments, that contemplates and governs the main responsibilities of the parties involved in the process (Government, CSN, ENRESA and waste producers). As regards the technical aspect, the experience accumulated to date by Enresa is particularly significant, as are the technologies now available in the field of management and for dismantling processes. As regards the economic-financial basis, a system is in place that guarantees the financing of radioactive waste management costs. This

  12. Co-ensiling as a new technique for long-term storage of agro-industrial waste with low sugar content prior to anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Hillion, Marie-Lou; Moscoviz, Roman; Trably, Eric; Leblanc, Yoann; Bernet, Nicolas; Torrijos, Michel; Escudié, Renaud

    2018-01-01

    Biodegradable wastes produced seasonally need an upstream storage, because of the requirement for a constant feeding of anaerobic digesters. In the present article, the potential of co-ensiling biodegradable agro-industrial waste (sugar beet leaves) and lignocellulosic agricultural residue (wheat straw) to obtain a mixture with low soluble sugar content was evaluated for long-term storage prior to anaerobic digestion. The aim is to store agro-industrial waste while pretreating lignocellulosic biomass. The dynamics of co-ensiling was evaluated in vacuum-packed bags at lab-scale during 180 days. Characterization of the reaction by-products and microbial communities showed a succession of metabolic pathways. Even though the low initial sugars content was not sufficient to lower the pH under 4.5 and avoid undesirable fermentations, the methane potential was not substantially impacted all along the experiment. No lignocellulosic damages were observed during the silage process. Overall, it was shown that co-ensiling was effective to store highly fermentable fresh waste evenly with low sugar content and offers new promising possibilities for constant long-term supply of industrial anaerobic digesters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. STUDY ON THE RECYCLING SYSTEM OF WASTE PLASTICS AND MIXED PAPER FROM A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fujii, Minoru; Fujita, Tsuyoshi; Chen, Xudong; Ohnishi, Satoshi; Osako, Masahiro; Moriguchi, Yuichi; Yamaguchi, Naohisa

    Plastics and mixed paper in municipal solid waste are valuable resources with high calorific value. However, the recycling cost to utilize them tends to be expensive. In addition, recycling system has to be consistent with the reduce of wastes on which should be put higher-priority to lower carbon emission and save resources in the long term. In this paper, we proposed a recycling system (smart recycling system) which consists of a local center an d existing facilities in arterial industries. In the local center, collected waste plastics and mixed paper from household are processed on the same line into a form suitable for transportation and handling in a facility of arterial in dustry which can utilize those wastes effectively. At the same time, a part of plastics with high quality is processed into a recycled resin in the center. It was suggested that, by utilizing existing facilities in arterial industries which have enough and flexible capacity to accept those wastes, the system can be a robust system even if the amount of wastes generation fluctuates widely. The effect of CO2 reduction and cost by installing the system were calculated and it was estimated that 3.5 million ton of additional annual CO2 reduction could be brought in Tokyo and surrounding three prefectures without co nsiderable increase in cost.

  14. What Climate Information Do Water Managers Need to Make Robust, Long-Term Plans?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duran, R.; Lempert, R.; Groves, D.

    2008-12-01

    What climate information do water managers need to respond to threat of climate change? Southern California's Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) completed a long-range water resource management plan in 2005 that addressed expected economic and population growth in their service region, but did not consider the potential impacts of climate change. Using a robust decision making (RDM) approach for policy under deep uncertainty, we recently worked with IEUA to conduct a climate-change vulnerability and response options analysis of the agency's long-range plans. This analysis suggests that IEUA is vulnerable to future climate change, but can significantly reduce this vulnerability by increasing their near-term conservation programs and careful monitoring and updating to adjust their plan in the years ahead. In addition to helping IEUA, this analysis provides important guidance on the types of climate and other information that can be most useful for water managers as they attempt to take robust, near-term actions to increaase their resilience to climate change.

  15. Long-term follow-up of the surgical management of neuropathic arthropathy of the spine.

    PubMed

    Haus, Brian M; Hsu, Andrew R; Yim, Eugene S; Meter, Jeffrey J; Rinsky, Lawrence A

    2010-06-01

    No studies have discussed the long-term surgical management and outcomes of Charcot arthropathy of the spine. This case series presents nine patients treated over 30 years. The study hypothesis was that surgery would reduce instability, pain, recurrence, and the need for revision surgery in the long-term, given previous study findings of successful fusion of Charcot spine in the short-term. To evaluate the long-term outcomes of surgery for Charcot spine. Retrospective case series. Cases took place at Stanford University Medical Center and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. All patients had either complete paraplegia or dense paraparesis with both major motor and sensory deficits. Seven patients developed Charcot spine after spinal instrumentation for trauma, one after scoliosis repair for meningomyelocele, and one after spinal instrumentation for neuromuscular scoliosis caused by birth injury resulting in C6-C7 quadraplegia. Average time between initial instrumentation and development of Charcot spine was 7.6 years. Two patients underwent posterior fusion alone, six had anterior-posterior fusion, and one was managed with thoracolumbar orthosis. Average follow-up was 14.3 years. Revisions were necessary in 75% (6 of 8) of patients for complications including nonunion, new Charcot joints, recurrent hardware failure, and osteomyelitis. Achieving fusion often required multiple operations, and there were no deaths or neurologic complications. Long-term follow-up showed a high rate of revision surgery. Solid fusions often resulted in late breakdown or new junctional Charcot arthropathies. Patients initially fused to the lumbar spine instead of the sacrum or pelvis had a higher rate of developing another Charcot joint. Fusion was often difficult with persistent nonunions and functional deficits because of decreased mobility. We recommend that Charcot spine well tolerated without skin, seating problems, or dysreflexia should be cautiously observed with conservative

  16. A comparison of costs associated with utility management options for dry active waste

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

    Hornibrook, C.

    1995-12-31

    The economics of low level waste management is receiving more attention today than ever before. This is due to four factors: (1) the increases in the cost of processing of these wastes; (2) increases in the cost of disposal; (3) the addition of storage costs for those without access to disposal; and (4) the increasing competitive nature of the electric generation industry. These pressures are forcing the industry to update it`s evaluation of the mix of processing that will afford it the best long term economics and minimize it`s risks for unforeseen costs. Whether disposal is available or not, allmore » utilities face the same challenge of minimizing the costs associated with the management of these wastes. There are a number of variables that will impact how a utility manages their wastes but the problem is the uncertainty of what will actually happen, i.e., will disposal be available, when and at what cost. Using the EPRI-developed WASTECOST: DAW code, this paper explores a variety of LLW management options available to utilities. Along with providing the costs and benefits, other technical considerations which play an important part in the management of these wastes are also addressed.« less

  17. Hospital waste management in developing countries: A mini review.

    PubMed

    Ali, Mustafa; Wang, Wenping; Chaudhry, Nawaz; Geng, Yong

    2017-06-01

    Health care activities can generate different kinds of hazardous wastes. Mismanagement of these wastes can result in environmental and occupational health risks. Developing countries are resource-constrained when it comes to safe management of hospital wastes. This study summarizes the main issues faced in hospital waste management in developing countries. A review of the existing literature suggests that regulations and legislations focusing on hospital waste management are recent accomplishments in many of these countries. Implementation of these rules varies from one hospital to another. Moreover, wide variations exist in waste generation rates within as well as across these countries. This is mainly attributable to a lack of an agreement on the definitions and the methodology among the researchers to measure such wastes. Furthermore, hospitals in these countries suffer from poor waste segregation, collection, storage, transportation and disposal practices, which can lead to occupational and environmental risks. Knowledge and awareness regarding proper waste management remain low in the absence of training for hospital staff. Moreover, hospital sanitary workers, and scavengers, operate without the provision of safety equipment or immunization. Unsegregated waste is illegally recycled, leading to further safety risks. Overall, hospital waste management in developing countries faces several challenges. Sustainable waste management practices can go a long way in reducing the harmful effects of hospital wastes.

  18. Consider long-term care as service alternative.

    PubMed

    Loria, L S

    1987-04-01

    The increasing demand for elderly care services, pressures on inpatient average length of stay and payment levels, and potential financial rewards from providing additional services, makes long-term care look attractive to hospitals. Long-term care, however, is not for every hospital. Before deciding to establish long-term care services, management should examine how the service fits within the hospital's strategic plan. The action plan below provides guidance in evaluating a decision to use hospital facilities for long-term care. Examine how long-term care services fit within the hospital's strategic plan. Study area demographics and competitors to assess the need and supply of long-term care services. Survey the medical staff, consumers and payers to determine attitudes, perceptions and interests regarding long-term care services. Develop a facility plan that identifies areas of excess capacity that can be most easily converted into long-term care with minimal effects on hospital operations. Prepare a financial feasibility analysis of the contribution margin and return on investment attributable to long-term care services. Include an impact analysis on hospital operations. Establish a management task force to develop a detailed implementation plan including assigned individual responsibilities and related timetable. Develop an effective marketing plan designed to generate increased patient market share.

  19. PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR THE LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF EXCESS MERCURY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report describes the use of a systematic method for comparing options for the long term management and retirement of surplus mercury in the U.S. The method chosen is the Analytical Hierarchy Procedure (AHP) as embodied in the Expert Choice 2000 software. The goal, criteria, ...

  20. "I've Actually Changed How I Live"-Patients' Long-Term Perceptions of a Cognitive Behavioral Pain Management Program.

    PubMed

    Egan, Aine; Lennon, Olive; Power, Camillus K; Fullen, Brona M

    2017-02-01

    To determine patients’ perceptions regarding cognitive behavioral pain management programs, and to determine what, if any, strategies learned on the program patients continue to use long-term to manage their pain. A qualitative, focus-group based study. An outpatient multidisciplinary pain management program in a university teaching hospital. Patients with chronic pain who had previously completed a 4-week cognitive behavioral pain management program (2001–2014). Sixteen patients attended one of four focus groups. A battery of semi-structured questions explored their perceptions of the cognitive behavioral program, and which strategies they found useful and continued to use long-term to manage their pain. Six key themes emerged: 1) universal long-term positive feedback on the utility of the program; 2) the program facilitated long-term changes in daily life; 3) participants now considered themselves as the “new me”; 4) request for more updates on emerging new treatments/pain knowledge; 5) recognizing that the key to maximizing gain from the program was to be open, to listen, and accept; and 6) participants sharing pain management knowledge with others in pain. There was universal positive feedback for the pain management program. Despite the years since they participated in one, patients continue to use key strategies to effectively manage their pain (pacing, relaxation), embedding them in their daily lives to maximize their quality of life.

  1. Development of an Integrated Leachate Treatment Solution for the Port Granby Waste Management Facility - 12429

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

    Conroy, Kevin W.; Vandergaast, Gerald

    2012-07-01

    The Port Granby Project (the Project) is located near the north shore of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. The Project consists of relocating approximately 450,000 m{sup 3} of historic Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) and contaminated soil from the existing Port Granby Waste Management Facility (WMF) to a proposed Long-Term Waste Management Facility (LTWMF) located adjacent to the WMF. The LTWMF will include an engineered waste containment facility, a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP), and other ancillary facilities. A series of bench- and pilot-scale test programs have been conducted to identify preferred treatment processes to be incorporated intomore » the WTP to treat wastewater generated during the construction, closure and post-closure periods at the WMF/LTWMF. (authors)« less

  2. Nanoparticles: their potential toxicity, waste and environmental management.

    PubMed

    Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska, Grazyna; Golimowski, Jerzy; Urban, Pawel L

    2009-09-01

    This literature review discusses specific issues related to handling of waste containing nanomaterials. The aims are (1) to highlight problems related to uncontrolled release of nanoparticles to the environment through waste disposal, and (2) to introduce the topics of nanowaste and nanotoxicology to the waste management community. Many nanoparticles used by industry contain heavy metals, thus toxicity and bioaccumulation of heavy metals contained in nanoparticles may become important environmental issues. Although bioavailability of heavy metals contained in nanoparticles can be lower than those present in soluble form, the toxicity resulting from their intrinsic nature (e.g. their size, shape or density) may be significant. An approach to the treatment of nanowaste requires understanding of all its properties--not only chemical, but also physical and biological. Progress in nanowaste management also requires studies of the environmental impact of the new materials. The authors believe Amara's law is applicable to the impact of nanotechnologies, and society might overestimate the short-term effects of these technologies, while underestimating the long-term effects. It is necessary to have basic information from companies about the level and nature of nanomaterials produced or emitted and about the expectation of the life cycle time of nanoproducts as a basis to estimate the level of nanowaste in the future. Without knowing how companies plan to use and store recycled and nonrecycled nanomaterials, development of regulations is difficult. Tagging of nanoproducts is proposed as a means to facilitate separation and recovery of nanomaterials.

  3. Chemical restrictions of roots in Ultisol subsoils lessened by long-term management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hardy, D. H.; Raper, C. D. Jr; Miner, G. S.; Raper CD, J. r. (Principal Investigator)

    1990-01-01

    Exchangeable Al in subsoils of Ultisols in the southeastern USA can restrict rooting depth. Downward movement of basic cations (Ca, Mg, and K), applied as lime and fertilizer, may diminish that restriction over time. Materials from the argillic horizon were collected from three paired sites, having managed (long-term cropping) and nonmanaged topsoils (Typic Paleudults and Hapludults). One managed site was cropped continuously for 15 yr while the others were cultivated for more than 30 yr. Concentrations of extractable cations and other nutrients from the paired sites were compared to determine the magnitude of change due to management. The ability of the subsoils to support plant growth was evaluated in a missing-nutrient greenhouse experiment with sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Subsoils of managed sites had greater effective cation-exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation than those of non-managed sites. While availabilities of Ca, Mg, and K in subsoils of nonmanaged sites were inadequate to support maximal plant growth, they were adequate in subsoils of managed sites. Compared with nonmanaged sites, KCl-exchangeable Al in subsoils of managed sites was 23% lower at the 15-yr location and 65 and 100% lower at the two other locations. In the absence of lime, sorghum growth was almost totally inhibited on nonmanaged subsoils amended with optimum nutrients. On the managed subsoils, where 100, 65, and 23% of the nonmanaged exchangeable Al had been neutralized by topsoil fertilization and liming, growth reductions under the same conditions were 0, 50, and 100%, respectively. Thus, relatively long-term management had improved these Ultisol subsoils for root growth and development.

  4. Conceptualisation of the 'good' self-manager: A qualitative investigation of stakeholder views on the self-management of long-term health conditions.

    PubMed

    Ellis, J; Boger, E; Latter, S; Kennedy, A; Jones, F; Foster, C; Demain, S

    2017-03-01

    Healthcare policy in developed countries has, in recent years, promoted self-management among people with long-term conditions. Such policies are underpinned by neoliberal philosophy, as seen in the promotion of greater individual responsibility for health through increased support for self-management. Yet still little is known about how self-management is understood by commissioners of healthcare services, healthcare professionals, people with long-term conditions and family care-givers. The evidence presented here is drawn from a two-year study, which investigated how self-management is conceptualised by these stakeholder groups. Conducted in the UK between 2013 and 2015, this study focused on three exemplar long-term conditions, stroke, diabetes and colorectal cancer, to explore the issue. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out with 174 participants (97 patients, 35 family care-givers, 20 healthcare professionals and 22 commissioners). The data is used to demonstrate how self-management is framed in terms of what it means to be a 'good' self-manager. The 'good' self-manager is an individual who is remoralised; thus taking responsibility for their health; is knowledgeable and uses this to manage risks; and, is 'active' in using information to make informed decisions regarding health and social wellbeing. This paper examines the conceptualisation of the 'good' self-manager. It demonstrates how the remoralised, knowledgeable and active elements are inextricably linked, that is, how action is knowledge applied and how morality underlies all action of the 'good' self-manager. Through unpicking the 'good' self-manager the problems of neoliberalism are also revealed and addressed here. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Effluent Management Facility Evaporator Bottom-Waste Streams Formulation and Waste Form Qualification Testing

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

    Saslow, Sarah A.; Um, Wooyong; Russell, Renee L.

    This report describes the results from grout formulation and cementitious waste form qualification testing performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS). These results are part of a screening test that investigates three grout formulations proposed for wide-range treatment of different waste stream compositions expected for the Hanford Effluent Management Facility (EMF) evaporator bottom waste. This work supports the technical development need for alternative disposition paths for the EMF evaporator bottom wastes and future direct feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) operations at the Hanford Site. High-priority activities included simulant production, grout formulation, and cementitious wastemore » form qualification testing. The work contained within this report relates to waste form development and testing, and does not directly support the 2017 Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) performance assessment (PA). However, this work contains valuable information for use in PA maintenance past FY 2017 and future waste form development efforts. The provided results and data should be used by (1) cementitious waste form scientists to further the understanding of cementitious leach behavior of contaminants of concern (COCs), (2) decision makers interested in off-site waste form disposal, and (3) the U.S. Department of Energy, their Hanford Site contractors and stakeholders as they assess the IDF PA program at the Hanford Site. The results reported help fill existing data gaps, support final selection of a cementitious waste form for the EMF evaporator bottom waste, and improve the technical defensibility of long-term waste form risk estimates.« less

  6. Long-term impacts on sewers following food waste disposer installation in housing areas.

    PubMed

    Mattsson, Jonathan; Hedström, Annelie; Viklander, Maria

    2014-01-01

    To increase biogas generation and decrease vehicle transportation of solid waste, the integration of food waste disposers (FWDs) into the wastewater system has been proposed. However, concerns have been raised about the long-term impact of the additional load of the FWDs on sewer systems. To examine the said impact, this study has used closed-circuit television inspection techniques to evaluate the status of 181 concrete pipes serving single family housing areas with a diameter of 225 mm, ranging from a 100% connection rate of households with an FWD to none. A minor study was also performed on a multi-family housing area, where mainly plastic pipes (200 mm) were used. The extent and distribution of deposits related to the ratio of FWDs, inclination and pipe sagging (backfalls) were ascertained by using linear regression and analysis of variance. The results showed that FWDs have had an impact on the level of deposits in the sewer, but this has, in turn, been of minor significance. With a high connection rate of FWDs upstream of a pipe, the extent of the total level of deposits, as well as finer sediments, was statistically determined to be greater. However, the majority of the deposits were observed to be small, which would suggest the impact of FWDs on sewer performance to be minor. As food waste not compatible with the FWD was seen in the sewers, educational campaigns could be beneficial to further lower the risks of sewer blocking.

  7. TRU Waste Management Program cost/schedule optimization analysis

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

    Detamore, J.A.; Raudenbush, M.H.; Wolaver, R.W.

    1985-10-01

    The cost/schedule optimization task is a necessary function to insure that program goals and plans are optimized from a cost and schedule aspect. Results of this study will offer DOE information with which it can establish, within institutional constraints, the most efficient program for the long-term management and disposal of contact handled transuranic waste (CH-TRU). To this end, a comprehensive review of program cost/schedule tradeoffs has been made, to identify any major cost saving opportunities that may be realized by modification of current program plans. It was decided that all promising scenarios would be explored, and institutional limitations to implementationmore » would be described. Since a virtually limitless number of possible scenarios can be envisioned, it was necessary to distill these possibilities into a manageable number of alternatives. The resultant scenarios were described in the cost/schedule strategy and work plan document. Each scenario was compared with the base case: waste processing at the originating site; transport of CH-TRU wastes in TRUPACT; shipment of drums in 6-Packs; 25 year stored waste workoff; WIPP operational 10/88, with all sites shipping to WIPP beginning 10/88; and no processing at WIPP. Major savings were identified in two alternate scenarios: centralize waste processing at INEL and eliminate rail shipment of TRUPACT. No attempt was made to calculate savings due to combination of scenarios. 1 ref., 5 figs., 1 tab. (MHB)« less

  8. The strategic skills of business continuity managers: putting business continuity management into corporate long-term planning.

    PubMed

    Wong, Wei Ning Zechariah

    2009-11-01

    Despite its rapid development in the last two decades, business continuity management (BCM) as a discipline and a profession is still regarded by many as an operational entity of management. Two main issues are discussed in this paper: the role of BCM in strategic management and the strategic skills of business continuity managers. These issues are crucial as they represent the role of BCM in high-level corporate management. The paper discusses the importance of BCM in the long-term planning of organisational success and the preservation of future competitiveness. Finally, salient points that underpin the importance of its role in sustaining organisational performance are addressed.

  9. Case management lessons from a public/private partnership to finance long-term care.

    PubMed

    Mahoney, K

    1992-01-01

    In June of 1987, Connecticut's State Task Force on Private and Public Responsibilities for Financing Long-Term Care for the Elderly released its final report. This Governor's Commission, concluding that neither the private nor the public sector had much short-term hope of solving this difficult problem alone, recommended the creation of a public/private partnership. As this partnership was forged, some unique insights were gained into the functions of case management. This case study shows how case management can help coordinate the private and public roles, but it also raises some research questions which must be tackled before case management can fulfill its promise to help stretch and conserve scarce resources.

  10. Acute and long-term management of food allergy: systematic review.

    PubMed

    de Silva, D; Geromi, M; Panesar, S S; Muraro, A; Werfel, T; Hoffmann-Sommergruber, K; Roberts, G; Cardona, V; Dubois, A E J; Halken, S; Host, A; Poulsen, L K; Van Ree, R; Vlieg-Boerstra, B J; Agache, I; Sheikh, A

    2014-02-01

    Allergic reactions to food can have serious consequences. This systematic review summarizes evidence about the immediate management of reactions and longer-term approaches to minimize adverse impacts. Seven bibliographic databases were searched from their inception to September 30, 2012, for systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after and interrupted time series studies. Experts were consulted for additional studies. There was no language or geographic restrictions. Two reviewers critically appraised the studies using the appropriate tools. Data were not suitable for meta-analysis due to heterogeneity so were narratively synthesized. Eighty-four studies were included, but two-thirds were at high risk of potential bias. There was little evidence about acute management for non-life-threatening reactions. H1-antihistamines may be of benefit, but this evidence was in part derived from studies on those with cross-reactive birch pollen allergy. Regarding long-term management, avoiding the allergenic food or substituting an alternative was commonly recommended, but apart from for infants with cow's milk allergy, there was little high-quality research on this management approach. To reduce symptoms in children with cow's milk allergy, there was evidence to recommend alternatives such as extensively hydrolyzed formula. Supplements such as probiotics have not proved helpful, but allergen-specific immunotherapy may be disease modifying and therefore warrants further exploration. Food allergy can be debilitating and affects a significant number of people. However, the evidence base about acute and longer-term management is weak and needs to be strengthened as a matter of priority. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. In-Vessel Composting of Simulated Long-Term Missions Space-Related Solid Wastes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriguez-Carias, Abner A.; Sager, John; Krumins, Valdis; Strayer, Richard; Hummerick, Mary; Roberts, Michael S.

    2002-01-01

    Reduction and stabilization of solid wastes generated during space missions is a major concern for the Advanced Life Support - Resource Recovery program at the NASA, Kennedy Space Center. Solid wastes provide substrates for pathogen proliferation, produce strong odor, and increase storage requirements during space missions. A five periods experiment was conducted to evaluate the Space Operation Bioconverter (SOB), an in vessel composting system, as a biological processing technology to reduce and stabilize simulated long-term missions space related solid-wastes (SRSW). For all periods, SRSW were sorted into components with fast (FBD) and slow (SBD) biodegradability. Uneaten food and plastic were used as a major FBD and SBD components, respectively. Compost temperature (C), CO2 production (%), mass reduction (%), and final pH were utilized as criteria to determine compost quality. In period 1, SOB was loaded with a 55% FBD: 45% SBD mixture and was allowed to compost for 7 days. An eleven day second composting period was conducted loading the SOB with 45% pre-composted SRSW and 55% FBD. Period 3 and 4 evaluated the use of styrofoam as a bulking agent and the substitution of regular by degradable plastic on the composting characteristics of SRSW, respectively. The use of ceramic as a bulking agent and the relationship between initial FBD mass and heat production was investigated in period 5. Composting SRSW resulted in an acidic fermentation with a minor increase in compost temperature, low CO2 production, and slightly mass reduction. Addition of styrofoam as a bulking agent and substitution of regular by biodegradable plastic improved the composting characteristics of SRSW, as evidenced by higher pH, CO2 production, compost temperature and mass reduction. Ceramic as a bulking agent and increase the initial FBD mass (4.4 kg) did not improve the composting process. In summary, the SOB is a potential biological technology for reduction and stabilization of mission space

  12. Coordination of short-term and long-term mitigation measures of hydro-meteorological risks: the importance of establishing a link between emergency management and spatial planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prenger-Berninghoff, Kathrin; Cortes, V. Juliette; Aye, Zar Chi; Sprague, Teresa

    2013-04-01

    The management of natural hazards involves, as generally known, the four stages of the risk management cycle: Prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Accordingly, the mitigation of disasters can be performed in terms of short-term and long-term purposes. Whereas emergency management or civil protection helps to strengthen a community's capacity to be better prepared for natural hazards and to better respond in case a disaster strikes, thus addressing the short-term perspective, spatial planning serves long-term planning goals and can therefore implement long-term prevention measures. A purposefully applied risk mitigation strategy requires coordination of short-term and long-term mitigation measures and thus an effective coordination of emergency management and spatial planning. Several actors are involved in risk management and should consequently be linked throughout the whole risk management cycle. However, these actors, partly because of a historically fragmented administrative system, are hardly connected to each other, with spatial planning only having a negligible role compared to other actors1, a problem to which Young (2002) referred to as the "problem of interplay". In contrast, information transfer and decision-taking happen at the same time and are not coordinated among different actors. This applies to the prevention and preparedness phase as well as to the recovery phase, which basically constitutes the prevention phase for the next disaster2. Since investments in both risk prevention and emergency preparedness and response are considered necessary, a better coordination of the two approaches is required. In this regard, Decision Support Systems (DSS) can be useful in order to provide support in the decision-making aspect of risk management. The research work currently undertaken examines the problem of interplay in the four case study areas of the Marie Curie ITN, CHANGES3. The link between different risk management actors will be explored

  13. The potential benefits of a new poliovirus vaccine for long-term poliovirus risk management.

    PubMed

    Duintjer Tebbens, Radboud J; Thompson, Kimberly M

    2016-12-01

    To estimate the incremental net benefits (INBs) of a hypothetical ideal vaccine with all of the advantages and no disadvantages of existing oral and inactivated poliovirus vaccines compared with current vaccines available for future outbreak response. INB estimates based on expected costs and polio cases from an existing global model of long-term poliovirus risk management. Excluding the development costs, an ideal poliovirus vaccine could offer expected INBs of US$1.6 billion. The ideal vaccine yields small benefits in most realizations of long-term risks, but great benefits in low-probability-high-consequence realizations. New poliovirus vaccines may offer valuable insurance against long-term poliovirus risks and new vaccine development efforts should continue as the world gathers more evidence about polio endgame risks.

  14. Long-term intensive management increased carbon occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) in bamboo forest soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Zhang-Ting; Li, Yong-Fu; Jiang, Pei-Kun; Chang, Scott X.; Song, Zhao-Liang; Liu, Juan; Zhou, Guo-Mo

    2014-01-01

    Carbon (C) occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) is highly stable at millennium scale and its accumulation in soils can help increase long-term C sequestration. Here, we report that soil PhytOC storage significantly increased with increasing duration under intensive management (mulching and fertilization) in Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations. The PhytOC storage in 0-40 cm soil layer in bamboo plantations increased by 217 Mg C ha-1, 20 years after being converted from paddy fields. The PhytOC accumulated at 79 kg C ha-1 yr-1, a rate far exceeding the global mean long-term soil C accumulation rate of 24 kg C ha-1 yr-1 reported in the literature. Approximately 86% of the increased PhytOC came from the large amount of mulch applied. Our data clearly demonstrate the decadal scale management effect on PhytOC accumulation, suggesting that heavy mulching is a potential method for increasing long-term organic C storage in soils for mitigating global climate change.

  15. Preferential flow in municipal solid waste and implications for long-term leachate quality: valuation of laboratory-scale experiments.

    PubMed

    Rosqvist, N H; Dollar, L H; Fourie, A B

    2005-08-01

    In this paper, we study and quantify pollutant concentrations after long-term leaching at relatively low flow rates and residual concentrations after heavy flushing of a 0.14 m3 municipal solid waste sample. Moreover, water flow and solute transport through preferential flow paths are studied by model interpretation of experimental break-through curves (BTCs), generated by tracer tests. In the study it was found that high concentrations of chloride remain after several pore volumes of water have percolated through the waste sample. The residual concentration was found to be considerably higher than can be predicted by degradation models. For model interpretations of the experimental BTCs, two probabilistic model approaches were applied, the transfer function model and the Lagrangian transport formulation. The experimental BTCs indicated the presence of preferential flow through the waste mass and the model interpretation of the BTCs suggested that between 19 and 41% of the total water content participated in the transport of solute through preferential flow paths. In the study, the occurrence of preferential flow was found to be dependent on the flow rate in the sense that a high flow rate enhances the preferential flow. However, to fully quantify the possible dependence between flow rate and preferential flow, experiments on a broader range of experimental conditions are suggested. The chloride washout curve obtained over the 4-year study period shows that as a consequence of the water flow in favoured flow paths, bypassing other parts of the solid waste body, the leachate quality may reflect only the flow paths and their surroundings. The results in this study thus show that in order to improve long-term prediction of the leachate quality and quantity the magnitude of the preferential water flow through a landfill must be taken into account.

  16. A new image for long-term care.

    PubMed

    Wager, Richard; Creelman, William

    2004-04-01

    To counter widely held negative images of long-term care, managers in the industry should implement quality-improvement initiatives that include six key strategies: Manage the expectations of residents and their families. Address customers' concerns early. Build long-term customer satisfaction. Allocate resources to achieve exceptional outcomes in key areas. Respond to adverse events with compassion. Reinforce the facility's credibility.

  17. Challenges Associated With Managing Suicide Risk in Long-Term Care Facilities.

    PubMed

    O'Riley, Alisa; Nadorff, Michael R; Conwell, Yeates; Edelstein, Barry

    2013-06-01

    Little information about suicidal ideation and behavior in long-term care (LTC) facilities is available. Nonetheless, the implementation of the Minimum Data Set 3.0 requires that LTC facilities screen their residents for suicide risk and have protocols in place to effectively manage residents' responses. In this article, the authors briefly discuss the risk factors of suicide in the elderly and the problems that suicidal ideation and behavior pose in the LTC environment. The authors explain issues that arise when trying to manage suicide risk in the elderly LTC population with general, traditional approaches. These inherent issues make it difficult to develop an effective protocol for managing suicide risk in LTC facilities, leading the authors to propose their own framework for assessing and managing suicide risk in the LTC setting.

  18. Hospital waste management in Brazil: a case study.

    PubMed

    Mattoso, V D; Schalch, V

    2001-12-01

    The evaluation of the current definition, classification and quantification of hospital waste being carried out by hospitals in different countries is extremely important to avoid improper waste management practices. In this work, the waste management from a 400-bed Brazilian hospital which generates about 386 kg per day of hospital waste was studied. The generation rate of just over one kg per bed per day was considered small, although more than 50% of the waste from non-isolation wards consisted of food waste. It was also interesting to note that the highest generation rate per patient per day was found in private rooms and the lowest rate in the public ones. The waste practices used in this hospital are discussed in terms of current Brazilian legislation.

  19. Comparison of public and private care management agencies under public long-term care insurance in Japan: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Yoshioka, Yoji; Tamiya, Nanako; Kashiwagi, Masayo; Sato, Mikiya; Okubo, Ichiro

    2010-01-01

    Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI), which started in April 2000, allowed private business corporations to provide long-term care services which had been provided by social welfare corporations or public agencies in the previous long-term care scheme. This study compared differences in care management plans for community-dwelling frail elderly people between public care management agencies and private care management agencies. The subjects were 309 community-dwelling frail elderly people living in a suburban city with a population of approximately 55,000 and who had been using community-based long-term care services of the LTCI for 6 months from April 2000. The characteristics of the care management agencies (public/private) were identified using a claims database. After comparing profiles of users and their care mix between those managed by public agencies and by private agencies, the effect of the characteristics of care management agencies on LTCI service use was examined. Public care management agencies favored younger subjects (P = 0.003), male subjects (P = 0.006) and people with a higher need for care (P = 0.02) than private agencies. The number of service items used was significantly larger in public agencies than in their private counterparts. In multivariate regression analysis, the utilization of community-based long-term care service was significantly greater among beneficiaries managed by private agencies than those managed by public agencies (P = 0.02). Private care management agencies play an important role in promoting the use of care services, but their quality of care plans might be questionable.

  20. [Outsourcing in long-term care: a risk management approach].

    PubMed

    Guimarães, Cristina Machado; Carvalho, José Crespo de

    2012-05-01

    This article seeks to investigate outsourcing decisions in supply chain management of healthcare organizations, namely the motives and constraints behind the decision, the selection criteria for activities to be outsourced to third parties, the type of possible agreements, and the impact of this decision on the organization per se. A case study of the start-up phase of a Long-term Care unit with an innovative approach and high levels of customization was conducted to understand the outsourcing process in a start-up context (not in the standard context of organizational change) and a risk evaluation matrix was created for outsourcing activities in order to define and implement a performance monitoring process. This study seeks to understand how to evaluate and assess the risks of an outsourcing strategy and proposes a monitoring model using risk management tools. It was shown that the risk management approach can be a solution for monitoring outsourcing in the organizational start-up phase. Conclusions concerning dissatisfaction with the results of outsourcing strategies adopted are also presented.

  1. Review of Waste Management Symposium 2007, Tucson, AZ, USA

    DOE PAGES

    Luna, Robert E.; Yoshimura, R. H.

    2007-03-01

    The Waste Management Symposium 2007 is the most recent in a long series that has been held at Tucson, Arizona. The meeting has become extremely popular as a venue for technical exchange, marketing, and networking involving upward of 1800 persons involved with various aspects of radioactive waste management. However, in a break with tradition, the symposium organizers reported that next year’s Waste Management Symposium would be held at the Phoenix, AZ convention center. Additionally, most of the WM07 sessions dealt with the technical and institutional issues relating to the resolution of waste disposal and processing challenges, including a number ofmore » sessions dealing with related transport activities.« less

  2. 46 CFR 356.43 - Long-term or exclusive sales contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... the vessel or the vessel's operation, management and harvesting activities. (b) Provisions of a long... control over the operation, management or harvesting activities of the vessel, vessel owner, or bareboat... DOCUMENTATION Charters, Management Agreements and Exclusive or Long-Term Contracts § 356.43 Long-term or...

  3. Social Network Type and Long-Term Condition Management Support: A Cross-Sectional Study in Six European Countries.

    PubMed

    Vassilev, Ivaylo; Rogers, Anne; Kennedy, Anne; Wensing, Michel; Koetsenruijter, Jan; Orlando, Rosanna; Portillo, Maria Carmen; Culliford, David

    2016-01-01

    Network types and characteristics have been linked to the capacity of inter-personal environments to mobilise and share resources. The aim of this paper is to examine personal network types in relation to long-term condition management in order to identify the properties of network types most likely to provide support for those with a long-term condition. A cross-sectional observational survey of people with type 2 diabetes using interviews and questionnaires was conducted between April and October 2013 in six European countries: Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Norway, United Kingdom, and Netherlands. 1862 people with predominantly lower socio-economic status were recruited from each country. We used k-means clustering analysis to derive the network types, and one-way analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the relationship between network type socio-economic characteristics, self-management monitoring and skills, well-being, and network member work. Five network types of people with long-term conditions were identified: restricted, minimal family, family, weak ties, and diverse. Restricted network types represented those with the poorest self-management skills and were associated with limited support from social network members. Restricted networks were associated with poor indicators across self-management capacity, network support, and well-being. Diverse networks were associated with more enhanced self-management skills amongst those with a long-term condition and high level of emotional support. It was the three network types which had a large number of network members (diverse, weak ties, and family) where healthcare utilisation was most likely to correspond to existing health needs. Our findings suggest that type of increased social involvement is linked to greater self-management capacity and potentially lower formal health care costs indicating that diverse networks constitute the optimal network type as a policy in terms of

  4. Contributions of basic nuclear physics to the nuclear waste management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flocard, Hubert

    2002-04-01

    Nuclear fission is presently a contested method of electricity production. The issue of nuclear waste management stands out among the reasons why. On the other hand, the nuclear industry has demonstrated its capacity to reliably generate cheap electricity while producing negligible amounts of greenhouse gases. These assets explain why this form of energy is still considered among the options for the long term production of electricity at least in developed countries. However, in order to tackle the still not adequately answered question of the waste, new schemes may have to be considered. Among those which have been advanced recently, the less polluting cycles such as those based on Thorium rather than Uranium and/or the transmutation of the minor actinides and some long lived fission products of the present cycle have been actively investigated. In both cases, it turns that the basic knowledge underlying these methods is either missing or incomplete. This situation opens a window of opportunity for useful contributions from basic nuclear physicists. This article describes some of them and presents the ongoing activities as well as some of the projects put forth for the short or medium term. .

  5. Solid waste management in the hospitality industry: a review.

    PubMed

    Pirani, Sanaa I; Arafat, Hassan A

    2014-12-15

    Solid waste management is a key aspect of the environmental management of establishments belonging to the hospitality sector. In this study, we reviewed literature in this area, examining the current status of waste management for the hospitality sector, in general, with a focus on food waste management in particular. We specifically examined the for-profit subdivision of the hospitality sector, comprising primarily of hotels and restaurants. An account is given of the causes of the different types of waste encountered in this sector and what strategies may be used to reduce them. These strategies are further highlighted in terms of initiatives and practices which are already being implemented around the world to facilitate sustainable waste management. We also recommended a general waste management procedure to be followed by properties of the hospitality sector and described how waste mapping, an innovative yet simple strategy, can significantly reduce the waste generation of a hotel. Generally, we found that not many scholarly publications are available in this area of research. More studies need to be carried out on the implementation of sustainable waste management for the hospitality industry in different parts of the world and the challenges and opportunities involved. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Waste management system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sauer, R. L.; Jorgensen, G. K.

    1975-01-01

    The function of the waste management system was to control the disposition of solid and liquid wastes and waste stowage gases. The waste management system consisting of a urine subsystem and a fecal subsystem is described in detail and its overall performance is evaluated. Recommendations for improvement are given.

  7. A system dynamics approach for healthcare waste management: a case study in Istanbul Metropolitan City, Turkey.

    PubMed

    Ciplak, Nesli; Barton, John R

    2012-06-01

    Healthcare waste consists of various types of waste materials generated at hospitals, medical research centres, clinics and laboratories. Although 75-90% of this waste is classified as 'domestic' in nature, 20-25% is deemed to be hazardous, which if not disposed of appropriately, poses a risk to healthcare workers, patients, the environment and even the whole community. As long as healthcare waste is mixed with municipal waste and not segregated prior to disposal, costs will increase substantially. In this study, healthcare waste increases along with the potential to decrease the amounts by implementing effective segregation at healthcare facilities are projected to 2040. Our long-term aim is to develop a system to support selection and planning of the future treatment capacity. Istanbul in Turkey was used as the case study area. In order to identify the factors affecting healthcare waste generation in Istanbul, observations were made and interviews conducted in Istanbul over a 3 month period. A system dynamics approach was adopted to build a healthcare waste management model using a software package, Vensim Ple Plus. Based on reported analysis, the non-hazardous municipal fraction co-disposed with healthcare waste is around 65%. Using the projected waste generation flows, reducing a municipal fraction to 30% has the potential to avoid some 8000 t year(-1) of healthcare waste by 2025 and almost 10 000 t year(-1) by 2035. Furthermore, if segregation practices ensured healthcare waste requiring incineration was also selectively managed, 77% of healthcare waste could be diverted to alternative treatment technologies. As the throughput capacity of the only existing healthcare waste treatment facility in Istanbul, Kemerburgaz Incinerator, has already been exceeded, it is evident that improved management could not only reduce overall flows and costs but also permit alternative and cheaper treatment systems (e.g. autoclaving) to be adopted for the healthcare waste.

  8. Long-Term Monitoring Research Needs: A DOE Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, B.; Davis, C. B.

    2002-05-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management is responsible for dealing with the nation's legacy of Cold War radioactive and hazardous waste and contamination. Major efforts are underway to deal with this legacy; these are expected to last up to decades and cost up to billions of dollars at some sites. At all sites, however, active remediation must eventually cease; if hazards then remain, the site must enter into a long-term stewardship mode. In this talk we discuss aspects of long-term monitoring pertinent to DOE sites, focusing on challenges to be faced, specific goals or targets to be met, and research needs to be addressed in order to enable DOE to meet its long-term stewardship obligations. DOE LTM research needs fall into three major categories: doing what we can do now much more efficiently; doing things we cannot do now; and proving the validity of our monitoring programs. Given the enormity of the DOE obligations, it will be highly desirable to develop much more efficient monitoring paradigms. Doing so will demand developing autonomous, remote monitoring networks of in situ sensors capable of replacing (or at least supplementing to a large extent) conventional groundwater and soil gas sampling and analysis programs. The challenges involved range from basic science (e.g., inventing in situ sensors for TCE that do not demand routine maintenance) to engineering (attaining superior reliability in data reporting in remote networks) to ergonomics (developing decent ways of selecting and presenting the "right" information from the monitoring network) to regulatory affairs (presenting convincing evidence that the more efficient systems actually provide superior monitoring). We explore these challenges in some detail, focusing on the "long" in long-term monitoring as it applies to DOE sites. Monitoring system performance validation and, ultimately, regulator and stakeholder acceptance of site closure and long-term stewardship plans depend

  9. Long-Term Soil Experiments: A Key to Managing Earth's Rapidly Changing Critical Zones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richter, D., Jr.

    2014-12-01

    In a few decades, managers of Earth's Critical Zones (biota, humans, land, and water) will be challenged to double food and fiber production and diminish adverse effects of management on the wider environment. To meet these challenges, an array of scientific approaches is being used to increase understanding of Critical Zone functioning and evolution, and one amongst these approaches needs to be long-term soil field studies to move us beyond black boxing the belowground Critical Zone, i.e., to further understanding of processes driving changes in the soil environment. Long-term soil experiments (LTSEs) provide direct observations of soil change and functioning across time scales of decades, data critical for biological, biogeochemical, and environmental assessments of sustainability; for predictions of soil fertility, productivity, and soil-environment interactions; and for developing models at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Unfortunately, LTSEs globally are not in a good state, and they take years to mature, are vulnerable to loss, and even today remain to be fully inventoried. Of the 250 LTSEs in a web-based network, results demonstrate that soils and belowground Critical Zones are highly dynamic and responsive to human management. The objective of this study is to review the contemporary state of LTSEs and consider how they contribute to three open questions: (1) can soils sustain a doubling of food production in the coming decades without further impinging on the wider environment, (2) how do soils interact with the global C cycle, and (3) how can soil management establish greater control over nutrient cycling. While LTSEs produce significant data and perspectives for all three questions, there is on-going need and opportunity for reviews of the long-term soil-research base, for establishment of an efficiently run network of LTSEs aimed at sustainability and improving management control over C and nutrient cycling, and for research teams that

  10. Assessment for the management of NORM wastes in conventional hazardous and nonhazardous waste landfills.

    PubMed

    Mora, Juan C; Baeza, Antonio; Robles, Beatriz; Sanz, Javier

    2016-06-05

    Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) wastes are generated in huge quantities in several industries and their management has been carried out under considerations of industrial non-radioactive wastes, before the concern on the radioactivity content was included in the legislation. Therefore these wastes were conditioned using conventional methods and the waste disposals were designed to isolate toxic elements from the environment for long periods of time. Spanish regulation for these conventional toxic waste disposals includes conditions that assure adequate isolation to minimize the impact of the wastes to the environment in present and future conditions. After 1996 the radiological impact of the management of NORM wastes is considered and all the aspects related with natural radiations and the radiological control regarding the management of residues from NORM industries were developed in the new regulation. One option to be assessed is the disposal of NORM wastes in hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposals, as was done before this new regulation. This work analyses the management of NORM wastes in these landfills to derive the masses that can be disposed without considerable radiological impact. Generic dose assessments were carried out under highly conservative hypothesis and a discussion on the uncertainty and variability sources was included to provide consistency to the calculations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Construction materials as a waste management solution for cellulose sludge

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

    Modolo, R., E-mail: regina.modolo@ua.pt; Ferreira, V.M.; Machado, L.M.

    2011-02-15

    Sustainable waste management system for effluents treatment sludge has been a pressing issue for pulp and paper sector. Recycling is always recommended in terms of environmental sustainability. Following an approach of waste valorisation, this work aims to demonstrate the technical viability of producing fiber-cement roof sheets incorporating cellulose primary sludge generated on paper and pulp mills. From the results obtained with preliminary studies it was possible to verify the possibility of producing fiber-cement sheets by replacing 25% of the conventional used virgin long fiber by primary effluent treatment cellulose sludge. This amount of incorporation was tested on an industrial scale.more » Environmental parameters related to water and waste, as well as tests for checking the quality of the final product was performed. These control parameters involved total solids in suspension, dissolved salts, chlorides, sulphates, COD, metals content. In the product, parameters like moisture, density and strength were controlled. The results showed that it is possible to replace the virgin long fibers pulp by primary sludge without impacts in final product characteristics and on the environment. This work ensures the elimination of significant waste amounts, which are nowadays sent to landfill, as well as reduces costs associated with the standard raw materials use in the fiber-cement industrial sector.« less

  12. Influence of waste management policy on the characteristics of beach litter in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ta-Kang; Wang, Meng-Wei; Chen, Ping

    2013-07-15

    Marine debris is a ubiquitous problem that poses a serious threat to the global oceans; it has motivated public participation in clean-up campaigns, as well as governmental involvement in developing mitigation strategies. While it is known that the problem of marine litter may be affected by waste management practices on land, beach survey results have seldom been compared with them. In this study, marine litter surveys on four beaches of Cijin Island were conducted to explore the effects of waste management and policy implications. Indirect evidence shows that chances for land-based litter, such as plastic bags and bottles, entering the marine environment can be greatly decreased if they can be properly reduced, reused and recycled. We suggest that mitigation measures should focus on source reduction, waste recycling and management, utilizing effective economic instruments, and pursuing a long-term public education campaign to raise the public awareness of this problem. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Long-term complications of JJ stent and its management: A 5 years review.

    PubMed

    Ray, Rajendra Prasad; Mahapatra, Rajkumar Singha; Mondal, Partha Pratim; Pal, Dilip Kumar

    2015-01-01

    To assess the long term complications of JJ stent, the management of complications and the role of endoscopic approach to manage these complications. Nineteen patients with indwelling JJ stent for a duration of more than 6 months were included in this study. Patients were assessed with X-ray KUB, USG KUB, blood urea, creatinine and DTPA renogram. Data were analyzed by Microsoft excel 2007. Out of 19 patients 12 (63.16%) were male and 7 (36.84%) were female. The mean age was 39.78 ± 13.69 years., Mean duration for which the stent was in situ was 29.56 months. The most common complication was broken stent, in 11 cases (57.89%). Other complications were migration in 5 (26.32%), encrustation in 2 (10.52%) and 1 case of (5.26%) stone formation. Eighteen cases were managed by endoscopic approaches. A total of 22 procedures were performed to treat the complications. Eleven cases were managed by a single procedure and 8 patients required multiple procedures. All were managed successfully with no death reported. Post-operative complications were seen in eight cases (42.11%). JJ stent related long-term complications are not uncommon and are usually seen after 6 months of indwelling time. Endourological procedure should be the initial approach with a high success rate. Coordinated use multimodality and technology helps in management of difficult cases. Open surgery is rarely required. Prevention of the complication by judicious use and early removal is the cornerstone.

  14. Long-term intensive management increased carbon occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) in bamboo forest soils

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Zhang-ting; Li, Yong-fu; Jiang, Pei-kun; Chang, Scott X.; Song, Zhao-liang; Liu, Juan; Zhou, Guo-mo

    2014-01-01

    Carbon (C) occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) is highly stable at millennium scale and its accumulation in soils can help increase long-term C sequestration. Here, we report that soil PhytOC storage significantly increased with increasing duration under intensive management (mulching and fertilization) in Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations. The PhytOC storage in 0–40 cm soil layer in bamboo plantations increased by 217 Mg C ha−1, 20 years after being converted from paddy fields. The PhytOC accumulated at 79 kg C ha−1 yr−1, a rate far exceeding the global mean long-term soil C accumulation rate of 24 kg C ha−1 yr−1 reported in the literature. Approximately 86% of the increased PhytOC came from the large amount of mulch applied. Our data clearly demonstrate the decadal scale management effect on PhytOC accumulation, suggesting that heavy mulching is a potential method for increasing long-term organic C storage in soils for mitigating global climate change. PMID:24398703

  15. Thermal and physicochemical properties important for the long term behavior of nuclear waste glasses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matzke, Hj.; Vernaz, E.

    High level nuclear waste from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel has to be solidified in a stable matrix for safe long-time storage. Vitrification in borosilicate glasses is the technique accepted worldwide as the best combination of engineering constraints from fabrication and physicochemical properties of the matrix. A number of different glasses was developed in different national programs. The criteria and the reasons for selecting the final compositions are described briefly. Emphasis is placed on the French product R7T7 and on thermal and physicochemical properties though glasses developed in other national projects (e.g., the German product GP 98/12, etc.) are also treated. The basic physical and mechanical properties and the chemical durability of the glass in contact with water are described. The basic mechanisms of aqueous corrosion are discussed and the evolving modelling of the leaching process is dealt with, as well as effects of container material, backfill, etc. The thermal behavior has also been studied and extensive data exist on diffusion of glass constituents (Na) and of interesting elements of the waste such as the alkalis Rb and Cs or the actinides U and Pu, as well as on crystallization processes in the glass during storage at elevated temperatures. Emphasis is placed on the radiation stability of the glasses, based on extensive studies using short-lived actinides (e.g., 244Cm) or ion implantation to produce the damage expected during long storage at an accelerated rate. The radiation stability is shown to be very good, if realistic damage conditions are used. The knowledge accumulated in the past years is used to evaluate and predict the long-term evolution of the glass under storage conditions.

  16. Municipal solid waste management in Rasht City, Iran.

    PubMed

    Alavi Moghadam, M R; Mokhtarani, N; Mokhtarani, B

    2009-01-01

    Pollution and health risks generated by improper solid waste management are important issues concerning environmental management in developing countries. In most cities, the use of open dumps is common for the disposal of wastes, resulting in soil and water resource contamination by leachate in addition to odors and fires. Solid waste management infrastructure and services in developing countries are far from achieving basic standards in terms of hygiene and efficient collection and disposal. This paper presents an overview of current municipal solid waste management in Rasht city, Gilan Province, Iran, and provides recommendations for system improvement. The collected data of different MSW functional elements were based on data from questionnaires, visual observations of the authors, available reports and several interviews and meetings with responsible persons. Due to an increase in population and changes in lifestyle, the quantity and quality of MSW in Rasht city has changed. Lack of resources, infrastructure, suitable planning, leadership, and public awareness are the main challenges of MSW management of Rasht city. However, the present situation of solid waste management in this city, which generates more than 400tons/d, has been improved since the establishment of an organization responsible only for solid waste management. Source separation of wastes and construction of a composting plant are the two main activities of the Rasht Municipality in recent years.

  17. Municipal solid waste management in Rasht City, Iran

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

    Alavi Moghadam, M.R.; Mokhtarani, N.; Mokhtarani, B.

    2009-01-15

    Pollution and health risks generated by improper solid waste management are important issues concerning environmental management in developing countries. In most cities, the use of open dumps is common for the disposal of wastes, resulting in soil and water resource contamination by leachate in addition to odors and fires. Solid waste management infrastructure and services in developing countries are far from achieving basic standards in terms of hygiene and efficient collection and disposal. This paper presents an overview of current municipal solid waste management in Rasht city, Gilan Province, Iran, and provides recommendations for system improvement. The collected data ofmore » different MSW functional elements were based on data from questionnaires, visual observations of the authors, available reports and several interviews and meetings with responsible persons. Due to an increase in population and changes in lifestyle, the quantity and quality of MSW in Rasht city has changed. Lack of resources, infrastructure, suitable planning, leadership, and public awareness are the main challenges of MSW management of Rasht city. However, the present situation of solid waste management in this city, which generates more than 400 tons/d, has been improved since the establishment of an organization responsible only for solid waste management. Source separation of wastes and construction of a composting plant are the two main activities of the Rasht Municipality in recent years.« less

  18. Long-term effect of municipal solid waste amendment on microbial abundance and humus-associated enzyme activities under semiarid conditions.

    PubMed

    Bastida, Felipe; Kandeler, Ellen; Hernández, Teresa; García, Carlos

    2008-05-01

    Microbial ecology is the key to understanding the function of soil biota for organic matter cycling after a single amendment of organic waste in semiarid soils. Therefore, in this paper, the long-term effect (17 years) of adding different doses of a solid municipal waste to an arid soil on humus-enzyme complexes, a very stable and long-lasting fraction of soil enzymes, as well as on microbial and plant abundance, was studied. Humic substances were extracted by 0.1 M pH 7 sodium pyrophosphate from soil samples collected in experimental plots amended with different doses of a solid municipal waste (0, 65, 130, 195, and 260 t/ha) 17 years before. The activity of different hydrolases related with the C (beta-glucosidase), N (urease), and P (alkaline phosphatase) cycles and with the formation of humic substances (o-diphenol oxidase) were determined in this extract. The density and diversity of plant cover in the plots, as well as the fungal and bacterial biomass (by analyzing phopholipid fatty acids) were also determined. In general, the amended plots showed greater humic substance-related enzymatic activity than the unamended plots. This activity increased with the dose but only up to a certain level, above which it leveled off or even diminished. Plant diversity and cover density followed the same trend. Fungal and bacterial biomass also benefited in a dose-dependent manner. Different signature molecules representing gram+ and gram- bacteria, and those corresponding to monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids showed a similar behavior. The results demonstrate that organic amendment had a noticeable long-term effect on the vegetal development, humic substances-related enzyme activity and on the development of bacteria and fungi in semiarid conditions.

  19. Effects of long- and short-term management on the functional structure of meadows through species turnover and intraspecific trait variability.

    PubMed

    Volf, Martin; Redmond, Conor; Albert, Ágnes J; Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann; Biella, Paolo; Götzenberger, Lars; Hrázský, Záboj; Janeček, Štěpán; Klimešová, Jitka; Lepš, Jan; Šebelíková, Lenka; Vlasatá, Tereza; de Bello, Francesco

    2016-04-01

    The functional structures of communities respond to environmental changes by both species replacement (turnover) and within-species variation (intraspecific trait variability; ITV). Evidence is lacking on the relative importance of these two components, particularly in response to both short- and long-term environmental disturbance. We hypothesized that such short- and long-term perturbations would induce changes in community functional structure primarily via ITV and turnover, respectively. To test this we applied an experimental design across long-term mown and abandoned meadows, with each plot containing a further level of short-term management treatments: mowing, grazing and abandonment. Within each plot, species composition and trait values [height, shoot biomass, and specific leaf area (SLA)] were recorded on up to five individuals per species. Positive covariations between the contribution of species turnover and ITV occurred for height and shoot biomass in response to both short- and long-term management, indicating that species turnover and intraspecific adjustments selected for similar trait values. Positive covariations also occurred for SLA, but only in response to long-term management. The contributions of turnover and ITV changed depending on both the trait and management trajectory. As expected, communities responded to short-term disturbances mostly through changes in intraspecific trait variability, particularly for height and biomass. Interestingly, for SLA they responded to long-term disturbances by both species turnover and intraspecific adjustments. These findings highlight the importance of both ITV and species turnover in adjusting grassland functional trait response to environmental perturbation, and show that the response is trait specific and affected by disturbance regime history.

  20. Simulating long-term effectiveness and efficiency of management scenarios for an invasive grass

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Holcombe, Tracy R.; Cullinane Thomas, Catherine; Frid, Leonardo; Olsson, Aaryn D.

    2015-01-01

    Resource managers are often faced with trade-offs in allocating limited resources to manage plant invasions. These decisions must often be made with uncertainty about the location of infestations, their rate of spread and effectiveness of management actions. Landscape level simulation tools such as state-and-transition simulation models (STSMs) can be used to evaluate the potential long term consequences of alternative management strategies and help identify those strategies that make efficient use of resources. We analyzed alternative management scenarios for African buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare syn. Cenchrus ciliaris) at Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona using a spatially explicit STSM implemented in the Tool for Exploratory Landscape Scenario Analyses (TELSA). Buffelgrass is an invasive grass that is spreading rapidly in the Sonoran Desert, affecting multiple habitats and jurisdictions. This invasion is creating a novel fire risk and transforming natural ecosystems. The model used in this application incorporates buffelgrass dispersal and establishment and management actions and effectiveness including inventory, treatment and post-treatment maintenance. We simulated 11 alternative scenarios developed in consultation with buffelgrass managers and other stakeholders. The scenarios vary according to the total budget allocated for management and the allocation of that budget between different kinds of management actions. Scenario results suggest that to achieve an actual reduction and stabilization of buffelgrass populations, management unconstrained by fiscal restrictions and across all jurisdictions and private lands is required; without broad and aggressive management, buffelgrass populations are expected to increase over time. However, results also suggest that large upfront investments can achieve control results that require relatively minimal spending in the future. Investing the necessary funds upfront to control the invasion results in the most

  1. Planning for the recreational end use of a future LLR waste mound in Canada - Leaving an honourable legacy

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

    Kleb, H.R.; Zelmer, R.L.

    2007-07-01

    The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office was established in 1982 to carry out the federal government's responsibilities for low-level radioactive (LLR) waste management in Canada. In this capacity, the Office operates programs to characterize, delineate, decontaminate and consolidate historic LLR waste for interim and long-term storage. The Office is currently the proponent of the Port Hope Area Initiative; a program directed at the development and implementation of a safe, local long-term management solution for historic LLR waste in the Port Hope area. A legal agreement between the Government of Canada and the host community provides the framework for the implementationmore » of the Port Hope Project. Specifically, the agreement requires that the surface of the long-term LLR waste management facility be 'conducive to passive and active recreational uses such as soccer fields and baseball diamonds'. However, there are currently no examples of licensed LLR waste management facilities in Canada that permit recreational use. Such an end use presents challenges with respect to engineering and design, health and safety and landscape planning. This paper presents the cover system design, the environmental effects assessment and the landscape planning processes that were undertaken in support of the recreational end use of the Port Hope long-term LLR waste management facility. (authors)« less

  2. Organic wastes decomposition technology, perspective for long-term autonomous missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viacheslav, Ilyin; Korshunov, Denis; Mardanov, Robert; Starkova, Lyubov; Deshevaya, Elena; Smirnov, Igor

    At present time there is no large problem in waste management in ISS space flight conditions, since spacecrafts "Progress" is used for it's removal from orbital station and the wastes burns in dense layers of Earth's atmosphere. However such method does not approach for far inter-planetary flights since interplanetary quarantine desires do not allow to deposit contaminated wastes outside the spacecraft. Essential part of wastes is formed by disposed means of personal hygiene and greenhouse wastes which are not safe from sanitary-epidemiological aspect. Above mentioned materials have one common feature: they can be subjected to biodegradation using different microbial compositions. Microbial decomposition of wastes as meets the main crite-ria of safety and power consumption. We investigated the effectiveness of method of disposed personal hygiene means biodegradation by anaerobic thermophiles with further purification of obtained decomposition products from chemical solvents with the help of mesophilic isolates in microaerophile conditions. Bacteria of Clostridium genera were selected for cellulolysis be-cause of their high specific endoglucanasic activity which less depends on substrate nature and relatively high growth rate on cellulose contaning substrates. As result some strains in case of optimal conditions (substrata pretreating, pH correction) decomposed means of personal hygiene with level of biodegradation up to 90With the purpose of purification, liqiud medi-ums originating from Closrtidium sp. exhibiting used like substrates for cellololitic fungi. It was shown that the cultures are able to change pH of media from slow-acid to neutral. Also the effectiveness of plant wastes biodegradation (vegetables homogenates) was studied using associations of mesophile aerobes trophically adapted to substrates. Rate of biodestruction of dry mass varied near 76To purify liquid products of biodegradation from chemicals cellulolytic fungal strains as well as bacterial

  3. Multiple system modelling of waste management

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

    Eriksson, Ola, E-mail: ola.eriksson@hig.se; Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gaevle, SE 801 76 Gaevle; Bisaillon, Mattias, E-mail: mattias.bisaillon@profu.se

    2011-12-15

    Highlights: > Linking of models will provide a more complete, correct and credible picture of the systems. > The linking procedure is easy to perform and also leads to activation of project partners. > The simulation procedure is a bit more complicated and calls for the ability to run both models. - Abstract: Due to increased environmental awareness, planning and performance of waste management has become more and more complex. Therefore waste management has early been subject to different types of modelling. Another field with long experience of modelling and systems perspective is energy systems. The two modelling traditions havemore » developed side by side, but so far there are very few attempts to combine them. Waste management systems can be linked together with energy systems through incineration plants. The models for waste management can be modelled on a quite detailed level whereas surrounding systems are modelled in a more simplistic way. This is a problem, as previous studies have shown that assumptions on the surrounding system often tend to be important for the conclusions. In this paper it is shown how two models, one for the district heating system (MARTES) and another one for the waste management system (ORWARE), can be linked together. The strengths and weaknesses with model linking are discussed when compared to simplistic assumptions on effects in the energy and waste management systems. It is concluded that the linking of models will provide a more complete, correct and credible picture of the consequences of different simultaneous changes in the systems. The linking procedure is easy to perform and also leads to activation of project partners. However, the simulation procedure is a bit more complicated and calls for the ability to run both models.« less

  4. Innovative Strategy For Long Term Monitoring Of Metal And Radionuclide Plumes

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

    Eddy-Dilek, Carol; Millings, Margaret R.; Looney, Brian B.

    2014-01-08

    Many government and private industry sites that were once contaminated with radioactive and chemical wastes cannot be cleaned up enough to permit unrestricted human access. The sites will require long term management, in some cases indefinitely, leaving site owners with the challenge of protecting human health and environmental quality at these "legacy" sites. Long-term monitoring of groundwater contamination is one of the largest projected costs in the life cycle of environmental management at the Savannah River Site, the larger DOE complex, and many large federal and private sites. There is a need to optimize the performance and manage the costmore » of long term surveillance and monitoring at their sites. Currently, SRNL is initiating a pilot field test using alternative protocols for long term monitoring of metals and radionuclides. A key component of the approach is that monitoring efforts are focused on measurement of low cost metrics related to hydrologic and chemical conditions that control contaminant migration. The strategy combines careful monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions with measurement of master variables such as chemical surrogates along with a smaller number of standard well analyses. In plumes contaminated with metals, master variables control the chemistry of the groundwater system, and include redox variables (ORP, DO, chemicals), pH, specific conductivity, biological community (breakdown/decay products), and temperature. Significant changes in these variables will result in conditions whereby the plume may not be stable and therefore can be used to predict possible plume migration. Conversely, concentration measurements for all types of contaminants in groundwater are a lagging indicator plume movement - major changes contaminant concentrations indicate that contamination has migrated. An approach based on measurement of master variables and explicit monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions combined with traditional metrics

  5. Organizing and delivering case management services: lessons from the National Long Term Care Channeling Demonstration.

    PubMed

    Christianson, J B; Applebaum, R; Carcagno, G; Phillips, B

    1988-01-01

    This article discusses issues relating to the design and internal administration of a case-management agency for community based home care for the elderly. Included in the article are issues relating to screening procedures, assessment and case management activities, cost controls, automated management information systems, and personnel matters. The analysis is based on the experience of the National Long Term Care Demonstration ("Channeling") which established and evaluated ten case management projects nationwide under federal funding.

  6. After flow control: The steps taken by Dade County to ensure continued operation of its solid waste management system

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

    Mauriello, P.J.; Ragbeer, D.

    1997-12-01

    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Carbone vs. Clarkstown case striking down waste flow control as unconstitutional, Dade County, Florida, one of the most severely impacted communities in the nation, has managed to stabilize its waste stream and balance its solid waste department finances; although the road taken to restabilization has been a difficult one. At its peak in 1995, Dade County experienced an annual loss of solid waste in excess of 1,000,000 tons, or over 40 percent of the waste stream normally handled by the County. This diversion of waste was accompanied by amore » net revenue loss of $30 million per year. The County lost its ability to plan for future capacity needs, or to assure sufficient future waste flows to meet its put-or-pay obligation to the County`s Resources Recovery plant operator. The County`s solid waste management system bonds were downgraded by Moody`s Investors Service and Standard and Poors. With the help of a special solid waste management team, appointed by the County Manager, the department was able to rightsize its waste disposal operations to fit its reduced waste flows, stabilize its waste stream, and develop strategies to solve its long-term funding shortfall.« less

  7. Long-term complications of JJ stent and its management: A 5 years review

    PubMed Central

    Ray, Rajendra Prasad; Mahapatra, Rajkumar Singha; Mondal, Partha Pratim; Pal, Dilip Kumar

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: To assess the long term complications of JJ stent, the management of complications and the role of endoscopic approach to manage these complications. Materials and Methods: Nineteen patients with indwelling JJ stent for a duration of more than 6 months were included in this study. Patients were assessed with X-ray KUB, USG KUB, blood urea, creatinine and DTPA renogram. Data were analyzed by Microsoft excel 2007. Results: Out of 19 patients 12 (63.16%) were male and 7 (36.84%) were female. The mean age was 39.78 ± 13.69 years., Mean duration for which the stent was in situ was 29.56 months. The most common complication was broken stent, in 11 cases (57.89%). Other complications were migration in 5 (26.32%), encrustation in 2 (10.52%) and 1 case of (5.26%) stone formation. Eighteen cases were managed by endoscopic approaches. A total of 22 procedures were performed to treat the complications. Eleven cases were managed by a single procedure and 8 patients required multiple procedures. All were managed successfully with no death reported. Post-operative complications were seen in eight cases (42.11%). Conclusions: JJ stent related long-term complications are not uncommon and are usually seen after 6 months of indwelling time. Endourological procedure should be the initial approach with a high success rate. Coordinated use multimodality and technology helps in management of difficult cases. Open surgery is rarely required. Prevention of the complication by judicious use and early removal is the cornerstone. PMID:25657542

  8. Waste management to improve food safety and security for health advancement.

    PubMed

    Lin, Angela Yu-Chen; Huang, Susana Tzy-Ying; Wahlqvist, Mark L

    2009-01-01

    Economic growth inevitably influences the food chain. Growing demand with changes in lifestyle and health consciousness encourage use of packaged and pre-prepared foods. The needs of environmental protection from waste generated are largely overlooked, and a lack of knowledge about the impact on the environment and its health effects constitute food security/safety problems. Food production and waste generation directly affect resource (i.e., energy and water) consumption and often contaminate the environment. More pressure on food production has inculcated the use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and chemical fertilizers which add to current global pollution. At least half of food grown is discarded before and after it reaches consumers. It is estimated that one third to half of landfill waste comes from the food sector. This landfill releases green house gases (GHG) as well as leachate which worsen soil and water quality and safety. Pharmaceutical and chemical contaminations from residential, industrial and agricultural sources make their way into nearby water and soil and can eventually affect our food systems. Phthalates, PFOA, BPA, commonly used in plastics and personal care products, are found in unacceptable concentrations in Taiwanese waters. They, too, contribute to food contamination and long-term health risk. Existing waste management strategies warrant more stringent norms for waste reduction at source. Awareness through education could reduce food waste and its consequences. This review encompasses impacts of food production systems on the environment, pollution which results from food waste, costs and economic advantages in food waste management, and health consequences of waste.

  9. Scientific Understanding from Long Term Observations: Insights from the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gosz, J.

    2001-12-01

    The network dedicated to Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) in the United States has grown to 24 sites since it was formed in 1980. Long-term research and monitoring are performed on parameters thatare basic to all ecosystems and are required to understand patterns, processes, and relationship to change. Collectively, the sites in the LTER Network provide opportunities to contrast marine, coastal, and continental regions, the full range of climatic gradients existing in North America, and aquatic and terrestrial habitats in a range of ecosystem types. The combination of common core areas and long-term research and monitoring in many habitats have allowed unprecedented abilities to understand and compare complex temporal and spatial dynamics associated with issues like climate change, effects of pollution, biodiversity and landuse. For example, McMurdo Dry Valley in the Antarctic has demonstrated an increase in glacier mass since 1993 which coincides with a period of cooler than normal summers and more than average snowfall. In contrast, the Bonanza Creek and Toolik Lake sites in Alaska have recorded a warming period unprecedented in the past 200 years. Nitrogen deposition effects have been identified through long-term watershed studies on biogeochemical cycles, especially at Coweeta Hydrological Lab, Harvard Forest, and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. In aquatic systems, such as the Northern Temperate Lakes site, long-term data revealed time lags in effects of invaders and disturbance on lake communities. Biological recovery from an effect such as lake acidification was shown to lag behind chemical recovery. The long-term changes documented over 2 decades have been instrumental in influencing management practices in many of the LTER areas. In Puerto Rico, the Luquillo LTER demonstrated that dams obstruct migrations of fish and freshwater shrimp and water abstraction at low flows can completely obliterate downstream migration of juveniles and damage

  10. Risks of nuclear waste disposal in space. III - Long-term orbital evolution of small particle distribution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Friedlander, A. L.; Wells, W. C.

    1980-01-01

    A study of long term risks is presented that treats an additional pathway that could result in earth reentry, namely, small radioactive particles released in solar orbit due to payload fragmentation by accidental explosion or meteoroid impact. A characterization of such an event and of the initial mass size distribution of particles is given for two extremes of waste form strength. Attention is given to numerical results showing the mass-time distribution of material and the fraction of initial mass intercepted by earth. It is concluded that it appears that program planners need not be to concerned about the risks of this particular failure mechanism and return pathway.

  11. Predictors of Short- and Long-Term Attrition From the Parents as Agents of Change Randomized Controlled Trial for Managing Pediatric Obesity.

    PubMed

    Spence, Nicholas D; Newton, Amanda S; Keaschuk, Rachel A; Ambler, Kathryn A; Jetha, Mary M; Holt, Nicholas L; Rosychuk, Rhonda J; Spence, John C; Sharma, Arya M; Ball, Geoff D C

    Attrition in pediatric weight management is a substantial problem. This study examined factors associated with short- and long-term attrition from a lifestyle and behavioral intervention for parents of children with overweight or obesity. Fifty-two families with children ages 6 to 12 years old and body mass index at or above the 85th percentile participated in a randomized controlled trial focused on parents, comparing parent-based cognitive behavioral therapy with parent-based psychoeducation for pediatric weight management. We examined program attrition using two clinical phases of the intervention: short-term and long-term attrition, modeled using the general linear model. Predictors included intervention type, child/parent weight status, sociodemographic factors, and health of the family system. Higher self-assessed health of the family system was associated with lower short-term attrition; higher percentage of intervention sessions attended by parents was associated with lower long-term attrition. Different variables were significant in our short- and long-term models. Attrition might best be conceptualized based on short- and long-term phases of clinical, parent-based interventions for pediatric weight management. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Waste management facility accident analysis (WASTE ACC) system: software for analysis of waste management alternatives

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

    Kohout, E.F.; Folga, S.; Mueller, C.

    1996-03-01

    This paper describes the Waste Management Facility Accident Analysis (WASTE{underscore}ACC) software, which was developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to support the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Waste Management (WM) Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). WASTE{underscore}ACC is a decision support and database system that is compatible with Microsoft{reg_sign} Windows{trademark}. It assesses potential atmospheric releases from accidents at waste management facilities. The software provides the user with an easy-to-use tool to determine the risk-dominant accident sequences for the many possible combinations of process technologies, waste and facility types, and alternative cases described in the WM PEIS. In addition, its structure willmore » allow additional alternative cases and assumptions to be tested as part of the future DOE programmatic decision-making process. The WASTE{underscore}ACC system demonstrates one approach to performing a generic, systemwide evaluation of accident risks at waste management facilities. The advantages of WASTE{underscore}ACC are threefold. First, the software gets waste volume and radiological profile data that were used to perform other WM PEIS-related analyses directly from the WASTE{underscore}MGMT system. Second, the system allows for a consistent analysis across all sites and waste streams, which enables decision makers to understand more fully the trade-offs among various policy options and scenarios. Third, the system is easy to operate; even complex scenario runs are completed within minutes.« less

  13. Elucidating the apparent maize tolerance to weed competition in long-term organically managed systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In a long-term cropping systems trial comparing organically and conventionally managed systems, organic maize production sustained crop yields equal to conventional methods despite higher weed levels. In 2005 and 2006, an experiment nested within the trial was conducted to analyze the mechanisms und...

  14. The Effectiveness of Self-Management Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps in Long-term Condition Management: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, Lisa; Seaton, Philippa

    2016-05-16

    Long-term conditions and their concomitant management place considerable pressure on patients, communities, and health care systems worldwide. International clinical guidelines on the majority of long-term conditions recommend the inclusion of self-management programs in routine management. Self-management programs have been associated with improved health outcomes; however, the successful and sustainable transfer of research programs into clinical practice has been inconsistent. Recent developments in mobile technology, such as mobile phone and tablet computer apps, could help in developing a platform for the delivery of self-management interventions that are adaptable, of low cost, and easily accessible. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps in self-management of key symptoms of long-term conditions. We searched PubMed, Embase, EBSCO databases, the Cochrane Library, and The Joanna Briggs Institute Library for randomized controlled trials that assessed the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps in self-management of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung diseases from 2005-2016. We searched registers of current and ongoing trials, as well as the gray literature. We then checked the reference lists of all primary studies and review papers for additional references. The last search was run in February 2016. Of the 9 papers we reviewed, 6 of the interventions demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the primary measure of clinical outcome. Where the intervention comprised an app only, 3 studies demonstrated a statistically significant improvement. Interventions to address diabetes mellitus (5/9) were the most common, followed by chronic lung disease (3/9) and cardiovascular disease (1/9). A total of 3 studies included multiple intervention groups using permutations of an intervention involving an app. The duration of the intervention ranged from 6 weeks to 1 year, and

  15. The Effectiveness of Self-Management Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps in Long-term Condition Management: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Background Long-term conditions and their concomitant management place considerable pressure on patients, communities, and health care systems worldwide. International clinical guidelines on the majority of long-term conditions recommend the inclusion of self-management programs in routine management. Self-management programs have been associated with improved health outcomes; however, the successful and sustainable transfer of research programs into clinical practice has been inconsistent. Recent developments in mobile technology, such as mobile phone and tablet computer apps, could help in developing a platform for the delivery of self-management interventions that are adaptable, of low cost, and easily accessible. Objective We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps in self-management of key symptoms of long-term conditions. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, EBSCO databases, the Cochrane Library, and The Joanna Briggs Institute Library for randomized controlled trials that assessed the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps in self-management of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung diseases from 2005–2016. We searched registers of current and ongoing trials, as well as the gray literature. We then checked the reference lists of all primary studies and review papers for additional references. The last search was run in February 2016. Results Of the 9 papers we reviewed, 6 of the interventions demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the primary measure of clinical outcome. Where the intervention comprised an app only, 3 studies demonstrated a statistically significant improvement. Interventions to address diabetes mellitus (5/9) were the most common, followed by chronic lung disease (3/9) and cardiovascular disease (1/9). A total of 3 studies included multiple intervention groups using permutations of an intervention involving an app. The duration of the

  16. Biomedical waste management in Ayurveda hospitals - current practices & future prospectives.

    PubMed

    Rajan, Renju; Robin, Delvin T; M, Vandanarani

    2018-03-16

    Biomedical waste management is an integral part of traditional and contemporary system of health care. The paper focuses on the identification and classification of biomedical wastes in Ayurvedic hospitals, current practices of its management in Ayurveda hospitals and its future prospective. Databases like PubMed (1975-2017 Feb), Scopus (1960-2017), AYUSH Portal, DOAJ, DHARA and Google scholar were searched. We used the medical subject headings 'biomedical waste' and 'health care waste' for identification and classification. The terms 'biomedical waste management', 'health care waste management' alone and combined with 'Ayurveda' or 'Ayurvedic' for current practices and recent advances in the treatment of these wastes were used. We made a humble attempt to categorize the biomedical wastes from Ayurvedic hospitals as the available data about its grouping is very scarce. Proper biomedical waste management is the mainstay of hospital cleanliness, hospital hygiene and maintenance activities. Current disposal techniques adopted for Ayurveda biomedical wastes are - sewage/drains, incineration and land fill. But these methods are having some merits as well as demerits. Our review has identified a number of interesting areas for future research such as the logical application of bioremediation techniques in biomedical waste management and the usage of effective micro-organisms and solar energy in waste disposal. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Estimation of construction waste generation and management in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Kofoworola, Oyeshola Femi; Gheewala, Shabbir H

    2009-02-01

    This study examines construction waste generation and management in Thailand. It is estimated that between 2002 and 2005, an average of 1.1 million tons of construction waste was generated per year in Thailand. This constitutes about 7.7% of the total amount of waste disposed in both landfills and open dumpsites annually during the same period. Although construction waste constitutes a major source of waste in terms of volume and weight, its management and recycling are yet to be effectively practiced in Thailand. Recently, the management of construction waste is being given attention due to its rapidly increasing unregulated dumping in undesignated areas, and recycling is being promoted as a method of managing this waste. If effectively implemented, its potential economic and social benefits are immense. It was estimated that between 70 and 4,000 jobs would have been created between 2002 and 2005, if all construction wastes in Thailand had been recycled. Additionally it would have contributed an average savings of about 3.0 x 10(5) GJ per year in the final energy consumed by the construction sector of the nation within the same period based on the recycling scenario analyzed. The current national integrated waste management plan could enhance the effective recycling of construction and demolition waste in Thailand when enforced. It is recommended that an inventory of all construction waste generated in the country be carried out in order to assess the feasibility of large scale recycling of construction and demolition waste.

  18. Establishing Long Term Data Management Research Priorities via a Data Decadal Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, A.; Uhlir, P.; Meyer, C. B.; Robinson, E.

    2013-12-01

    We live in a time of unprecedented collection of and access to scientific data. Improvements in sensor technologies and modeling capabilities are constantly producing new data sources. Data sets are being used for unexpected purposes far from their point of origin, as research spans projects, discipline domains, and temporal and geographic boundaries. The nature of science is evolving, with more open science, open publications, and changes to the nature of peer review and data "publication". Data-intensive, or computational science, has been identified as a new research paradigm. There is recognition that the creation of a data set can be a contribution to science deserving of recognition comparable to other scientific publications. Federally funded projects are generally expected to make their data open and accessible to everyone. In this dynamic environment, scientific progress is ever more dependent on good data management practices and policies. Yet current data management and stewardship practices are insufficient. Data sets created at great, and often public, expense are at risk of being lost for technological or organizational reasons. Insufficient documentation and understanding of data can mean that the data are used incorrectly or not at all. Scientific results are being scrutinized and questioned, and occasionally retracted due to problems in data management. The volume of data is greatly increasing while funding for data management is meager and generally must be found within existing budgets. Many federal government agencies, including NASA, USGS, NOAA and NSF are already making efforts to address data management issues. Executive memos and directives give substantial impetus to those efforts, such as the May 9 Executive Order directing agencies to implement Open Data Policy requirements and regularly report their progress. However, these distributed efforts risk duplicating effort, lack a unifying, long-term strategic vision, and too often work in

  19. Tribal Waste Management Program

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The EPA’s Tribal Waste Management Program encourages environmentally sound waste management practices that promote resource conservation through recycling, recovery, reduction, clean up, and elimination of waste.

  20. Certain Hospital Waste Management Practices in Isfahan, Iran

    PubMed Central

    Ferdowsi, Ali; Ferdosi, Masoud; Mehrani, Zeinab; Narenjkar, Parisa

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: Infected hospital wastes are among hazardous wastes, and special treatment methods are needed for their disposal. Having information about present status of medical waste management systems is of great importance in finding weak, and for future planning. Such studies have not been done for most of the hospitals in Iran. Methods: This paper reports the results of a study on the present status of medical waste management in Isfahan hospitals. A ten page researcher made questionnaire was used to collect data in terms of collection, transportation, segregation, treatment and disposal. For assessment of autoclaves, standard tests including TST (Time, Steam, and Temperature) strip test and spore tests were used. Samples were made of stack gases of incinerators. Quantity and composition of hospital wastes in Isfahan were also measured manually. Results: Of all wastes in selected hospitals, 40% were infected wastes (1.59 kg/day/bed), which is 15 to 20% higher than World Health Organization (WHO) standards. TST and Spore test results were negative in all samples. Stack gases analysis showed high concentration of CO in some samples. Besides, the combustion efficiency in some samples is less than 99.5%, which is the standard criterion in Iran. Conclusions: This study may create awareness regarding the magnitude of the problem of waste management in hospitals of Isfahan and may stimulate interests for systematic control efforts for hospital waste disposal. Hospital waste management cannot succeed without documented plans, certain equipment, defined staff trainings, and periodic evaluations. PMID:22826762

  1. International High Level Nuclear Waste Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dreschhoff, Gisela; And Others

    1974-01-01

    Discusses the radioactive waste management in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the USSR. Indicates that scientists and statesmen should look beyond their own lifetimes into future centuries and millennia to conduct long-range plans essential to protection of future generations. (CC)

  2. Risk-adapted, long-term management in childhood-onset craniopharyngioma.

    PubMed

    Müller, Hermann L

    2017-04-01

    This report is a review of findings on the diagnosis, treatment, clinical course, follow-up, and prognosis of craniopharyngioma patients with special regard to clinical trials and long-term management. Literature search on Pubmed for paper published after 1994. Craniopharyngiomas are rare, embryonic malformations of the sellar/parasellar region with low histological grade. Clinical manifestations are related to increased intracranial pressure, visual impairment, and hypothalamic/pituitary deficiencies. If the tumor is favorably localized, therapy of choice is complete resection, with care taken to preserve hypothalamic and optic functions. In patients with unfavorable tumor location (i.e. involvement of hypothalamic areas), recommended therapy is limited hypothalamus-sparing surgical strategy followed by irradiation. Irradiation has proven effective in treatment of recurrences and progression. Surgical lesions and/or anatomical involvement of posterior hypothalamic areas can result in serious sequelae, mainly hypothalamic syndrome. It is crucial that craniopharyngioma be managed as a frequently chronic disease, providing ongoing care of pediatric and adult patients' by experienced multidisciplinary teams in the context of multicenter trials.

  3. Rules and management of biomedical waste at Vivekananda Polyclinic: a case study.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Saurabh; Boojh, Ram; Mishra, Ajai; Chandra, Hem

    2009-02-01

    Hospitals and other healthcare establishments have a "duty of care" for the environment and for public health, and have particular responsibilities in relation to the waste they produce (i.e., biomedical waste). Negligence, in terms of biomedical waste management, significantly contributes to polluting the environment, affects the health of human beings, and depletes natural and financial resources. In India, in view of the serious situation of biomedical waste management, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, within the Government of India, ratified the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, in July 1998. The present paper provides a brief description of the biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, and the current biomedical waste management practices in one of the premier healthcare establishments of Lucknow, the Vivekananda Polyclinic. The objective in undertaking this study was to analyse the biomedical waste management system, including policy, practice (i.e., storage, collection, transportation and disposal), and compliance with the standards prescribed under the regulatory framework. The analysis consisted of interviews with medical authorities, doctors, and paramedical staff involved in the management of the biomedical wastes in the Polyclinic. Other important stakeholders that were consulted and interviewed included environmental engineers (looking after the Biomedical Waste Cell) of the State Pollution Control Board, and randomly selected patients and visitors to the Polyclinic. A general survey of the facilities of the Polyclinic was undertaken to ascertain the efficacy of the implemented measures. The waste was quantified based on random samples collected from each ward. It was found that, although the Polyclinic in general abides by the prescribed regulations for the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, there is a need to further build the capacity of the Polyclinic and its staff in terms of providing state

  4. Nonsurgical Outpatient Therapies for the Management of Female Stress Urinary Incontinence: Long-Term Effectiveness and Durability

    PubMed Central

    Davila, G. Willy

    2011-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate long-term effectiveness and safety of conservative and minimally invasive outpatient treatments for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) through a review of the literature. Methods. PubMed was searched for reports on prospective clinical trials with at least 12-month follow-up of minimally invasive treatments, pelvic floor rehabilitation, or pharmacotherapy in women with SUI. Each report was examined for long-term rates of effectiveness and safety. Results. Thirty-two clinical trial reports were included. Prospective long-term studies of pelvic floor rehabilitation were limited but indicated significant improvements with treatment adherence for at least 12 months. Poor initial tolerability with duloxetine resulted in substantial discontinuation. Most patients receiving transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation or urethral bulking agents reported significant long-term improvements, generally good tolerability, and safety. Conclusions. Conservative therapy is an appropriate initial approach for female SUI, but if therapy fails, radiofrequency collagen denaturation or bulking agents may be an attractive intermediate management step or alternative to surgery. PMID:21738529

  5. Waste Information Management System-2012 - 12114

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

    Upadhyay, H.; Quintero, W.; Shoffner, P.

    2012-07-01

    The Waste Information Management System (WIMS) -2012 was updated to support the Department of Energy (DOE) accelerated cleanup program. The schedule compression required close coordination and a comprehensive review and prioritization of the barriers that impeded treatment and disposition of the waste streams at each site. Many issues related to waste treatment and disposal were potential critical path issues under the accelerated schedule. In order to facilitate accelerated cleanup initiatives, waste managers at DOE field sites and at DOE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., needed timely waste forecast and transportation information regarding the volumes and types of radioactive waste that wouldmore » be generated by DOE sites over the next 40 years. Each local DOE site historically collected, organized, and displayed waste forecast information in separate and unique systems. In order for interested parties to understand and view the complete DOE complex-wide picture, the radioactive waste and shipment information of each DOE site needed to be entered into a common application. The WIMS application was therefore created to serve as a common application to improve stakeholder comprehension and improve DOE radioactive waste treatment and disposal planning and scheduling. WIMS allows identification of total forecasted waste volumes, material classes, disposition sites, choke points, technological or regulatory barriers to treatment and disposal, along with forecasted waste transportation information by rail, truck and inter-modal shipments. The Applied Research Center (ARC) at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, developed and deployed the web-based forecast and transportation system and is responsible for updating the radioactive waste forecast and transportation data on a regular basis to ensure the long-term viability and value of this system. WIMS continues to successfully accomplish the goals and objectives set forth by DOE for this project

  6. Management of solid waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, W. T.; Stinton, L. H.

    1980-04-01

    Compliance with the latest regulatory requirements addressing disposal of radioactive, hazardous, and sanitary solid waste criteria in the selection, design, and operation of solid waste management facilities. Due to the state of flux of these regulatory requirements from EPA and NRC, several waste management options were of solid waste. The current regulatory constraints and the design and operational requirements for construction of both storage and disposal facilities for use in management of DOE-ORO solid waste are highlighted. Capital operational costs are included for both disposal and storage options.

  7. Indicators of waste management efficiency related to different territorial conditions

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

    Passarini, Fabrizio, E-mail: fabrizio.passarini@unibo.it; Vassura, Ivano, E-mail: ivano.vassura@unibo.it; Monti, Francesco, E-mail: fmonti84@gmail.com

    2011-04-15

    The amount of waste produced and the control of separate collection are crucial issues for the planning of a territorial Integrated Waste Management System, enabling the allocation of each sorted waste fraction to the proper treatment and recycling processes. The present study focuses on assessing indicators of different waste management systems in areas characterized by different territorial conditions. The investigated case study concerns the municipalities of Emilia Romagna (northern Italy), which present a rather uniform socioeconomic situation, but a variety of geographic, urban and waste management characteristics. A survey of waste generation and collection rates was carried out, and correlatedmore » with the different territorial conditions, classifying the municipalities according to altitude and population density. The best environmental performances, in terms of high separate collection rate, were found on average in rural areas in the plain, while the lowest waste generation was associated with rural hill towns.« less

  8. Care Planning, Quality Assurance, and Personnel Management in Long-Term Care Facilities. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patchner, Michael A.; Balgopal, Pallassana R.

    Three studies were undertaken to examine topics of care planning, personnel management, and quality assurance in long-term care facilities. The first study examined the formulation and implementation processes of care planning for nursing home residents. The exemplary homes' care planning included the existence of strong care planning leadership,…

  9. Institutional Staff Training and Management: A Review of the Literature and a Model for Geriatric, Long-Term-Care Facilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgio, Louis D.; Burgio, Kathryn L.

    1990-01-01

    Asserts that, if long-term care is to progress from custodial model to therapeutic model of rehabilitation, role of nursing assistants must be redesigned. Reviews current methods of institutional staff training and management and proposes model for geriatric, long-term care facilities. Discusses organizational resistance and offers suggestions for…

  10. Public health response to striking solid waste management.

    PubMed

    Murti, Michelle; Ayre, Reg; Shapiro, Howard; de Burger, Ron

    2011-10-01

    In 2009, the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, experienced a six-week labor disruption involving 24,000 city workers that included solid waste and public health employees. In an attempt to control illegal dumping and to manage garbage storage across the city during this period, 24 temporary garbage storage sites were established by the city (mostly in local parks) for residents to dispose of their household waste. No other municipality in North America has attempted to operate this many temporary sites for this long a period. Management and nonunion staff from Healthy Environments in Toronto Public Health performed daily inspections, responded to community questions, issued public health orders, and worked closely with Solid Waste Management and the Ministry of the Environment to actively manage the public health concerns associated with these sites. This intensive oversight mitigated public health risks to the community and facilitated an effective, safe solution to the temporary garbage storage problem.

  11. 43 CFR 3904.40 - Long-term water treatment trust funds.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Long-term water treatment trust funds. 3904.40 Section 3904.40 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) OIL SHALE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL Bonds and Trust Funds § 3904.40 Long-term water...

  12. Security risks in nuclear waste management: Exceptionalism, opaqueness and vulnerability.

    PubMed

    Vander Beken, Tom; Dorn, Nicholas; Van Daele, Stijn

    2010-01-01

    This paper analyses some potential security risks, concerning terrorism or more mundane forms of crime, such as fraud, in management of nuclear waste using a PEST scan (of political, economic, social and technical issues) and some insights of criminologists on crime prevention. Nuclear waste arises as spent fuel from ongoing energy generation or other nuclear operations, operational contamination or emissions, and decommissioning of obsolescent facilities. In international and EU political contexts, nuclear waste management is a sensitive issue, regulated specifically as part of the nuclear industry as well as in terms of hazardous waste policies. The industry involves state, commercial and mixed public-private bodies. The social and cultural dimensions--risk, uncertainty, and future generations--resonate more deeply here than in any other aspect of waste management. The paper argues that certain tendencies in regulation of the industry, claimed to be justified on security grounds, are decreasing transparency and veracity of reporting, opening up invisible spaces for management frauds, and in doing allowing a culture of impunity in which more serious criminal or terrorist risks could arise. What is needed is analysis of this 'exceptional' industry in terms of the normal cannons of risk assessment - a task that this paper begins. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Trends in the management of residual municipal solid waste.

    PubMed

    Rada, E C; Istrate, I A; Ragazzi, M

    2009-06-01

    In agreement with European Union directives, the integrated management of municipal solid waste must be developed ensuring a balanced relationship between the streams of selective collection and the one regarding the residual waste. A theoretical scenario is made where the residual municipal solid waste is composed only of non-recyclable fractions. An important aspect concerns the role of the organic fraction as selective collection can significantly decrease its content in the residual waste. This paper focuses on the planning, design and management consequences of this unsteady scenario. The treatments that are considered are: combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, integrated thermal plants, aerobic mechanical-biological treatments, anaerobic mechanical-biological treatments and other types of treatment. The considerations are based on the experience of the authors not only in terms of development of research but also in terms of transfer of the research results to the real scale, and knowledge of the state-of-the-art of the sector.

  14. Long-term no-tillage and organic input management enhanced the diversity and stability of soil microbial community.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yi; Li, Chunyue; Tu, Cong; Hoyt, Greg D; DeForest, Jared L; Hu, Shuijin

    2017-12-31

    Intensive tillage and high inputs of chemicals are frequently used in conventional agriculture management, which critically depresses soil properties and causes soil erosion and nonpoint source pollution. Conservation practices, such as no-tillage and organic farming, have potential to enhance soil health. However, the long-term impact of no-tillage and organic practices on soil microbial diversity and community structure has not been fully understood, particularly in humid, warm climate regions such as the southeast USA. We hypothesized that organic inputs will lead to greater microbial diversity and a more stable microbial community, and that the combination of no-tillage and organic inputs will maximize soil microbial diversity. We conducted a long-term experiment in the southern Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, USA to test these hypotheses. The results showed that soil microbial diversity and community structure diverged under different management regimes after long term continuous treatments. Organic input dominated the effect of management practices on soil microbial properties, although no-tillage practice also exerted significant impacts. Both no-tillage and organic inputs significantly promoted soil microbial diversity and community stability. The combination of no-tillage and organic management increased soil microbial diversity over the conventional tillage and led to a microbial community structure more similar to the one in an adjacent grassland. These results indicate that effective management through reducing tillage and increasing organic C inputs can enhance soil microbial diversity and community stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Total energy management for nursing homes and other long-term care institutions

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

    Not Available

    1977-01-01

    The purpose of this publication is to provide the basic instruction needed to implement the most effective form of energy conservation--Total Energy Management, or TEM--in your long-term care facility. The effort required is worthwhile for many different reasons: TEM is self-paying; TEM promotes energy conservation without negative impact on health care services; and energy costs will continue to escalate. Following the introductory chapter, chapters are titled: Understanding Energy Consumption; Initiating a Total Energy Management Program; Developing Energy Consumption Data; Conducting the Facility Survey; Developing and Implementing the Basic Plan; Communication and Motivation; Monitoring Your Program and Keeping It Effective; andmore » Guidelines for Energy Conservation. Two appendices furnish information on building information for TEM and sources of information for energy management. (MCW)« less

  16. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waste management. 273.33 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.33 Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage...

  17. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waste management. 273.13 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Small Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.13 Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage...

  18. Solid Waste Management Plan. Revision 4

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

    NONE

    1995-04-26

    The waste types discussed in this Solid Waste Management Plan are Municipal Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Low-Level Mixed Waste, Low-Level Radioactive Waste, and Transuranic Waste. The plan describes for each type of solid waste, the existing waste management facilities, the issues, and the assumptions used to develop the current management plan.

  19. Prospective implementation of a software application for pre-disposal L/ILW waste management activities in Romania

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

    Fako, Raluca; Sociu, Florin; Stan, Camelia

    Romania is actively engaged to update the Medium and Long Term National Strategy for Safe Management of Radioactive Waste and to approve the Road Map for Geological Repository Development. Considering relevant documents to be further updated, about 122,000 m{sup 3} SL-LILW are to be disposed in a near surface facility that will have room, also, for quantities of VLLW. Planned date for commissioning is under revision. Taking into account that in this moment there are initiated several actions for the improvement of the technical capability for LILW treatment and conditioning, several steps for the possible use of SAFRAN software weremore » considered. In view of specific data for Romanian radioactive waste inventory, authors are trying to highlight the expected limitations and unknown data related with the implementation of SAFRAN software for the foreseen pre-disposal waste management activities. There are challenges that have to be faced in the near future related with clear definition of the properties of each room, area and waste management activity. This work has the aim to address several LILW management issues in accordance with national and international regulatory framework for the assurance of nuclear safety. Also, authors intend to develop their institutional capability for the safety demonstration of the existent and future radioactive waste management facilities and activities. (authors)« less

  20. Living Well With a Long-Term Condition: Service Users' Perspectives of a Self-Management Intervention.

    PubMed

    Stenberg, Nicola; Furness, Penny J

    2017-03-01

    The outcomes of self-management interventions are commonly assessed using quantitative measurement tools, and few studies ask people with long-term conditions to explain, in their own words, what aspects of the intervention they valued. In this Grounded Theory study, a Health Trainers service in the north of England was evaluated based on interviews with eight service-users. Open, focused, and theoretical coding led to the development of a preliminary model explaining participants' experiences and perceived impact of the service. The model reflects the findings that living well with a long-term condition encompassed social connectedness, changed identities, acceptance, and self-care. Health trainers performed four related roles that were perceived to contribute to these outcomes: conceptualizer, connector, coach, and champion. The evaluation contributes a grounded theoretical understanding of a personalized self-management intervention that emphasizes the benefits of a holistic approach to enable cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social adjustments.

  1. GMDPtoolbox: A Matlab library for designing spatial management policies. Application to the long-term collective management of an airborne disease

    PubMed Central

    Aubertot, Jean-Noël; Peyrard, Nathalie; Sabbadin, Régis

    2017-01-01

    Designing management policies in ecology and agroecology is complex. Several components must be managed together while they strongly interact spatially. Decision choices must be made under uncertainty on the results of the actions and on the system dynamics. Furthermore, the objectives pursued when managing ecological systems or agroecosystems are usually long term objectives, such as biodiversity conservation or sustainable crop production. The framework of Graph-Based Markov Decision Processes (GMDP) is well adapted to the qualitative modeling of such problems of sequential decision under uncertainty. Spatial interactions are easily modeled and integrated control policies (combining several action levers) can be designed through optimization. The provided policies are adaptive, meaning that management actions are decided at each time step (for instance yearly) and the chosen actions depend on the current system state. This framework has already been successfully applied to forest management and invasive species management. However, up to now, no “easy-to-use” implementation of this framework was available. We present GMDPtoolbox, a Matlab toolbox which can be used both for the design of new management policies and for comparing policies by simulation. We provide an illustration of the use of the toolbox on a realistic crop disease management problem: the design of long term management policy of blackleg of canola using an optimal combination of three possible cultural levers. This example shows how GMDPtoolbox can be used as a tool to support expert thinking. PMID:28982151

  2. GMDPtoolbox: A Matlab library for designing spatial management policies. Application to the long-term collective management of an airborne disease.

    PubMed

    Cros, Marie-Josée; Aubertot, Jean-Noël; Peyrard, Nathalie; Sabbadin, Régis

    2017-01-01

    Designing management policies in ecology and agroecology is complex. Several components must be managed together while they strongly interact spatially. Decision choices must be made under uncertainty on the results of the actions and on the system dynamics. Furthermore, the objectives pursued when managing ecological systems or agroecosystems are usually long term objectives, such as biodiversity conservation or sustainable crop production. The framework of Graph-Based Markov Decision Processes (GMDP) is well adapted to the qualitative modeling of such problems of sequential decision under uncertainty. Spatial interactions are easily modeled and integrated control policies (combining several action levers) can be designed through optimization. The provided policies are adaptive, meaning that management actions are decided at each time step (for instance yearly) and the chosen actions depend on the current system state. This framework has already been successfully applied to forest management and invasive species management. However, up to now, no "easy-to-use" implementation of this framework was available. We present GMDPtoolbox, a Matlab toolbox which can be used both for the design of new management policies and for comparing policies by simulation. We provide an illustration of the use of the toolbox on a realistic crop disease management problem: the design of long term management policy of blackleg of canola using an optimal combination of three possible cultural levers. This example shows how GMDPtoolbox can be used as a tool to support expert thinking.

  3. Clinical Guideline for the Evaluation, Management and Long-term Care of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic disorder that often requires lifelong care. Available practice parameters provide evidence-based recommendations for addressing aspects of care. Objective: This guideline is designed to assist primary care providers as well as sleep medicine specialists, surgeons, and dentists who care for patients with OSA by providing a comprehensive strategy for the evaluation, management and long-term care of adult patients with OSA. Methods: The Adult OSA Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) was assembled to produce a clinical guideline from a review of existing practice parameters and available literature. All existing evidence-based AASM practice parameters relevant to the evaluation and management of OSA in adults were incorporated into this guideline. For areas not covered by the practice parameters, the task force performed a literature review and made consensus recommendations using a modified nominal group technique. Recommendations: Questions regarding OSA should be incorporated into routine health evaluations. Suspicion of OSA should trigger a comprehensive sleep evaluation. The diagnostic strategy includes a sleep-oriented history and physical examination, objective testing, and education of the patient. The presence or absence and severity of OSA must be determined before initiating treatment in order to identify those patients at risk of developing the complications of sleep apnea, guide selection of appropriate treatment, and to provide a baseline to establish the effectiveness of subsequent treatment. Once the diagnosis is established, the patient should be included in deciding an appropriate treatment strategy that may include positive airway pressure devices, oral appliances, behavioral treatments, surgery, and/or adjunctive treatments. OSA should be approached as a chronic disease requiring long-term, multidisciplinary management. For each treatment option, appropriate outcome

  4. Rules and management of biomedical waste at Vivekananda Polyclinic: A case study

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

    Gupta, Saurabh; Boojh, Ram; Mishra, Ajai

    Hospitals and other healthcare establishments have a 'duty of care' for the environment and for public health, and have particular responsibilities in relation to the waste they produce (i.e., biomedical waste). Negligence, in terms of biomedical waste management, significantly contributes to polluting the environment, affects the health of human beings, and depletes natural and financial resources. In India, in view of the serious situation of biomedical waste management, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, within the Government of India, ratified the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, in July 1998. The present paper provides a brief description of the biomedicalmore » waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, and the current biomedical waste management practices in one of the premier healthcare establishments of Lucknow, the Vivekananda Polyclinic. The objective in undertaking this study was to analyse the biomedical waste management system, including policy, practice (i.e., storage, collection, transportation and disposal), and compliance with the standards prescribed under the regulatory framework. The analysis consisted of interviews with medical authorities, doctors, and paramedical staff involved in the management of the biomedical wastes in the Polyclinic. Other important stakeholders that were consulted and interviewed included environmental engineers (looking after the Biomedical Waste Cell) of the State Pollution Control Board, and randomly selected patients and visitors to the Polyclinic. A general survey of the facilities of the Polyclinic was undertaken to ascertain the efficacy of the implemented measures. The waste was quantified based on random samples collected from each ward. It was found that, although the Polyclinic in general abides by the prescribed regulations for the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, there is a need to further build the capacity of the Polyclinic and its staff in terms of providing state

  5. Prevalence of Long-Term Opioid Use in Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents.

    PubMed

    Hunnicutt, Jacob N; Chrysanthopoulou, Stavroula A; Ulbricht, Christine M; Hume, Anne L; Tjia, Jennifer; Lapane, Kate L

    2018-01-01

    Overall and long-term opioid use among older adults have increased since 1999. Less is known about opioid use in older adults in nursing homes (NHs). Cross-sectional. U.S. NHs (N = 13,522). Long-stay NH resident Medicare beneficiaries with a Minimum Data Set 3.0 (MDS) assessment between April 1, 2012, and June 30, 2012, and 120 days of follow-up (N = 315,949). We used Medicare Part D claims to measure length of opioid use in the 120 days from the index assessment (short-term: ≤30 days, medium-term: >30-89 days, long-term: ≥90 days), adjuvants (e.g., anticonvulsants), and other pain medications (e.g., corticosteroids). MDS assessments in the follow-up period were used to measure nonpharmacological pain management use. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for age, gender, race and ethnicity, cognitive and physical impairment, and long-term opioid use. Of all long-stay residents, 32.4% were prescribed any opioid, and 15.5% were prescribed opioids long-term. Opioid users (versus nonusers) were more commonly prescribed pain adjuvants (32.9% vs 14.9%), other pain medications (25.5% vs 11.0%), and nonpharmacological pain management (24.5% vs 9.3%). Long-term opioid use was higher in women (aPR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.18-1.23) and lower in racial and ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic blacks vs whites: APR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90-0.94) and those with severe cognitive impairment (vs no or mild impairment, aPR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.79-0.83). One in seven NH residents was prescribed opioids long-term. Recent guidelines on opioid prescribing for pain recommend reducing long-term opioid use, but this is challenging in NHs because residents may not benefit from nonpharmacological and nonopioid interventions. Studies to address concerns about opioid safety and effectiveness (e.g., on pain and functional status) in NHs are needed. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics

  6. Long-term thermophilic mono-digestion of rendering wastes and co-digestion with potato pulp.

    PubMed

    Bayr, S; Ojanperä, M; Kaparaju, P; Rintala, J

    2014-10-01

    In this study, mono-digestion of rendering wastes and co-digestion of rendering wastes with potato pulp were studied for the first time in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) experiments at 55°C. Rendering wastes have high protein and lipid contents and are considered good substrates for methane production. However, accumulation of digestion intermediate products viz., volatile fatty acids (VFAs), long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N and/or free NH3) can cause process imbalance during the digestion. Mono-digestion of rendering wastes at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.5 kg volatile solids (VS)/m(3)d and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 50 d was unstable and resulted in methane yields of 450 dm(3)/kg VS(fed). On the other hand, co-digestion of rendering wastes with potato pulp (60% wet weight, WW) at the same OLR and HRT improved the process stability and increased methane yields (500-680 dm(3)/kg VS(fed)). Thus, it can be concluded that co-digestion of rendering wastes with potato pulp could improve the process stability and methane yields from these difficult to treat industrial waste materials. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The experience of facilitators and participants of long term condition self-management group programmes: A qualitative synthesis.

    PubMed

    Hughes, Stephen; Lewis, Sophie; Willis, Karen; Rogers, Anne; Wyke, Sally; Smith, Lorraine

    2017-12-01

    Our aim was to systematically review the qualitative literature about the experiences of both facilitators and participants in a range of group-based programmes to support the self-management of long-term conditions. We searched 7 databases using the terms 'self-management', 'group' and 'qualitative'. Full text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved for review. A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyse the studies. 2126 articles were identified and 24 were included for review. Group participants valued being with similar others and perceived peer support benefits. Facilitators (HCP and lay) had limited group specific training, were uncertain of purpose and prioritised education and medical conformity over supportive group processes and the promotion of self-management agency and engagement. Overall, studies prioritised positive descriptions. Group programmes' medical self-management focus may reduce their ability to contribute to patient-valued outcomes. Further research is needed to explore this disconnect. This review supports broadening the scope of group-based programmes to foreground shared learning, social support and development of agency. It is of relevance to developers and facilitators of group self-management programmes and their ability to address the burden of long-term conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Integrating basic research and long-term management: a case study using avian research at the Savannah River Site

    Treesearch

    John B. Dunning; John C. Kilgo

    2000-01-01

    In this introduction to Avian Research at the Savannah River Site: A Model for Integrating Basic Research and Long-term Management, editors Dunning and Kilgo discuss the interrelationship between research and management at the Savannah River Site. They emphasize the increasing need for collaboration between scientists and land managers....

  9. Economic efficiency of short-term versus long-term water rights buyouts

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Because of the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, water districts, regional water managers, and state water officers are becoming increasingly interested in conservation policies. This study evaluates both short-term and long-term water rights buyout policies. This research develops dynamic production...

  10. Application of Polymers for the Long-Term Storage and Disposal of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste

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

    Bonin, Hugues W.; Walker, Michael W.; Bui, Van Tam

    2004-01-15

    differences in chemical transition temperatures characteristic of radiation damage. All the changes in these properties are characteristic of the cross-linking phenomenon. For the glass-fiber-reinforced polymers, the results of the tests evidenced minor radiation degradation at the fiber/matrix interfaces. Based on these results, any of the investigated polymers could potentially be used for disposal containers due to their abilities to adequately resist radiation. This allowed proceeding one step further into determining a potential design framework for containers for the long-term storage and disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.« less

  11. Between hype and veracity; privatization of municipal solid waste management and its impacts on the informal waste sector.

    PubMed

    Sandhu, Kiran; Burton, Paul; Dedekorkut-Howes, Aysin

    2017-01-01

    The informal waste recycling sector has been an indispensable but ironically invisible part of the waste management systems in developing countries as India, often completely disregarded and overlooked by decision makers and policy frameworks. The turn towards liberalization of economy since 1991 in India opened the doors for privatization of urban services and the waste sector found favor with private companies facilitated by the local governments. In joining the privatization bandwagon, the local governments aim to create an image of a progressive city demonstrated most visibly through apt management of municipal solid waste. Resultantly, the long important stakeholder, the informal sector has been sidelined and left to face the adverse impacts of privatization. There is hardly any recognition of its contributions or any attempt to integrate it within the formal waste management systems. The study investigates the impacts of privatization on the waste pickers in waste recycling operations. Highlighting the other dimension of waste collection and management in urban India the study focuses on the waste pickers and small time informal scrap dealers and this is done by taking the case study of Amritsar city, which is an important historic centre and a metropolitan city in the state of Punjab, India. The paper develops an analytical framework, drawing from literature review to analyze the impacts. In conclusion, it supports the case for involving informal waste sector towards achieving sustainable waste management in the city. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Long-term settlement prediction at open dumping area using Hossein and Gabr method for new development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pauzi, Nur Irfah Mohd; Shariffuddin, Ahmad Sulaimi; Omar, Husaini; Misran, Halina

    2017-07-01

    In Malaysia, the most common method of disposal is landfill/open dumping. The soil at the dumping area are mixed with waste and soil. Thus, it was called as waste soil. Due to its heterogeneity properties, waste soil has a different settlement rate because different types of waste tends to settle differently. The Hussein and Gabr model which used empirical model was proposed to compute the long-term settlement. This Hussein and Gabr model is one of the soil settlement model that can be used to predict the long-term settlement at the dumping area. The model relates between the compression index and the time factor. The time factor are t1, t2, t3 and t4. The compression index is Cα1=compression index and Cβ is biodegradation index. The duration for initial compression, the compression, the biological compression and time creep are included in the model. The sample of waste soil is taken from closed dumping area in Lukut, Negeri Sembilan with the height of waste approximately 1 to 3 meters. The sample is tested using consolidation test for determining the geotechnical parameters and compressibility index. Based on the Hossein and Gabr model, the predicted long-term settlement for 20 years (ΔH) for the waste height of 1 to 3 meters are 0.21m, 0.42m and 0.63m respectively and are below the percentages of proposed maximum settlement for waste soil which is acceptable for new development to takes place.. The types of deep or shallow foundation are proposed based on the predicted settlement. The abandoned open dumping area can now be reused for the new development after the long-term settlement are predicted and some of the precaution measures has been taken as a safety measures.

  13. Mobile phone messaging for facilitating self-management of long-term illnesses.

    PubMed

    de Jongh, Thyra; Gurol-Urganci, Ipek; Vodopivec-Jamsek, Vlasta; Car, Josip; Atun, Rifat

    2012-12-12

    Long-term illnesses affect a significant proportion of the population in developed and developing countries. Mobile phone messaging applications, such as Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS), may present convenient, cost-effective ways of supporting self-management and improving patients' self-efficacy skills through, for instance, medication reminders, therapy adjustments or supportive messages. To assess the effects of mobile phone messaging applications designed to facilitate self-management of long-term illnesses, in terms of impact on health outcomes and patients' capacity to self-manage their condition. Secondary objectives include assessment of: user evaluation of the intervention; health service utilisation and costs; and possible risks and harms associated with the intervention. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL,The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), EMBASE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), PsycINFO (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), CINAHL (EbscoHOST) (January 1993 to June 2009), LILACS (January 1993 to June 2009) and African Health Anthology (January 1993 to June 2009).We also reviewed grey literature (including trial registers) and reference lists of articles. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomised controlled trials (QRCTs), controlled before-after (CBA) studies, or interrupted time series (ITS) studies with at least three time points before and after the intervention. We selected only studies where it was possible to assess the effects of mobile phone messaging independent of other technologies or interventions. Two review authors independently assessed all studies against the inclusion criteria, with any disagreements resolved by a third review author. Study design features, characteristics of target populations, interventions and controls, and results data were extracted by two review authors and confirmed by

  14. The impact of systematic occupational health and safety management for occupational disorders and long-term work attendance.

    PubMed

    Dellve, Lotta; Skagert, Katrin; Eklöf, Mats

    2008-09-01

    Despite several years of conducting formalized systematic occupational health and safety management (SOHSM), as required by law in Sweden and most other industrialized countries, there is still little evidence on how SOHSM should be approached to have an impact on employees' health. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of SOHSM, considering structured routines and participation processes, for the incidence of occupational disorders and the prevalence of long-term work attendance among home care workers (HCWs). Municipal human service organizations were compared concerning (a) their structured routines and participation processes for SOHSM and (b) employee health, i.e. the municipal five-year incidence of occupational disorders and prevalence of work attendance among HCWs. National register-based data from the whole population of HCWs (n=154 773) were linked to register-data of occupational disorders and prevalence of long-term work attendance. The top managers and safety representatives in selected high- and low-incidence organizations (n=60) answered a questionnaire about structure and participation process of SOHSM. The results showed that prevalence of long-term work attendance was higher where structure and routines for SOHSM (policy, goals and plans for action) were well organized. Highly structured SOHSM and human resource management were also related to high organizational incidence of reported occupational disorders. Allocated budget and routines related to HCWs' influence in decisions concerning performance of care were also related to long-term work attendance. The participation processes had a weak effect on occupational disorders and work attendance among HCWs. Reporting occupational disorders may be a functional tool to stimulate the development of effective SOHSM, to improve the work environment and sustainable work ability.

  15. Long-term exercise training prevents mammary tumorigenesis-induced muscle wasting in rats through the regulation of TWEAK signalling.

    PubMed

    Padrão, A I; Figueira, A C C; Faustino-Rocha, A I; Gama, A; Loureiro, M M; Neuparth, M J; Moreira-Gonçalves, D; Vitorino, R; Amado, F; Santos, L L; Oliveira, P A; Duarte, J A; Ferreira, R

    2017-04-01

    Exercise training has been suggested as a non-pharmacological approach to prevent skeletal muscle wasting and improve muscle function in cancer cachexia. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying such beneficial effect. In this study, we aimed to, firstly, examine the contribution of TWEAK signalling to cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting and, secondly, evaluate whether long-term exercise alters TWEAK signalling and prevents muscle wasting. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to control and exercise groups. Fifteen animals from each group were exposed to N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea carcinogen. Animals in exercise groups were submitted to moderate treadmill exercise for 35 weeks. After the experimental period, animals were killed and gastrocnemius muscles were harvested for morphological and biochemical analysis. We verified that exercise training prevented tumour-induced TWEAK/NF-κB signalling in skeletal muscle with a beneficial impact in fibre cross-sectional area and metabolism. Indeed, 35 weeks of exercise training promoted the upregulation of PGC-1α and oxidative phosphorylation complexes. This exercise-induced muscle remodelling in tumour-bearing animals was associated with less malignant mammary lesions. Data support the benefits of an active lifestyle for the prevention of muscle wasting secondary to breast cancer, highlighting TWEAK/NF- κB signalling as a potential therapeutic target for the preservation of muscle mass. © 2016 Scandinavian Physiological Society. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Long-Term Economic and Labor Forecast Trends for Washington. 1996.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lefberg, Irv; And Others

    This publication provides actual historical and long-term forecast data on labor force, total wage and salary employment, industry employment, and personal income for the state of Washington. The data are based upon the Washington Office of Financial Management long-term population forecast. Chapter 1 presents long-term forecasts of Washington…

  17. Disaster waste management: a review article.

    PubMed

    Brown, Charlotte; Milke, Mark; Seville, Erica

    2011-06-01

    Depending on their nature and severity, disasters can create large volumes of debris and waste. The waste can overwhelm existing solid waste management facilities and impact on other emergency response and recovery activities. If poorly managed, the waste can have significant environmental and public health impacts and can affect the overall recovery process. This paper presents a system overview of disaster waste management based on existing literature. The main literature available to date comprises disaster waste management plans or guidelines and isolated case studies. There is ample discussion on technical management options such as temporary storage sites, recycling, disposal, etc.; however, there is little or no guidance on how these various management options are selected post-disaster. The literature does not specifically address the impact or appropriateness of existing legislation, organisational structures and funding mechanisms on disaster waste management programmes, nor does it satisfactorily cover the social impact of disaster waste management programmes. It is envisaged that the discussion presented in this paper, and the literature gaps identified, will form a basis for future comprehensive and cohesive research on disaster waste management. In turn, research will lead to better preparedness and response to disaster waste management problems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Disaster waste management: A review article

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

    Brown, Charlotte, E-mail: charlotte.brown@pg.canterbury.ac.nz; Milke, Mark, E-mail: mark.milke@canterbury.ac.nz; Seville, Erica, E-mail: erica.seville@canterbury.ac.nz

    2011-06-15

    Depending on their nature and severity, disasters can create large volumes of debris and waste. The waste can overwhelm existing solid waste management facilities and impact on other emergency response and recovery activities. If poorly managed, the waste can have significant environmental and public health impacts and can affect the overall recovery process. This paper presents a system overview of disaster waste management based on existing literature. The main literature available to date comprises disaster waste management plans or guidelines and isolated case studies. There is ample discussion on technical management options such as temporary storage sites, recycling, disposal, etc.;more » however, there is little or no guidance on how these various management options are selected post-disaster. The literature does not specifically address the impact or appropriateness of existing legislation, organisational structures and funding mechanisms on disaster waste management programmes, nor does it satisfactorily cover the social impact of disaster waste management programmes. It is envisaged that the discussion presented in this paper, and the literature gaps identified, will form a basis for future comprehensive and cohesive research on disaster waste management. In turn, research will lead to better preparedness and response to disaster waste management problems.« less

  19. A web-based Decision Support System for the optimal management of construction and demolition waste.

    PubMed

    Banias, G; Achillas, Ch; Vlachokostas, Ch; Moussiopoulos, N; Papaioannou, I

    2011-12-01

    Wastes from construction activities constitute nowadays the largest by quantity fraction of solid wastes in urban areas. In addition, it is widely accepted that the particular waste stream contains hazardous materials, such as insulating materials, plastic frames of doors, windows, etc. Their uncontrolled disposal result to long-term pollution costs, resource overuse and wasted energy. Within the framework of the DEWAM project, a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) application - namely DeconRCM - has been developed, aiming towards the identification of the optimal construction and demolition waste (CDW) management strategy that minimises end-of-life costs and maximises the recovery of salvaged building materials. This paper addresses both technical and functional structure of the developed web-based application. The web-based DSS provides an accurate estimation of the generated CDW quantities of twenty-one different waste streams (e.g. concrete, bricks, glass, etc.) for four different types of buildings (residential, office, commercial and industrial). With the use of mathematical programming, the DeconRCM provides also the user with the optimal end-of-life management alternative, taking into consideration both economic and environmental criteria. The DSS's capabilities are illustrated through a real world case study of a typical five floor apartment building in Thessaloniki, Greece. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. 40 CFR 273.52 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Waste management. 273.52 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Universal Waste Transporters § 273.52 Waste management. (a) A universal waste transporter must comply with all applicable U.S. Department of...

  1. 40 CFR 273.52 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Waste management. 273.52 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Universal Waste Transporters § 273.52 Waste management. (a) A universal waste transporter must comply with all applicable U.S. Department of...

  2. 40 CFR 273.52 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Waste management. 273.52 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Universal Waste Transporters § 273.52 Waste management. (a) A universal waste transporter must comply with all applicable U.S. Department of...

  3. 40 CFR 273.52 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Waste management. 273.52 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Universal Waste Transporters § 273.52 Waste management. (a) A universal waste transporter must comply with all applicable U.S. Department of...

  4. 40 CFR 273.52 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waste management. 273.52 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Universal Waste Transporters § 273.52 Waste management. (a) A universal waste transporter must comply with all applicable U.S. Department of...

  5. Health-care waste management in India.

    PubMed

    Patil, A D; Shekdar, A V

    2001-10-01

    Health-care waste management in India is receiving greater attention due to recent regulations (the Biomedical Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998). The prevailing situation is analysed covering various issues like quantities and proportion of different constituents of wastes, handling, treatment and disposal methods in various health-care units (HCUs). The waste generation rate ranges between 0.5 and 2.0 kg bed-1 day-1. It is estimated that annually about 0.33 million tonnes of waste are generated in India. The solid waste from the hospitals consists of bandages, linen and other infectious waste (30-35%), plastics (7-10%), disposable syringes (0.3-0.5%), glass (3-5%) and other general wastes including food (40-45%). In general, the wastes are collected in a mixed form, transported and disposed of along with municipal solid wastes. At many places, authorities are failing to install appropriate systems for a variety of reasons, such as non-availability of appropriate technologies, inadequate financial resources and absence of professional training on waste management. Hazards associated with health-care waste management and shortcomings in the existing system are identified. The rules for management and handling of biomedical wastes are summarised, giving the categories of different wastes, suggested storage containers including colour-coding and treatment options. Existing and proposed systems of health-care waste management are described. A waste-management plan for health-care establishments is also proposed, which includes institutional arrangements, appropriate technologies, operational plans, financial management and the drawing up of appropriate staff training programmes.

  6. Long-term Morbidity of Testicular Cancer Treatment.

    PubMed

    Fung, Chunkit; Fossa, Sophie D; Williams, Annalynn; Travis, Lois B

    2015-08-01

    Second malignant neoplasms, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and ototoxicity, pulmonary complications, hypogonadism, and nephrotoxicity are potentially life-threatening long-term complications of testicular cancer and its therapy. This article describes the pathogenesis, risks, and management of these late effects experienced by long-term testicular cancer survivors, who are defined as individuals who are disease free 5 years or more after primary treatment. Testicular cancer survivors should follow applicable national guidelines for cancer screening and management of cardiovascular disease risk factors. In addition, health care providers should capitalize on the time of cancer diagnosis as a teachable moment to introduce and promote lifestyle changes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Legacy phosphorus accumulation and management in the global context: insights from long-term analysis of major river basins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powers, S. M.; Burt, T. P.; Chan, N. I.; Elser, J. J.; Haygarth, P. M.; Howden, N. J. K.; Jarvie, H. P.; Peterson, H. M.; Shen, J.; Worrall, F.; Sharpley, A. N.

    2014-12-01

    Phosphorus (P) is closely linked to major societal concerns including food security and water quality, and human activities strongly control the modern global P cycle. Current knowledge of the P cycle includes many insights about relatively short-term processes, but a long-term and landscape-level view may be needed to understand P status and optimize P management towards P sustainability. We reconstructed long-term (>40 years) P mass balances and rates of P accumulation in three major river basins where excess P pollution is demanding improvements in P management at local, national, and international levels. We focus on: Maumee River Basin, a major source of agricultural P to Lake Erie, the southernmost and shallowest of the Laurentian Great Lakes; Thames River Basin, where fluxes of effluent P from the London, England metropolitan area have declined following improvements in wastewater treatment; Yangtze (Changjiang) River Basin, the largest in China, which is undergoing rapid economic development. The Maumee and Thames are intensively monitored, and show long-term declines in basin P inputs that represent a step towards P sustainability. However, river P outputs have been slower to decline, consistent with the hypothesis that legacy P is mobilizing from soils or from within the river network. Published data on the Yangtze indicate the P flux from land to water has clearly increased with industrialization and population growth. Historical trajectories of P accumulation and depletion in major river basins are providing new understanding about the long-term impacts of P management, including watershed P legacies and response times, that may inform future policy towards local, national, and global P sustainability.

  8. Acute kidney injury and disease: Long-Term consequences and management.

    PubMed

    Rangaswamy, Dharshan; Sud, Kamal

    2018-05-27

    With increasing longevity and presence of multiple co-morbidities, a significant proportion of hospitalized patients and an even larger population in the community is at increased risk for developing an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI). Because of improvements in short term outcomes following an episode of AKI, survivors of an episode of AKI are now predisposed to develop its long-term sequel. Identification of risk for progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complicated by the absence of good biomarkers that identify this risk and the variability of risk associated with clinical factors including, but not limited to number of AKI episodes, severity, duration of previous AKI and pre-existing chronic kidney disease that has made prediction for long-term outcomes in survivors of AKI more difficult. Being a significant contributor for the growing incidence of CKD, there is a need to implement measures to prevent AKI both in the community and hospital settings, target interventions to treat AKI that are also associated with better long-term outcomes, accurately identify patients at risk for adverse consequences following an episode of AKI and institute therapeutic strategies to improve these long-term outcomes. We discuss the lasting renal and non-renal consequences following an episode of AKI, available biomarkers and non-invasive testing to identify ongoing intra-renal pathology and review the currently available and future treatment strategies to help reduce these adverse long-term outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  9. Who owns the long term? Perspectives from global business leaders.

    PubMed

    Lévy, Maurice; Eskew, Mike; Bernotat, Wulf H; Barner, Marianne

    2007-01-01

    Day-to-day management is challenging enough for CEOs. How do they manage for the long term as well? We posed that question to four top executives of global companies. According to Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, building the future is really about building the present and keeping close to the front line--those who deal with your customers and markets. He also attributes his company's success in large part to knowing when to take action: In a market where clients' needs steer your long-term future, timing is everything. UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew emphasizes staying true to your vision and values over the long run, despite meeting obstacles along the way. It took more than 20 years, and many lessons learned, to produce consistent profits in what is today the company's fastest-growing and most profitable business: international small packages. Wulf H. Bernotat, CEO of E.ON, examines the challenges facing business leaders and politicians as they try to balance energy needs against potential environmental damage. He calls for educating people about consumption and waste, and he maintains that a diverse and reliable mix of energy sources is the only way to ensure a secure supply while protecting our environment. Finally, Marianne Barner, the director of corporate communications and ombudsman for children's issues at IKEA, discusses how the company is taking steps to improve the environment and be otherwise socially responsible. For example, it's partnering with NGOs to address child labor issues and, on its own, is working to help mitigate climate change. IKEA's goals include using renewable sources for 100% of its energy needs and cutting its overall energy consumption by 25%.

  10. Initiating Long-Term Soil Productivity Research in Missouri

    Treesearch

    Felix Ponder

    1997-01-01

    Management practices necessary for sustaining long-term soil productivity (LTSP) afforest lands are being defined from a network of coordinated, long-term experiments established in vartous ecosystems across the United States and British Columbia according to the same basic study plan. The study was established in the Ozark Region of southeastem Missouri in Shannon...

  11. Are we missing the boat? Current uses of long-term biological monitoring data in the evaluation and management of marine protected areas.

    PubMed

    Addison, P F E; Flander, L B; Cook, C N

    2015-02-01

    Protected area management agencies are increasingly using management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) to better understand, learn from and improve conservation efforts around the globe. Outcome assessment is the final stage of MEE, where conservation outcomes are measured to determine whether management objectives are being achieved. When quantitative monitoring data are available, best-practice examples of outcome assessments demonstrate that data should be assessed against quantitative condition categories. Such assessments enable more transparent and repeatable integration of monitoring data into MEE, which can promote evidence-based management and improve public accountability and reporting. We interviewed key informants from marine protected area (MPA) management agencies to investigate how scientific data sources, especially long-term biological monitoring data, are currently informing conservation management. Our study revealed that even when long-term monitoring results are available, management agencies are not using them for quantitative condition assessment in MEE. Instead, many agencies conduct qualitative condition assessments, where monitoring results are interpreted using expert judgment only. Whilst we found substantial evidence for the use of long-term monitoring data in the evidence-based management of MPAs, MEE is rarely the sole mechanism that facilitates the knowledge transfer of scientific evidence to management action. This suggests that the first goal of MEE (to enable environmental accountability and reporting) is being achieved, but the second and arguably more important goal of facilitating evidence-based management is not. Given that many MEE approaches are in their infancy, recommendations are made to assist management agencies realize the full potential of long-term quantitative monitoring data for protected area evaluation and evidence-based management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Testing a Model of Self-Management of Fluid Intake in Community-Residing Long-Term Indwelling Urinary Catheter Users

    PubMed Central

    Wilde, Mary H.; Crean, Hugh F.; McMahon, James M.; McDonald, Margaret V.; Tang, Wan; Brasch, Judith; Fairbanks, Eileen; Shah, Shivani; Zhang, Feng

    2015-01-01

    Background Urinary tract infection and blockage are serious and recurrent challenges for people with long-term indwelling catheters, and these catheter problems cause worry and anxiety when they disrupt normal daily activities. Objectives The goal was to determine whether urinary catheter-related self-management behaviors focusing on fluid intake would mediate fluid intake related self-efficacy toward decreasing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and/or catheter blockage. Method The sample involved data collected from 180 adult community-living, long-term indwelling urinary catheter users. The authors tested a model of fluid intake self-management (F-SMG) related to fluid intake self-efficacy (F-SE) for key outcomes of CAUTI and blockage. To account for the large number of zeros in both outcomes, a zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) structural equation model was tested. Results Structurally, F-SE was positively associated with F-SMG, suggesting that higher F-SE predicts more (higher) F-SMG; however, F-SMG was not associated with either the frequency of CAUTI’s or the presence or absence of CAUTI. F-SE was positively related to F-SMG and F-SMG predicted less frequency of catheter blockage, but neither F-SE nor F-SMG predicted the presence or absence of blockage. Discussion Further research is needed to better understand determinants of CAUTI in long-term catheter users and factors which might influence or prevent its occurrence. Increased confidence (self-efficacy) and self-management behaviors to promote fluid intake could be of value in long-term urinary catheter users to decrease catheter blockage. PMID:26938358

  13. Challenges in disposing of anthrax waste.

    PubMed

    Lesperance, Ann M; Stein, Steve; Upton, Jaki F; Toomey, Chris

    2011-09-01

    Disasters often create large amounts of waste that must be managed as part of both immediate response and long-term recovery. While many federal, state, and local agencies have debris management plans, these plans often do not address chemical, biological, and radiological contamination. The Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration's (IBRD) purpose was to holistically assess all aspects of an anthrax incident and assist in the development of a plan for long-term recovery. In the case of wide-area anthrax contamination and the follow-on response and recovery activities, a significant amount of material would require decontamination and disposal. Accordingly, IBRD facilitated the development of debris management plans to address contaminated waste through a series of interviews and workshops with local, state, and federal representatives. The outcome of these discussions was the identification of 3 primary topical areas that must be addressed: planning, unresolved research questions, and resolving regulatory issues.

  14. Requirements Development Issues for Advanced Life Support Systems: Solid Waste Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levri, Julie A.; Fisher, John W.; Alazraki, Michael P.; Hogan, John A.

    2002-01-01

    Long duration missions pose substantial new challenges for solid waste management in Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems. These possibly include storing large volumes of waste material in a safe manner, rendering wastes stable or sterilized for extended periods of time, and/or processing wastes for recovery of vital resources. This is further complicated because future missions remain ill-defined with respect to waste stream quantity, composition and generation schedule. Without definitive knowledge of this information, development of requirements is hampered. Additionally, even if waste streams were well characterized, other operational and processing needs require clarification (e.g. resource recovery requirements, planetary protection constraints). Therefore, the development of solid waste management (SWM) subsystem requirements for long duration space missions is an inherently uncertain, complex and iterative process. The intent of this paper is to address some of the difficulties in writing requirements for missions that are not completely defined. This paper discusses an approach and motivation for ALS SWM requirements development, the characteristics of effective requirements, and the presence of those characteristics in requirements that are developed for uncertain missions. Associated drivers for life support system technological capability are also presented. A general means of requirements forecasting is discussed, including successive modification of requirements and the need to consider requirements integration among subsystems.

  15. Modeling Cd and Cu mobility in soils amended by long-term urban waste compost applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filipović, Vilim; Cambier, Philippe; Matijević, Lana; Coquet, Yves; Pot, Valérie; Houot, Sabine; Benoit, Pierre

    2016-04-01

    Urban waste compost application to soil is an effective way for organic waste disposal and at the same time may have a positive effect on various soil rhizosphere processes. However, long term applications of organic waste amendments may lead to a noteworthy accumulation of micropollutants in soil. The long-term field experiment QualiAgro, an INRA-Veolia partnership (https://www6.inra.fr/qualiagro_eng/), has been conducted since 1998 with the objectives to characterize the agronomic value of urban composts and the environmental impacts of their application. Numerical modeling was performed using HYDRUS-2D to estimate the movement of Cd and Cu from compost incroporation in the tilled layer. Experimental plots regularly amended with co-compost of sewage sludge and green wastes (SGW), or a municipal solid waste compost (MSW) have been compared to control plot without any organic amendment (CONT). Field site was equipped with wicks lysimeters, TDR probes and tensiometers in order to determine water balance and trace metal concentrations during a 6 years' time period (2004-2010). In the tilled layer different structures (Δ - compacted clods, Γ - macroporous zone, IF - interfurrows, PP - plough pan) corresponding to the tillage and compost incorporation were delimited and reproduced in a 2-D model. The increase of Cd and Cu concentrations due to each compost addition was assumed to be located in IFs for further modeling. Four compost additions were performed during 2004-2010 period which increased the Cd and Cu concentrations in the IF zones considerably. After successful model description of water flow in highly heterogeneous soil profiles, Cd and Cu were added into the model and their fate was simulated during the same time period. Two approaches were followed to estimate plausible trace metals sorption coefficients (Kd), both while assuming equilibrium between dissolved and EDTA-extractable metals. The first approach was based on Kd estimated from ratios between

  16. Laboratory Waste Management. A Guidebook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.

    A primary goal of the American Chemical Society Task Force on Laboratory Waste Management is to provide laboratories with the information necessary to develop effective strategies and training programs for managing laboratory wastes. This book is intended to present a fresh look at waste management from the laboratory perspective, considering both…

  17. Guidelines for screening and management of late and long-term consequences of myeloma and its treatment.

    PubMed

    Snowden, John A; Greenfield, Diana M; Bird, Jennifer M; Boland, Elaine; Bowcock, Stella; Fisher, Abigail; Low, Eric; Morris, Monica; Yong, Kwee; Pratt, Guy

    2017-03-01

    A growing population of long-term survivors of myeloma is now accumulating the 'late effects' not only of myeloma itself, but also of several lines of treatment given throughout the course of the disease. It is thus important to recognise the cumulative burden of the disease and treatment-related toxicity in both the stable and active phases of myeloma, some of which is unlikely to be detected by routine monitoring. We summarise here the evidence for the key late effects in long-term survivors of myeloma, including physical and psychosocial consequences (in Parts 1 and 2 respectively), and recommend the use of late-effects screening protocols in detection and intervention. The early recognition of late effects and effective management strategies should lead to an improvement in the management of myeloma patients, although evidence in this area is currently limited and further research is warranted. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Solid State Characterizations of Long-Term Leached Cast Stone Monoliths

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

    Asmussen, Robert M.; Pearce, Carolyn I.; Parker, Kent E.

    This report describes the results from the solid phase characterization of six Cast Stone monoliths from the extended leach tests recently reported on (Serne et al. 2016),that were selected for characterization using multiple state-of-the-art approaches. The Cast Stone samples investigated were leached for > 590 d in the EPA Method 1315 test then archived for > 390 d in their final leachate. After reporting the long term leach behavior of the monoliths (containing radioactive 99Tc and stable 127I spikes and for original Westsik et al. 2013 fabricated monoliths, 238U), it was suggested that physical changes to the waste forms andmore » a depleting inventory of contaminants of potential concern may mean that effective diffusivity calculations past 63 d should not be used to accurately represent long-term waste form behavior. These novel investigations, in both length of leaching time and application of solid state techniques, provide an initial arsenal of techniques which can be utilized to perform such Cast Stone solid phase characterization work, which in turn can support upcoming performance assessment maintenance. The work was performed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) to characterize several properties of the long- term leached Cast Stone monolith samples.« less

  19. Final environmental impact statement. Management of commercially generated radioactive waste. Volume 3. Public comments hearing board report

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

    Not Available

    1980-10-01

    This EIS analyzes the significant environmental impacts that could occur if various technologies for management and disposal of high-level and transuranic wastes from commercial nuclear power reactors were to be developed and implemented. This EIS will serve as the environmental input for the decision on which technology, or technologies, will be emphasized in further research and development activities in the commercial waste management program. The action proposed in this EIS is to (1) adopt a national strategy to develop mined geologic repositories for disposal of commercially generated high-level and transuranic radioactive waste (while continuing to examine subseabed and very deepmore » hole disposal as potential backup technologies) and (2) conduct a R and D program to develop such facilities and the necessary technology to ensure the safe long-term containment and isolation of these wastes. The Department has considered in this statement: development of conventionally mined deep geologic repositories for disposal of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors and/or radioactive fuel reprocessing wastes; balanced development of several alternative disposal methods; and no waste disposal action. This volume contains written public comments and hearing board responses and reports offered on the draft statement.« less

  20. The management of household hazardous waste in the United Kingdom.

    PubMed

    Slack, R J; Gronow, J R; Voulvoulis, N

    2009-01-01

    Waste legislation in the United Kingdom (UK) implements European Union (EU) Directives and Regulations. However, the term used to refer to hazardous waste generated in household or municipal situations, household hazardous waste (HHW), does not occur in UK, or EU, legislation. The EU's Hazardous Waste Directive and European Waste Catalogue are the principal legislation influencing HHW, although the waste categories described are difficult to interpret. Other legislation also have impacts on HHW definition and disposal, some of which will alter current HHW disposal practices, leading to a variety of potential consequences. This paper discusses the issues affecting the management of HHW in the UK, including the apparent absence of a HHW-specific regulatory structure. Policy and regulatory measures that influence HHW management before disposal and after disposal are considered, with particular emphasis placed on disposal to landfill.

  1. Use of short-term (5-Minute) and long-term (18-Hour) leaching tests to characterize, fingerprint, and rank mine-waste material from historical mines in the Deer Creek, Snake River, and Clear Creek Watersheds in and around the Montezuma Mining District, Colorado

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hageman, Philip L.

    2004-01-01

    Precipitation-induced runoff from historical mine-waste located adjacent to the headwaters of the Snake River, Deer Creek, Saints John Creek, Grizzly Gulch, Stevens Gulch, and Leavenworth Creek contributes to the degradation of water quality in these streams. Because historical mine-waste piles have had long-term exposure to the atmosphere, it is surmised that runoff from these piles, induced by meteorological events such as cloudbursts and snowmelt, may cause mobility of acid and metals into a watershed due to dissolution of soluble minerals. For this study, 13 mine-waste composite samples from various mine-wastes in these drainage basins were leached using both a short-term and a long-term leach test. Analytical results from this combination of leach tests are tools that allow the investigator to quantify (fingerprint) which geochemical components could be expected in runoff from these piles if they were leached by a cloudburst (5-minute leach test), as well as what the ?worst-case? geochemical profile would look like if the material were subject to extended leaching and breakdown of the mine-waste material (18-hour leach test). Also, this combination of leach tests allows the geoscientist the ability to see geochemical changes in the mine-waste leachate over time. That is, does the leachate become more or less acidic over time; does the specific conductance increase or decrease; and are there changes in the concentrations of major or trace elements? Further, use of a ranking scheme described herein will aid in prediction of which historical mine-waste piles have the greatest potential for impact on a watershed should runoff occur. Because of long-term weathering of these historical mine-waste piles, geochemical profiles, leachate time-trends, and relative ranking of the mine-wastes produced from analysis of the leachates are Hageman_SIR_2508.doc 1 7/21/2004 2:50 PM indicative of how the mine-waste piles can be expected to act in the environment and may help to

  2. Sustainable solutions for solid waste management in Southeast Asian countries.

    PubMed

    Ngoc, Uyen Nguyen; Schnitzer, Hans

    2009-06-01

    Human activities generate waste and the amounts tend to increase as the demand for quality of life increases. Today's rate in the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEANs) is alarming, posing a challenge to governments regarding environmental pollution in the recent years. The expectation is that eventually waste treatment and waste prevention approaches will develop towards sustainable waste management solutions. This expectation is for instance reflected in the term 'zero emission systems'. The concept of zero emissions can be applied successfully with today's technical possibilities in the agro-based processing industry. First, the state-of-the-art of waste management in Southeast Asian countries will be outlined in this paper, followed by waste generation rates, sources, and composition, as well as future trends of waste. Further on, solutions for solid waste management will be reviewed in the discussions of sustainable waste management. The paper emphasizes the concept of waste prevention through utilization of all wastes as process inputs, leading to the possibility of creating an ecosystem in a loop of materials. Also, a case study, focusing on the citrus processing industry, is displayed to illustrate the application of the aggregated material input-output model in a widespread processing industry in ASEAN. The model can be shown as a closed cluster, which permits an identification of opportunities for reducing environmental impacts at the process level in the food processing industry. Throughout the discussion in this paper, the utilization of renewable energy and economic aspects are considered to adapt to environmental and economic issues and the aim of eco-efficiency. Additionally, the opportunities and constraints of waste management will be discussed.

  3. Sustainable solutions for solid waste management in Southeast Asian countries

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

    Uyen Nguyen Ngoc; Schnitzer, Hans

    2009-06-15

    Human activities generate waste and the amounts tend to increase as the demand for quality of life increases. Today's rate in the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEANs) is alarming, posing a challenge to governments regarding environmental pollution in the recent years. The expectation is that eventually waste treatment and waste prevention approaches will develop towards sustainable waste management solutions. This expectation is for instance reflected in the term 'zero emission systems'. The concept of zero emissions can be applied successfully with today's technical possibilities in the agro-based processing industry. First, the state-of-the-art of waste management in Southeast Asian countries will bemore » outlined in this paper, followed by waste generation rates, sources, and composition, as well as future trends of waste. Further on, solutions for solid waste management will be reviewed in the discussions of sustainable waste management. The paper emphasizes the concept of waste prevention through utilization of all wastes as process inputs, leading to the possibility of creating an ecosystem in a loop of materials. Also, a case study, focusing on the citrus processing industry, is displayed to illustrate the application of the aggregated material input-output model in a widespread processing industry in ASEAN. The model can be shown as a closed cluster, which permits an identification of opportunities for reducing environmental impacts at the process level in the food processing industry. Throughout the discussion in this paper, the utilization of renewable energy and economic aspects are considered to adapt to environmental and economic issues and the aim of eco-efficiency. Additionally, the opportunities and constraints of waste management will be discussed.« less

  4. Possible global environmental impacts of solid waste practices

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

    Davis, M.M.; Holter, G.M.; DeForest, T.J.

    1994-09-01

    Pollutants resulting from the management of solid waste have been shown to affect the air, land, oceans, and waterways. In addition, solid wastes have other, more indirect impacts such as reduction in feedstocks of natural resources, because useful materials are disposed of rather than recycled. The objective of this study is to evaluate solid waste management practices that have negative implications on the global environment and develop recommendations for reducing such impacts. Recommendations identifying needed changes are identified that will reduce global impacts of solid waste practices in the future. The scope of this study includes the range of non-hazardousmore » solid wastes produced within our society, including municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste (ISW), as well as industry-specific wastes from activities such as construction, demolition, and landclearing. Most solid waste management decisions continue to be made and implemented at very local levels, predominantly with a short-term focus to respond to relatively immediate pressures of landfill shortages, funding problems, political considerations, and the like. In this rush to address immediate local problems, little consideration is being given to potential impacts, either short- or long-term, at the national or global level resulting from solid waste management practices. More and more, the cumulative impacts from local decisions concerning solid waste management are beginning to manifest themselves in broader, longer-term impacts than are being addressed by the decision-makers or, at the very least, are presenting a greater and greater potential for such impacts.« less

  5. Effects of biochars produced from solid organic municipal waste on soil quality parameters

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    New, value-added uses for solid organic waste are needed for environmental and economic sustainability. Fortunately, value-added biochars can be produced from mixed organic solid waste, thereby addressing solid waste management issues, and enabling long-term carbon sequestration. We hypothesize that...

  6. Space ventures and society long-term perspectives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, W. M.

    1985-01-01

    A futuristic evaluation of mankind's potential long term future in space is presented. Progress in space will not be inhibited by shortages of the Earth's physical resources, since long term economic growth will be focused on ways to constrain industrial productivity by changing social values, management styles, or government competence. Future technological progress is likely to accelerate with an emphasis on international cooperation, making possible such large joint projects as lunar colonies or space stations on Mars. The long term future in space looks exceedingly bright even in relatively pessimistic scenarios. The principal driving forces will be technological progress, commercial and public-oriented satellites, space industrialization, space travel, and eventually space colonization.

  7. Soil aggregation and aggregating agents as affected by long term contrasting management of an Anthrosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Shulan; Wang, Renjie; Yang, Xueyun; Sun, Benhua; Li, Qinghui

    2016-12-01

    Soil aggregation was studied in a 21-year experiment conducted on an Anthrosol. The soil management regimes consisted of cropland abandonment, bare fallow without vegetation and cropping system. The cropping system was combined with the following nutrient management treatments: control (CONTROL, no nutrient input); nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK); straw plus NPK (SNPK); and manure (M) plus NPK (MNPK). Compared with the CONTROL treatment, the abandonment treatment significantly increased the formation of large soil macroaggregates (>2 mm) and consequently improved the stability of aggregates in the surface soil layer due to enhancement of hyphal length and of soil organic matter content. However, in response to long-term bare fallow treatment aggregate stability was low, as were the levels of aggregating agents. Long term fertilization significantly redistributed macroaggregates; this could be mainly ascribed to soil organic matter contributing to the formation of 0.5-2 mm classes of aggregates and a decrease in the formation of the >2 mm class of aggregates, especially in the MNPK treatment. Overall, hyphae represented a major aggregating agent in both of the systems tested, while soil organic compounds played significantly different roles in stabilizing aggregates in Anthrosol when the cropping system and the soil management regimes were compared.

  8. Soil aggregation and aggregating agents as affected by long term contrasting management of an Anthrosol

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Shulan; Wang, Renjie; Yang, Xueyun; Sun, Benhua; Li, Qinghui

    2016-01-01

    Soil aggregation was studied in a 21-year experiment conducted on an Anthrosol. The soil management regimes consisted of cropland abandonment, bare fallow without vegetation and cropping system. The cropping system was combined with the following nutrient management treatments: control (CONTROL, no nutrient input); nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK); straw plus NPK (SNPK); and manure (M) plus NPK (MNPK). Compared with the CONTROL treatment, the abandonment treatment significantly increased the formation of large soil macroaggregates (>2 mm) and consequently improved the stability of aggregates in the surface soil layer due to enhancement of hyphal length and of soil organic matter content. However, in response to long-term bare fallow treatment aggregate stability was low, as were the levels of aggregating agents. Long term fertilization significantly redistributed macroaggregates; this could be mainly ascribed to soil organic matter contributing to the formation of 0.5–2 mm classes of aggregates and a decrease in the formation of the >2 mm class of aggregates, especially in the MNPK treatment. Overall, hyphae represented a major aggregating agent in both of the systems tested, while soil organic compounds played significantly different roles in stabilizing aggregates in Anthrosol when the cropping system and the soil management regimes were compared. PMID:27958366

  9. Implementation of a Diabetes Management Flow Sheet in a Long-Term Care Setting.

    PubMed

    Williams, Evelyn; Curtis, Ashley

    2015-08-01

    Physicians lack clear guidance about adaptation of clinical practice guidelines for elderly institutionalized patients with diabetes. In a large long-term care facility, a diabetes management flow sheet was trialed to determine which clinical parameters were found useful by clinicians in the management of diabetes in that setting. Clinical practice guidelines for diabetes management were reviewed with attending physicians. Diabetes management flow sheets were distributed for all patients coded as having diabetes on their most recent minimum data sets. After a period of 14 months, flow sheet completion rates were ascertained and physicians were surveyed regarding the utility of the flow sheet. Initial flow sheet data were completed in full or in part for only 57% of the 121 study subjects; 39% of the subjects died within 14 months. Quarterly follow-up data were completed for 58% of the flow sheets. The diabetes management flow sheet was not found to be useful by attending physicians as a chronic-disease management tool. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Integrated Waste Tracking System - A Flexible Waste Management Tool

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

    Anderson, Robert Stephen

    2001-02-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has fully embraced a flexible, computer-based tool to help increase waste management efficiency and integrate multiple operational functions from waste generation through waste disposition while reducing cost. The Integrated Waste Tracking System (IWTS)provides comprehensive information management for containerized waste during generation,storage, treatment, transport, and disposal. The IWTS provides all information necessary for facilities to properly manage and demonstrate regulatory compliance. As a platformindependent, client-server and Web-based inventory and compliance system, the IWTS has proven to be a successful tracking, characterization, compliance, and reporting tool that meets themore » needs of both operations and management while providing a high level of management flexibility.« less

  11. Compaction of Space Mission Wastes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, John; Pisharody, Suresh; Wignarajah, K.

    2004-01-01

    The current solid waste management system employed on the International Space Station (ISS) consists of compaction, storage, and disposal. Wastes such plastic food packaging and trash are compacted manually and wrapped in duct tape footballs by the astronauts. Much of the waste is simply loaded either into the empty Russian Progress vehicle for destruction on reentry or into Shuttle for return to Earth. This manual method is wasteful of crew time and does not transition well to far term missions. Different wastes onboard spacecraft vary considerably in their characteristics and in the appropriate method of management. In advanced life support systems for far term missions, recovery of resources such as water from the wastes becomes important. However waste such as plastic food packaging, which constitutes a large fraction of solid waste (roughly 21% on ISS, more on long duration missions), contains minimal recoverable resource. The appropriate management of plastic waste is waste stabilization and volume minimization rather than resource recovery. This paper describes work that has begun at Ames Research Center on development of a heat melt compactor that can be used on near term and future missions, that can minimize crew interaction, and that can handle wastes with a significant plastic composition. The heat melt compactor takes advantage of the low melting point of plastics to compact plastic materials using a combination of heat and pressure. The US Navy has demonstrated successful development of a similar unit for shipboard application. Ames is building upon the basic approach demonstrated by the Navy to develop an advanced heat melt type compactor for space mission type wastes.

  12. Mixed waste management options

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

    Owens, C.B.; Kirner, N.P.

    1991-12-31

    Disposal fees for mixed waste at proposed commercial disposal sites have been estimated to be $15,000 to $40,000 per cubit foot. If such high disposal fees are imposed, generators may be willing to apply extraordinary treatment or regulatory approaches to properly dispose of their mixed waste. This paper explores the feasibility of several waste management scenarios and attempts to answer the question: Can mixed waste be managed out of existence? Existing data on commercially generated mixed waste streams are used to identify the realm of mixed waste known to be generated. Each waste stream is evaluated from both a regulatorymore » and technical perspective in order to convert the waste into a strictly low-level radioactive or a hazardous waste. Alternative regulatory approaches evaluated in this paper include a delisting petition, no migration petition, and a treatability variance. For each waste stream, potentially available treatment options are identified that could lead to these variances. Waste minimization methodology and storage for decay are also considered. Economic feasibility of each option is discussed broadly.« less

  13. Radioactive Waste Management - It's Role in contributing and achieving Sustainability. R1.13 The French strategy of waste management: technical and political dimensions of sustainability

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

    Bazile, F.

    2007-07-01

    The sustainability of an energy policy depends on the manner in which it satisfies environmental, economical and social requirements. Nuclear energy is not an exception. The objectives of the future nuclear systems, as defined in the Generation IV International Forum, tend to optimize the ability of nuclear energy to satisfy sustainable development goals. In this regard, they involve strong commitments concerning waste management policy : five designs in six are based on a closed fuel cycle, in order to minimize the volume and radiotoxicity of final waste, and to recycle the fissile materials to save natural resources. Since its beginnings,more » the French civil nuclear programme has considered a long-term perspective and has developed spent fuel reprocessing. The French current industrial technology has already permitted to recycle 96% of spent fuel materials, to save 30% of natural resources, to reduce by 5 the amount of waste and to reduce by 10 the waste radiotoxicity, all these benefits for less than 6% of the kWh total cost. This strategy has always been criticized by the nuclear opponents, precisely because they saw that it was a sustainable way, and didn't accept to consider nuclear energy as a sustainable source of power. Two arguments were put forward these criticisms. First, the cost of reprocessing versus once-through cycle and second, the risk of proliferation induced by U-Pu partitioning process. These arguments were also invoked in international debates, and they have also been pleaded by the anti-nukes during the National Debate on HLLLW, at the end of 2005, preceding the vote of a new law in 2006 by the French parliament. Fortunately they have not convinced public opinion in France nor political decision-makers. A majority of people with no regard to technical background understand that recycling and saving the natural resources are sustainable principles. And, from a technical point of view, the 6% over cost does not seem significant

  14. Interval linear programming model for long-term planning of vehicle recycling in the Republic of Serbia under uncertainty.

    PubMed

    Simic, Vladimir; Dimitrijevic, Branka

    2015-02-01

    An interval linear programming approach is used to formulate and comprehensively test a model for optimal long-term planning of vehicle recycling in the Republic of Serbia. The proposed model is applied to a numerical case study: a 4-year planning horizon (2013-2016) is considered, three legislative cases and three scrap metal price trends are analysed, availability of final destinations for sorted waste flows is explored. Potential and applicability of the developed model are fully illustrated. Detailed insights on profitability and eco-efficiency of the projected contemporary equipped vehicle recycling factory are presented. The influences of the ordinance on the management of end-of-life vehicles in the Republic of Serbia on the vehicle hulks procuring, sorting generated material fractions, sorted waste allocation and sorted metals allocation decisions are thoroughly examined. The validity of the waste management strategy for the period 2010-2019 is tested. The formulated model can create optimal plans for procuring vehicle hulks, sorting generated material fractions, allocating sorted waste flows and allocating sorted metals. Obtained results are valuable for supporting the construction and/or modernisation process of a vehicle recycling system in the Republic of Serbia. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps to Support Young People's Management of Their Physical Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review Protocol.

    PubMed

    Majeed-Ariss, Rabiya; Hall, Andrew G; McDonagh, Janet; Fallon, Deborah; Swallow, Veronica

    2015-04-07

    The prevalence of long-term or chronic conditions that limit activity and reduce quality of life in young people aged 10-24 years is rising. This group has distinct health care needs and requires tailored support strategies to facilitate increasing personal responsibility for the management of their condition wherever possible, as they mature. Mobile phone and tablet mobile technologies featuring software program apps are already well used by young people for social networking or gaming. They have also been utilized in health care to support personal condition management, using condition-specific and patient-tailored software. Such apps have much potential, and there is an emerging body of literature on their use in a health context making this review timely. The objective of this paper is to develop a systematic review protocol focused on identifying and assessing the effectiveness of mobile phone and tablet apps that support young people's management of their chronic conditions. The search strategy will include a combination of standardized indexed search terms and free-text terms related to the key concepts of young people; long-term conditions and mobile technology. Peer-reviewed journal articles published from 2003 that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be identified through searching the generated hits from 5 bibliographical databases. Two independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts to determine which articles focus on testing interventions identified as a mobile phone or tablet apps, and that have been designed and delivered to support the management of long-term conditions in young people aged 10-24 years. Data extraction and quality assessment tools will be used to facilitate consistent analysis and synthesis. It is anticipated that several studies will meet the selection criteria but that these are likely to be heterogeneous in terms of study design, reported outcomes, follow-up times, participants' age, and health condition

  16. Sustainable Materials Management: Non-Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Hierarchy

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA developed the non-hazardous materials and waste management hierarchy in recognition that no single waste management approach is suitable for managing all materials and waste streams in all circumstances.

  17. Challenges in Disposing of Anthrax Waste

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

    Lesperance, Ann M.; Stein, Steven L.; Upton, Jaki F.

    2011-09-01

    Disasters often create large amounts of waste that must be managed as part of both immediate response and long-term recovery. While many federal, state, and local agencies have debris management plans, these plans often do not address chemical, biological, and radiological contamination. The Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration’s (IBRD) purpose was to holistically assess all aspects of an anthrax incident and assist the development of a plan for long-term recovery. In the case of wide-area anthrax contamination and the follow-on response and recovery activities, a significant amount of material will require decontamination and disposal. Accordingly, IBRD facilitated the development of debrismore » management plans to address contaminated waste through a series of interviews and workshops with local, state, and federal representatives. The outcome of these discussion was the identification of three primary topical areas that must be addressed: 1) Planning; 2) Unresolved research questions, and resolving regulatory issues.« less

  18. Environmental management of construction and demolition waste in Kuwait.

    PubMed

    Kartam, Nabil; Al-Mutairi, Nayef; Al-Ghusain, Ibrahim; Al-Humoud, Jasem

    2004-01-01

    There is an increasing pressure on the construction industry to reduce costs and improve the quality of our environment. The fact is that both of these goals can be achieved at the same time. Although construction and demolition (C&D) constitutes a major source of waste in terms of volume and weight, its management and recycling efforts have not yet seen the light in Kuwait. This study focuses on recycling efforts leading to the minimization of the total C&D waste that is currently landfilled in Kuwait. This paper presents the current status of C&D waste disposal system in Kuwait and identifies the potential problems to the environment, people and economy. Then, it investigates alternative solutions to manage and control this major type of waste in an economically efficient and environmentally safe manner. Next, the paper describes the feasibility of establishing a C&D waste recycling facility in Kuwait. It concludes by highlighting the major benefits and bottleneck problems with such a recycling facility.

  19. Management and Prevalence of Long-Term Conditions in Primary Health Care for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Compared with the General Population: A Population-Based Cohort Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Sally-Ann; Hughes-McCormack, Laura; Greenlaw, Nicola; McConnachie, Alex; Allan, Linda; Baltzer, Marion; McArthur, Laura; Henderson, Angela; Melville, Craig; McSkimming, Paula; Morrison, Jill

    2018-01-01

    Background: In the UK, general practitioners/family physicians receive pay for performance on management of long-term conditions, according to best-practice indicators. Method: Management of long-term conditions was compared between 721 adults with intellectual disabilities and the general population (n = 764,672). Prevalence of long-term…

  20. Methods for assessing long-term mean pathogen count in drinking water and risk management implications.

    PubMed

    Englehardt, James D; Ashbolt, Nicholas J; Loewenstine, Chad; Gadzinski, Erik R; Ayenu-Prah, Albert Y

    2012-06-01

    Recently pathogen counts in drinking and source waters were shown theoretically to have the discrete Weibull (DW) or closely related discrete growth distribution (DGD). The result was demonstrated versus nine short-term and three simulated long-term water quality datasets. These distributions are highly skewed such that available datasets seldom represent the rare but important high-count events, making estimation of the long-term mean difficult. In the current work the methods, and data record length, required to assess long-term mean microbial count were evaluated by simulation of representative DW and DGD waterborne pathogen count distributions. Also, microbial count data were analyzed spectrally for correlation and cycles. In general, longer data records were required for more highly skewed distributions, conceptually associated with more highly treated water. In particular, 500-1,000 random samples were required for reliable assessment of the population mean ±10%, though 50-100 samples produced an estimate within one log (45%) below. A simple correlated first order model was shown to produce count series with 1/f signal, and such periodicity over many scales was shown in empirical microbial count data, for consideration in sampling. A tiered management strategy is recommended, including a plan for rapid response to unusual levels of routinely-monitored water quality indicators.

  1. Implementation of SAP Waste Management System

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

    Frost, M.L.; LaBorde, C.M.; Nichols, C.D.

    2008-07-01

    The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) assumed responsibility for newly generated waste on October 1, 2005. To ensure effective management and accountability of newly generated waste, Y-12 has opted to utilize SAP, Y-12's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool, to track low-level radioactive waste (LLW), mixed waste (MW), hazardous waste, and non-regulated waste from generation through acceptance and disposal. SAP Waste will include the functionality of the current waste tracking system and integrate with the applicable modules of SAP already in use. The functionality of two legacy systems, the Generator Entry System (GES) and the Waste Information Tracking System (WITS), andmore » peripheral spreadsheets, databases, and e-mail/fax communications will be replaced by SAP Waste. Fundamentally, SAP Waste will promote waste acceptance for certification and disposal, not storage. SAP Waste will provide a one-time data entry location where waste generators can enter waste container information, track the status of their waste, and maintain documentation. A benefit of the new system is that it will provide a single data repository where Y-12's Waste Management organization can establish waste profiles, verify and validate data, maintain inventory control utilizing hand-held data transfer devices, schedule and ship waste, manage project accounting, and report on waste handling activities. This single data repository will facilitate the production of detailed waste generation reports for use in forecasting and budgeting, provide the data for required regulatory reports, and generate metrics to evaluate the performance of the Waste Management organization and its subcontractors. SAP Waste will replace the outdated and expensive legacy system, establish tools the site needs to manage newly generated waste, and optimize the use of the site's ERP tool for integration with related business processes while promoting disposition of waste. (authors)« less

  2. Managing hyperkalemia in high-risk patients in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Rajeev; Kanev, Leo; Woods, Steven D; Brenner, Melanie; Smith, Bernie

    2017-02-01

    Hyperkalemia is common among elderly patients and is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. Patients at highest risk for developing hyperkalemia are those with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF), particularly those on guideline-recommended inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Hyperkalemia remains a challenge for clinicians practicing in the long-term care setting as they are often faced with the difficult decision of down-titrating or discontinuing RAAS inhibitors in response to hyperkalemia in the very patients who derive the greatest benefit from these agents. In the past, options to chronically manage hyperkalemia were limited. Patiromer was approved for the treatment of hyperkalemia in 2015 and has been shown to maintain normokalemia for up to 52 weeks in patients with CKD and/or HF on RAAS inhibitors. With the emergence of a new hyperkalemia treatment, there could be a paradigm shift away from the discontinuation of guideline recommended therapies, allowing the continuation of RAAS inhibitor therapy to effectively manage HF symptoms and reduce the risk of rehospitalization in patients with HF, and slow the progression to end-stage renal disease in patients with CKD.

  3. Understanding the role of waste prevention in local waste management: A literature review.

    PubMed

    Zacho, Kristina O; Mosgaard, Mette A

    2016-10-01

    Local waste management has so far been characterised by end-of-pipe solutions, landfilling, incineration, and recycling. End-of-pipe solutions build on a different mind-set than life cycle-based approaches, and for this reason, local waste managers are reluctant to consider strategies for waste prevention. To accelerate the transition of waste and resource management towards a more integrated management, waste prevention needs to play a larger role in the local waste management. In this review article, we collect knowledge from the scientific community on waste prevention of relevance to local waste management. We analyse the trends in the waste prevention literature by organising the literature into four categories. The results indicate an increasing interest in waste prevention, but not much literature specifically concerns the integration of prevention into the local waste management. However, evidence from the literature can inform local waste management on the prevention potential; the environmental and social effects of prevention; how individuals in households can be motivated to reduce waste; and how the effects of prevention measures can be monitored. Nevertheless, knowledge is still lacking on local waste prevention, especially regarding the methods for monitoring and how local waste management systems can be designed to encourage waste reduction in the households. We end the article with recommendations for future research. The literature review can be useful for both practitioners in the waste sector and for academics seeking an overview of previous research on waste prevention. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Impact of microbial activity on the radioactive waste disposal: long term prediction of biocorrosion processes.

    PubMed

    Libert, Marie; Schütz, Marta Kerber; Esnault, Loïc; Féron, Damien; Bildstein, Olivier

    2014-06-01

    This study emphasizes different experimental approaches and provides perspectives to apprehend biocorrosion phenomena in the specific disposal environment by investigating microbial activity with regard to the modification of corrosion rate, which in turn can have an impact on the safety of radioactive waste geological disposal. It is found that iron-reducing bacteria are able to use corrosion products such as iron oxides and "dihydrogen" as new energy sources, especially in the disposal environment which contains low amounts of organic matter. Moreover, in the case of sulphate-reducing bacteria, the results show that mixed aerobic and anaerobic conditions are the most hazardous for stainless steel materials, a situation which is likely to occur in the early stage of a geological disposal. Finally, an integrated methodological approach is applied to validate the understanding of the complex processes and to design experiments aiming at the acquisition of kinetic data used in long term predictive modelling of biocorrosion processes. © 2013.

  5. Management of bladder dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome with Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy: long-term follow-up.

    PubMed

    Mozafarpour, Sarah; Kajbafzadeh, Abdol-Mohammad; Mojtahed, Ali; Mojtahed, Mohammad; Mahboubi, Hossein; Shalileh, Keivan

    2015-07-01

    To present the long-term outcomes of appendicovesicostomy using the Mitrofanoff principle for end-stage Wolfram bladder dysfunction as an alternative to clean intermittent self-catheterization (CIC) per urethra mainly following blindness. Twelve Wolfram patients presenting with bilateral hydroureteronephrosis and advanced bladder dysfunction were included in this study. All patients were managed initially by CIC per urethra. All of these patients became blind during follow-up and were unable to perform urethral CIC independently. Out of these patients, six patients agreed to proceed to appendicovesicostomy. Appendicovesicostomy urinary diversion using the Mitrofanoff principle was performed in these six blind patients. The rest of the patients stopped CIC or performed CIC irregularly. Severe hydroureteronephrosis and large bladders were found in all patients prior to intervention. All patients were able to conduct CIC independently through the stoma and maintained overnight bladder free drainage. In all patients with urinary diversion and CIC, the hydroureteronephrosis was reduced and renal function returned to normal. However, the non-intervention group ended with different degrees of progressive renal failure with three mortalities during the follow-up. We suggest appendicovesicostomy as a safe and lifesaving procedure for long-term management of bladder dysfunction in Wolfram syndrome particularly after progression to blindness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Long-term data archiving

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

    Moore, David Steven

    2009-01-01

    Long term data archiving has much value for chemists, not only to retain access to research and product development records, but also to enable new developments and new discoveries. There are some recent regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA 21 CFR Part 11), but good science and good business both benefit regardless. A particular example of the benefits of and need for long term data archiving is the management of data from spectroscopic laboratory instruments. The sheer amount of spectroscopic data is increasing at a scary rate, and the pressures to archive come from the expense to create the data (or recreatemore » it if it is lost) as well as its high information content. The goal of long-term data archiving is to save and organize instrument data files as well as any needed meta data (such as sample ID, LIMS information, operator, date, time, instrument conditions, sample type, excitation details, environmental parameters, etc.). This editorial explores the issues involved in long-term data archiving using the example of Raman spectral databases. There are at present several such databases, including common data format libraries and proprietary libraries. However, such databases and libraries should ultimately satisfy stringent criteria for long term data archiving, including readability for long times into the future, robustness to changes in computer hardware and operating systems, and use of public domain data formats. The latter criterion implies the data format should be platform independent and the tools to create the data format should be easily and publicly obtainable or developable. Several examples of attempts at spectral libraries exist, such as the ASTM ANDI format, and the JCAMP-DX format. On the other hand, proprietary library spectra can be exchanged and manipulated using proprietary tools. As the above examples have deficiencies according to the three long term data archiving criteria, Extensible Markup Language (XML; a product of the World Wide

  7. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  8. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  9. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  10. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  11. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  12. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  13. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  14. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  15. Toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones, and a waste management policy integrating consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities

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

    Lim, Seong-Rin; Schoenung, Julie M., E-mail: jmschoenung@ucdavis.ed

    Cellular phones have high environmental impact potentials because of their heavy metal content and current consumer attitudes toward purchasing new phones with higher functionality and neglecting to return waste phones into proper take-back systems. This study evaluates human health and ecological toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones; highlights consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities for effective waste management; and identifies key elements needed for an effective waste management strategy. The toxicity potentials are evaluated by using heavy metal content, respective characterization factors, and a pathway and impact model for heavy metals that considers end-of-life disposal in landfills or by incineration. Cancermore » potentials derive primarily from Pb and As; non-cancer potentials primarily from Cu and Pb; and ecotoxicity potentials primarily from Cu and Hg. These results are not completely in agreement with previous work in which leachability thresholds were the metric used to establish priority, thereby indicating the need for multiple or revised metrics. The triple bottom line of consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities is emphasized in terms of consumer attitudes, design for environment (DfE), and establishment and implementation of waste management systems including recycling streams, respectively. The key strategic elements for effective waste management include environmental taxation and a deposit-refund system to motivate consumer responsibility, which is linked and integrated with corporate and government responsibilities. The results of this study can contribute to DfE and waste management policy for cellular phones.« less

  16. Toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones, and a waste management policy integrating consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities.

    PubMed

    Lim, Seong-Rin; Schoenung, Julie M

    2010-01-01

    Cellular phones have high environmental impact potentials because of their heavy metal content and current consumer attitudes toward purchasing new phones with higher functionality and neglecting to return waste phones into proper take-back systems. This study evaluates human health and ecological toxicity potentials from waste cellular phones; highlights consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities for effective waste management; and identifies key elements needed for an effective waste management strategy. The toxicity potentials are evaluated by using heavy metal content, respective characterization factors, and a pathway and impact model for heavy metals that considers end-of-life disposal in landfills or by incineration. Cancer potentials derive primarily from Pb and As; non-cancer potentials primarily from Cu and Pb; and ecotoxicity potentials primarily from Cu and Hg. These results are not completely in agreement with previous work in which leachability thresholds were the metric used to establish priority, thereby indicating the need for multiple or revised metrics. The triple bottom line of consumer, corporate, and government responsibilities is emphasized in terms of consumer attitudes, design for environment (DfE), and establishment and implementation of waste management systems including recycling streams, respectively. The key strategic elements for effective waste management include environmental taxation and a deposit-refund system to motivate consumer responsibility, which is linked and integrated with corporate and government responsibilities. The results of this study can contribute to DfE and waste management policy for cellular phones. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Special Analysis for the Disposal of the Consolidated Edison Uranium Solidification Project Waste Stream at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

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

    NSTec Environmental Management

    2013-01-31

    The purpose of this Special Analysis (SA) is to determine if the Oak Ridge (OR) Consolidated Edison Uranium Solidification Project (CEUSP) uranium-233 (233U) waste stream (DRTK000000050, Revision 0) is acceptable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The CEUSP 233U waste stream requires a special analysis because the concentrations of thorium-229 (229Th), 230Th, 232U, 233U, and 234U exceeded their NNSS Waste Acceptance Criteria action levels. The acceptability of the waste stream is evaluated by determining if performance assessment (PA) modeling provides a reasonable expectation that SLBmore » disposal is protective of human health and the environment. The CEUSP 233U waste stream is a long-lived waste with unique radiological hazards. The SA evaluates the long-term acceptability of the CEUSP 233U waste stream for near-surface disposal as a two tier process. The first tier, which is the usual SA process, uses the approved probabilistic PA model to determine if there is a reasonable expectation that disposal of the CEUSP 233U waste stream can meet the performance objectives of U.S. Department of Energy Manual DOE M 435.1-1, “Radioactive Waste Management,” for a period of 1,000 years (y) after closure. The second tier addresses the acceptability of the OR CEUSP 233U waste stream for near-surface disposal by evaluating long-term site stability and security, by performing extended (i.e., 10,000 and 60,000 y) modeling analyses, and by evaluating the effect of containers and the depth of burial on performance. Tier I results indicate that there is a reasonable expectation of compliance with all performance objectives if the OR CEUSP 233U waste stream is disposed in the Area 5 RWMS SLB disposal units. The maximum mean and 95th percentile PA results are all less than the performance objective for 1,000 y. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis indicates that there is a high

  18. Lack of long-term benefits of a 6-month heart failure disease management program.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Viviane; Ducharme, Anique; White, Michel; Racine, Normand; O'Meara, Eileen; Zhang, Bin; Rouleau, Jean L; Brophy, James

    2007-05-01

    Heart failure (HF) represents a major burden on the health care system, causing repeated hospitalizations and numerous emergency department (ED) visits. In a 6-month randomized study of a multidisciplinary HF clinic, we have previously shown decreased hospital readmissions and improved quality of life. Despite these encouraging results, it is unknown if these beneficial effects are sustained. To assess long-term recurrent ED visits, readmissions, and mortality among HF patients who were discharged after a 6-month intensive HF management program (HFMP). Of the 230 subjects (New York Heart Association Class II-IV) who were initially randomized to standard follow-up care or to a HFMP for 6 months, 190 were studied retrospectively for long-term evaluation. Long-term data was obtained from the Quebec administrative health databases. We compared the intervention and control groups for the number of recurrent ED visits, hospital readmissions, and all-cause deaths. After a mean follow-up of 2.8 +/- 1.7 years, there was no difference in the composite end point of all-cause death, hospital admissions, and ED visits between those patients initially in the HFMP group and the controls. After multivariable adjustment, there was no difference in the composite primary endpoint (HR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.75-1.37) or in the secondary end point of all-cause death alone (HR 1.09, 95%CI:0.69-1.72) between those initially assigned to the HF clinic and those receiving usual care. For severely ill patients, the clinical and resource benefits of a 6-month HFMP are not sustained upon program cessation. Further research into the benefits of long-term HFMP is required.

  19. Comprehensive implementation plan for the DOE defense buried TRU- contaminated waste program

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

    Everette, S.E.; Detamore, J.A.; Raudenbush, M.H.

    1988-02-01

    In 1970, the US Atomic Energy Commission established a transuranic'' (TRU) waste classification. Waste disposed of prior to the decision to retrievably store the waste and which may contain TRU contamination is referred to as buried transuranic-contaminated waste'' (BTW). The DOE reference plan for BTW, stated in the Defense Waste Management Plan, is to monitor it, to take such remedial actions as may be necessary, and to re-evaluate its safety as necessary or in about 10-year periods. Responsibility for management of radioactive waste and byproducts generated by DOE belongs to the Secretary of Energy. Regulatory control for these sites containingmore » mixed waste is exercised by both DOE (radionuclides) and EPA (hazardous constituents). Each DOE Operations Office is responsible for developing and implementing plans for long-term management of its radioactive and hazardous waste sites. This comprehensive plan includes site-by-site long-range plans, site characteristics, site costs, and schedules at each site. 13 figs., 15 tabs.« less

  20. APPLICATION OF THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS TO COMPARE ALTERNATIVES FOR THE LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF SURPLUS MERCURY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper describes a systematic method for comparing options for the long-term management of surplus elemental mercury in the U.S., using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as embodied in commercially available Expert Choice software. A limited scope multi-criteria decision-a...

  1. Modeling framework for representing long-term effectiveness of best management practices in addressing hydrology and water quality problems: Framework development and demonstration using a Bayesian method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yaoze; Engel, Bernard A.; Flanagan, Dennis C.; Gitau, Margaret W.; McMillan, Sara K.; Chaubey, Indrajeet; Singh, Shweta

    2018-05-01

    Best management practices (BMPs) are popular approaches used to improve hydrology and water quality. Uncertainties in BMP effectiveness over time may result in overestimating long-term efficiency in watershed planning strategies. To represent varying long-term BMP effectiveness in hydrologic/water quality models, a high level and forward-looking modeling framework was developed. The components in the framework consist of establishment period efficiency, starting efficiency, efficiency for each storm event, efficiency between maintenance, and efficiency over the life cycle. Combined, they represent long-term efficiency for a specific type of practice and specific environmental concern (runoff/pollutant). An approach for possible implementation of the framework was discussed. The long-term impacts of grass buffer strips (agricultural BMP) and bioretention systems (urban BMP) in reducing total phosphorus were simulated to demonstrate the framework. Data gaps were captured in estimating the long-term performance of the BMPs. A Bayesian method was used to match the simulated distribution of long-term BMP efficiencies with the observed distribution with the assumption that the observed data represented long-term BMP efficiencies. The simulated distribution matched the observed distribution well with only small total predictive uncertainties. With additional data, the same method can be used to further improve the simulation results. The modeling framework and results of this study, which can be adopted in hydrologic/water quality models to better represent long-term BMP effectiveness, can help improve decision support systems for creating long-term stormwater management strategies for watershed management projects.

  2. Seasonal-Spatial Distribution and Long-Term Variation of Transparency in Xin'anjiang Reservoir: Implications for Reservoir Management.

    PubMed

    Wu, Zhixu; Zhang, Yunlin; Zhou, Yongqiang; Liu, Mingliang; Shi, Kun; Yu, Zuoming

    2015-08-12

    Water transparency is a useful indicator of water quality or productivity and is widely used to detect long-term changes in the water quality and eutrophication of lake ecosystems. Based on short-term spatial observations in the spring, summer, and winter and on long-term site-specific observation from 1988 to 2013, the spatial, seasonal, long-term variations, and the factors affecting transparency are presented for Xin'anjiang Reservoir (China). Spatially, transparency was high in the open water but low in the bays and the inflowing river mouths, reflecting the effect of river runoff. The seasonal effects were distinct, with lower values in the summer than in the winter, most likely due to river runoff and phytoplankton biomass increases. The transparency decreased significantly with a linear slope of 0.079 m/year, indicating a 2.05 m decrease and a marked decrease in water quality. A marked increase occurred in chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration, and a significant correlation was found between the transparency and Chla concentration, indicating that phytoplankton biomass can partially explain the long-term trend of transparency in Xin'anjiang Reservoir. The river input and phytoplankton biomass increase were associated with soil erosion and nutrient loss in the catchment. Our study will support future management of water quality in Xin'anjiang Reservoir.

  3. Long-Term Modeling of Coupled Processes in a Generic Salt Repository for Heat-Generating Nuclear Waste: Analysis of the Impacts of Halite Solubility Constraints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blanco Martin, L.; Rutqvist, J.; Battistelli, A.; Birkholzer, J. T.

    2015-12-01

    Rock salt is a potential medium for the underground disposal of nuclear waste because it has several assets, such as its ability to creep and heal fractures and its water and gas tightness in the undisturbed state. In this research, we focus on disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste and we consider a generic salt repository with in-drift emplacement of waste packages and crushed salt backfill. As the natural salt creeps, the crushed salt backfill gets progressively compacted and an engineered barrier system is subsequently created [1]. The safety requirements for such a repository impose that long time scales be considered, during which the integrity of the natural and engineered barriers have to be demonstrated. In order to evaluate this long-term integrity, we perform numerical modeling based on state-of-the-art knowledge. Here, we analyze the impacts of halite dissolution and precipitation within the backfill and the host rock. For this purpose, we use an enhanced equation-of-state module of TOUGH2 that properly includes temperature-dependent solubility constraints [2]. We perform coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical modeling and we investigate the influence of the mentioned impacts. The TOUGH-FLAC simulator, adapted for large strains and creep, is used [3]. In order to quantify the importance of salt dissolution and precipitation on the effective porosity, permeability, pore pressure, temperature and stress field, we compare numerical results that include or disregard fluids of variable salinity. The sensitivity of the results to some parameters, such as the initial saturation within the backfill, is also addressed. References: [1] Bechthold, W. et al. Backfilling and Sealing of Underground Repositories for Radioactive Waste in Salt (BAMBUS II Project). Report EUR20621 EN: European Atomic Energy Community, 2004. [2] Battistelli A. Improving the treatment of saline brines in EWASG for the simulation of hydrothermal systems. Proceedings, TOUGH Symposium 2012

  4. Source and long-term behavior of transuranic aerosols in the WIPP environment.

    PubMed

    Thakur, P; Lemons, B G

    2016-10-01

    Source and long-term behavior transuranic aerosols ((239+240)Pu, (238)Pu, and (241)Am) in the ambient air samples collected at and near the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) deep geologic repository site were investigated using historical data from an independent monitoring program conducted by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center and an oversight monitoring program conducted by the management and operating contractor for WIPP at and near the facility. An analysis of historical data indicates frequent detections of (239+240)Pu and (241)Am, whereas (238)Pu is detected infrequently. Peaks in (239+240)Pu and (241)Am concentrations in ambient air generally occur from March to June timeframe, which is when strong and gusty winds in the area frequently give rise to blowing dust. Long-term measurements of plutonium isotopes (1985-2015) in the WIPP environment suggest that the resuspension of previously contaminated soils is likely the primary source of plutonium in the ambient air samples from WIPP and its vicinity. There is no evidence that WIPP is a source of environmental contamination that can be considered significant by any health-based standard.

  5. Effects of long-term grassland management on the carbon and nitrogen pools of different soil aggregate fractions.

    PubMed

    Egan, Gary; Crawley, Michael J; Fornara, Dario A

    2018-02-01

    Common grassland management practices include animal grazing and the repeated addition of lime and nutrient fertilizers to soils. These practices can greatly influence the size and distribution of different soil aggregate fractions, thus altering the cycling and storage of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in grassland soils. So far, very few studies have simultaneously addressed the potential long-term effect that multiple management practices might have on soil physical aggregation. Here we specifically ask whether and how grazing, liming and nutrient fertilization might influence C and N content (%) as well as C and N pools of different soil aggregate fractions in a long-term grassland experiment established in 1991 at Silwood Park, Berkshire, UK. We found that repeated liming applications over 23years significantly decreased the C pool (i.e. gCKg -1 soil) of Large Macro Aggregate (LMA>2mm) fractions and increased C pools within three smaller soil aggregate fractions: Small Macro Aggregate (SMA, 250μm-2mm), Micro Aggregate (MiA, 53-250μm), and Silt Clay Aggregate (SCA<53μm). Soil C (and N) accrual in smaller fractions was mainly caused by positive liming effects on aggregate fraction mass rather than on changes in soil C (and N) content (%). Liming effects could be explained by increases in soil pH, as this factor was significantly positively related to greater soil C and N pools of smaller aggregate fractions. Long-term grazing and inorganic nutrient fertilization had much weaker effects on both soil aggregate-fraction mass and on soil C and N concentrations, however, our evidence is that these practices could also contribute to greater C and N pools of smaller soil fractions. Overall our study demonstrates how agricultural liming can contribute to increase C pools of small (more stable) soil fractions with potential significant benefits for the long-term C balance of human-managed grassland soils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Long-term simulations of water and isoproturon dynamics in a heterogeneous soil receiving different urban waste composts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filipović, Vilim; Coquet, Yves; Pot, Valérie; Romić, Davor; Benoit, Pierre; Houot, Sabine

    2016-04-01

    Implementing various compost amendments and tillage practices has a large influence on soil structure and can create heterogeneities at the plot/field scale. While tillage affects soil physical properties, compost application influences also chemical properties like pesticide sorption and degradation. A long-term field experiment called "QualiAgro" (https://www6.inra.fr/qualiagro_eng/), conducted since 1998 aims at characterizing the agronomic value of urban waste composts and their environmental impacts. A modeling study was carried out using HYDRUS-2D for the 2004-2010 period to confront the effects of two different compost types combined with the presence of heterogeneities due to tillage in terms of water and isoproturon dynamics in soil. A municipal solid waste compost (MSW) and a co-compost of sewage sludge and green wastes (SGW) have been applied to experimental plots and compared to a control plot without any compost addition (CONT). Two wick lysimeters, 5 TDR probes, and 7 tensiometers were installed per plot to monitor water and isoproturon dynamics. In the ploughed layer, four zones with differing soil structure were identified: compacted clods (Δ), non-compacted soil (Γ), interfurrows (IF), and the plough pan (PP). These different soil structural zones were implemented into HYDRUS-2D according to field observation and using measured soil hydraulic properties. Lysimeter data showed (2004 -2010 period) that the CONT plot had the largest cumulative water outflow (1388 mm) compared to the MSW plot (962 mm) and SGW plot (979 mm). HYDRUS-2D was able to describe cumulative water outflow after calibration of soil hydraulic properties, for the whole 2004-2010 period with a model efficiency value of 0.99 for all three plots. Isoproturon leaching showed had the largest cumulative value in the CONT plot (21.31 μg) while similar cumulated isoproturon leachings were measured in the SGW (0.663 μg) and MSW (0.245 μg) plots. The model was able to simulate

  7. A data management proposal to connect in a hierarchical way nodes of the Spanish Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuentes, Daniel; Pérez-Luque, Antonio J.; Bonet García, Francisco J.; Moreno-LLorca, Ricardo A.; Sánchez-Cano, Francisco M.; Suárez-Muñoz, María

    2017-04-01

    The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network aims to provide the scientific community, policy makers, and society with the knowledge and predictive understanding necessary to conserve, protect, and manage the ecosystems. LTER is organized into networks ranging from the global to national scale. In the top of network, the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network coordinates among ecological researchers and LTER research networks at local, regional and global scales. In Spain, the Spanish Long Term Ecological Research (LTER-Spain) network was built to foster the collaboration and coordination between longest-lived ecological researchers and networks on a local scale. Currently composed by nine nodes, this network facilitates the data exchange, documentation and preservation encouraging the development of cross-disciplinary works. However, most nodes have no specific information systems, tools or qualified personnel to manage their data for continued conservation and there are no harmonized methodologies for long-term monitoring protocols. Hence, the main challenge is to place the nodes in its correct position in the network, providing the best tools that allow them to manage their data autonomously and make it easier for them to access information and knowledge in the network. This work proposes a connected structure composed by four LTER nodes located in southern Spain. The structure is built considering hierarchical approach: nodes that create information which is documented using metadata standards (such as Ecological Metadata Language, EML); and others nodes that gather metadata and information. We also take into account the capacity of each node to manage their own data and the premise that the data and metadata must be maintained where it is generated. The current state of the nodes is a follows: two of them have their own information management system (Sierra Nevada-Granada and Doñana Long-Term Socio-ecological Research Platform) and

  8. Assessing climate change and socio-economic uncertainties in long term management of water resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jahanshahi, Golnaz; Dawson, Richard; Walsh, Claire; Birkinshaw, Stephen; Glenis, Vassilis

    2015-04-01

    Long term management of water resources is challenging for decision makers given the range of uncertainties that exist. Such uncertainties are a function of long term drivers of change, such as climate, environmental loadings, demography, land use and other socio economic drivers. Impacts of climate change on frequency of extreme events such as drought make it a serious threat to water resources and water security. The release of probabilistic climate information, such as the UKCP09 scenarios, provides improved understanding of some uncertainties in climate models. This has motivated a more rigorous approach to dealing with other uncertainties in order to understand the sensitivity of investment decisions to future uncertainty and identify adaptation options that are as far as possible robust. We have developed and coupled a system of models that includes a weather generator, simulations of catchment hydrology, demand for water and the water resource system. This integrated model has been applied in the Thames catchment which supplies the city of London, UK. This region is one of the driest in the UK and hence sensitive to water availability. In addition, it is one of the fastest growing parts of the UK and plays an important economic role. Key uncertainties in long term water resources in the Thames catchment, many of which result from earth system processes, are identified and quantified. The implications of these uncertainties are explored using a combination of uncertainty analysis and sensitivity testing. The analysis shows considerable uncertainty in future rainfall, river flow and consequently water resource. For example, results indicate that by the 2050s, low flow (Q95) in the Thames catchment will range from -44 to +9% compared with the control scenario (1970s). Consequently, by the 2050s the average number of drought days are expected to increase 4-6 times relative to the 1970s. Uncertainties associated with urban growth increase these risks further

  9. Oak Ridge Reservation Waste Management Plan

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

    Turner, J.W.

    1995-02-01

    This report presents the waste management plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation facilities. The primary purpose is to convey what facilities are being used to manage wastes, what forces are acting to change current waste management systems, and what plans are in store for the coming fiscal year.

  10. UK report on waste management

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

    Ferguson, J.

    1995-09-01

    Arising jointly from the National and European Union requirements for more intensive attention to be paid to the environment, the United Kingdom (UK) has taken many strides forward in protecting the environment from pollution and preventing harm to human health arising from the handling, transport and disposal of wastes. Major adjustments are taking place in Europe following the opening up of the Eastern European countries. The consequences of the illegal movement of wastes and its mistreatment and disposal are now recognised within the European Union. The UK as a member State is well aware of the consequences which arise frommore » the lack of proper waste management. This paper discusses waste management and legislation pertaining to waste management in the United Kingdom.« less

  11. Long-term effect of ZnO nanoparticles on waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Mu, Hui; Chen, Yinguang

    2011-11-01

    The increasing use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) raises concerns about their environmental impacts, but the potential effect of ZnO NPs on sludge anaerobic digestion remains unknown. In this paper, long-term exposure experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of ZnO NPs on methane production during waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. The presence of 1 mg/g-TSS of ZnO NPs did not affect methane production, but 30 and 150 mg/g-TSS of ZnO NPs induced 18.3% and 75.1% of inhibition respectively, which showed that the impact of ZnO NPs on methane production was dosage dependant. Then, the mechanisms of ZnO NPs affecting sludge anaerobic digestion were investigated. It was found that the toxic effect of ZnO NPs on methane production was mainly due to the release of Zn(2+) from ZnO NPs, which may cause the inhibitory effects on the hydrolysis and methanation steps of sludge anaerobic digestion. Further investigations with enzyme and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays indicated that higher concentration of ZnO NPs decreased the activities of protease and coenzyme F(420), and the abundance of methanogenesis Archaea. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Solid waste management in Abuja, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Imam, A; Mohammed, B; Wilson, D C; Cheeseman, C R

    2008-01-01

    The new city of Abuja provided an opportunity to avoid some of the environmental problems associated with other major cities in Africa. The current status of solid waste management in Abuja has been reviewed and recommendations for improvements are made. The existing solid waste management system is affected by unfavourable economic, institutional, legislative, technical and operational constraints. A reliable waste collection service is needed and waste collection vehicles need to be appropriate to local conditions. More vehicles are required to cope with increasing waste generation. Wastes need to be sorted at source as much as possible, to reduce the amount requiring disposal. Co-operation among communities, the informal sector, the formal waste collectors and the authorities is necessary if recycling rates are to increase. Markets for recycled materials need to be encouraged. Despite recent improvements in the operation of the existing dumpsite, a properly sited engineered landfill should be constructed with operation contracted to the private sector. Wastes dumped along roads, underneath bridges, in culverts and in drainage channels need to be cleared. Small-scale waste composting plants could promote employment, income generation and poverty alleviation. Enforcement of waste management legislation and a proper policy and planning framework for waste management are required. Unauthorized use of land must be controlled by enforcing relevant clauses in development guidelines. Accurate population data is necessary so that waste management systems and infrastructure can be properly planned. Funding and affordability remain major constraints and challenges.

  13. Unsaturated consolidation theory for the prediction of long-term municipal solid waste landfill settlement.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chia-Nan; Chen, Rong-Her; Chen, Kuo-Sheng

    2006-02-01

    The understanding of long-term landfill settlement is important for landfill design and rehabilitation. However, suitable models that can consider both the mechanical and biodecomposition mechanisms in predicting the long-term landfill settlement are generally not available. In this paper, a model based on unsaturated consolidation theory and considering the biodegradation process is introduced to simulate the landfill settlement behaviour. The details of problem formulations and the derivation of the solution for the formulated differential equation of gas pressure are presented. A step-by-step analytical procedure employing this approach for estimating settlement is proposed. The proposed model can generally model the typical features of short-term and long-term behaviour. The proposed model also yields results that are comparable with the field measurements.

  14. Comprehensive long-term management program for asthma: effect on outcomes in adult African-Americans.

    PubMed

    Kelso, T M; Abou-Shala, N; Heilker, G M; Arheart, K L; Portner, T S; Self, T H

    1996-06-01

    To determine if a comprehensive long-term management program, emphasizing inhaled corticosteroids and patient education, would improve outcomes in adult African-American asthmatics a nonrandomized control trial with a 2-year intervention was performed in a university-based clinic. Inclusion criteria consisted of (> or = 5) emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations (> or = 2) during the previous 2 years. Intervention patients were volunteers; a comparable control group was identified via chart review at hospitals within the same area and time period as the intervention patients. Individualized doses of beclomethasone with a spacer, inhaled albuterol "as needed," and crisis prednisone were the primary therapies. Environmental control, peak flow monitoring, and a partnership with the patient were emphasized. Detailed patient education was an integral part of management. Control patients received usual care from local physicians. ED visits and hospitalizations for 2 years before and 2 years during the intervention period were compared. Quality of life (QOL) measurements were made at baseline and every 6 months in the intervention group. Study group (n = 21) had a significant reduction in ED visits (2.3 +/- 0.2 pre-intervention versus 0.6 +/- 0.2 post-intervention; P = 0.0001). Control group (n = 18) did not have a significant change in ED visits during the 2-year post-intervention period (2.6 +/- 0.2 pre-intervention versus 2.0 +/- 0.2 post-intervention; P = 0.11). Both groups had significant reductions in hospitalizations, but the study group had a greater reduction. Sixty-two percent of study patients had complete elimination of ED visits and hospitalizations, whereas no control patients had total elimination of the need for institutional acute care. QOL in the study patients revealed significant improvements for most parameters. A comprehensive long-term management program emphasizing inhaled corticosteroids combined with other state-of-the-art management

  15. 46 CFR 356.43 - Long-term or exclusive sales contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... DOCUMENTATION Charters, Management Agreements and Exclusive or Long-Term Contracts § 356.43 Long-term or exclusive sales contracts. (a) An owner or bareboat charterer of a Fishing Industry Vessel may enter into an... a specified period of time. Such contracts or agreements will not require our prior approval...

  16. Evaluation of optional fee structures for solid waste management in China.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yun-Ga; Chu, Zhu-Jie; Zhuang, Jun

    2018-06-01

    A municipal solid waste fee has become an important means for the implementation of the waste management rendered by the government all around the world. Based on the ecological environmental compensation theory, this article constructs an analytical framework of waste charging from the perspective of public policy evaluation, to carry on the comprehensive comparison and analysis to the operability, feasibility, validity, rationality, and universality of the two modes of waste charging: Ration charge and unit-pricing modes. The results indicate that in the cities with large amounts of waste production, long time of waste charging, and high disposal rate, pilot projects should be carried out; and the government needs to improve the construction of associated laws and regulations.

  17. Northeast Waste Management Enterprise (NEWME) 1996 annual/final report

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

    Goland, A.; Kaplan, E.; Palmedo, P. Wortman, J.

    1997-10-01

    The Northeast Waste Management Enterprise was created in response to Dr. Clyde Frank`s vision of a new partnership between research, industrial, and financial sectors, with the goal of speeding development and use (particularly at U.S. Department of Energy [DOE] facilities) of environmental remediation technologies. It was anticipated that this partnership would also strengthen the international competitiveness of the U.S. environmental industry. Brookhaven National Laboratory`s (BNL) response to Dr. Frank was a proposal to create the Northeast Waste Management Alliance, later renamed the Northeast Waste Management Enterprise (NEWME). Recognizing the need to supplement its own technical expertise with acumen in business,more » financial management, and venture capital development, BNL joined forces with the Long Island Research Institute (LIRI). Since its inception at the end of FY 1993, NEWME has achieved several significant accomplishments in pursuing its original business and strategic plans. However, its successes have been constrained by a fundamental mismatch between the time scales required for technology commercialization, and the immediate need for available environmental technologies of those involved with ongoing environmental remediations at DOE facilities.« less

  18. Characteristics of a long-term forest soil productivity research site in Missouri

    Treesearch

    Felix, Jr. Ponder; Nancy M. Mikkelson

    1995-01-01

    Problems with soil quality and maintenance of soil productivity occur when management activities are improperly planned and carried out. To ensure that Forest Service management practices do not reduce long-term soil productivity (LTSP), a network of coordinated long-term experiments is being established across the United States. The first LTSP study in the Central...

  19. Model-Based Analysis of the Long-Term Effects of Fertilization Management on Cropland Soil Acidification.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Mufan; de Vries, Wim; Bonten, Luc T C; Zhu, Qichao; Hao, Tianxiang; Liu, Xuejun; Xu, Minggang; Shi, Xiaojun; Zhang, Fusuo; Shen, Jianbo

    2017-04-04

    Agricultural soil acidification in China is known to be caused by the over-application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, but the long-term impacts of different fertilization practices on intensive cropland soil acidification are largely unknown. Here, we further developed the soil acidification model VSD+ for intensive agricultural systems and validated it against observed data from three long-term fertilization experiments in China. The model simulated well the changes in soil pH and base saturation over the last 20 years. The validated model was adopted to quantify the contribution of N and base cation (BC) fluxes to soil acidification. The net NO 3 - leaching and NO 4 + input accounted for 80% of the proton production under N application, whereas one-third of acid was produced by BC uptake when N was not applied. The simulated long-term (1990-2050) effects of different fertilizations on soil acidification showed that balanced N application combined with manure application avoids reduction of both soil pH and base saturation, while application of calcium nitrate and liming increases these two soil properties. Reducing NH 4 + input and NO 3 - leaching by optimizing N management and increasing BC inputs by manure application thus already seem to be effective approaches to mitigating soil acidification in intensive cropland systems.

  20. Material Flow Analysis as a Tool to improve Waste Management Systems: The Case of Austria.

    PubMed

    Allesch, Astrid; Brunner, Paul H

    2017-01-03

    This paper demonstrates the power of material flow analysis (MFA) for designing waste management (WM) systems and for supporting decisions with regards to given environmental and resource goals. Based on a comprehensive case study of a nationwide WM-system, advantages and drawbacks of a mass balance approach are discussed. Using the software STAN, a material flow system comprising all relevant inputs, stocks and outputs of wastes, products, residues, and emissions is established and quantified. Material balances on the level of goods and selected substances (C, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, N, Ni, P, Pb, Zn) are developed to characterize this WM-system. The MFA results serve well as a base for further assessments. Based on given goals, stakeholders engaged in this study selected the following seven criteria for evaluating their WM-system: (i) waste input into the system, (ii) export of waste (iii) gaseous emissions from waste treatment plants, (iv) long-term gaseous and liquid emissions from landfills, (v) waste being recycled, (vi) waste for energy recovery, (vii) total waste landfilled. By scenario analysis, strengths and weaknesses of different measures were identified. The results reveal the benefits of a mass balance approach due to redundancy, data consistency, and transparency for optimization, design, and decision making in WM.

  1. Seasonal-Spatial Distribution and Long-Term Variation of Transparency in Xin’anjiang Reservoir: Implications for Reservoir Management

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Zhixu; Zhang, Yunlin; Zhou, Yongqiang; Liu, Mingliang; Shi, Kun; Yu, Zuoming

    2015-01-01

    Water transparency is a useful indicator of water quality or productivity and is widely used to detect long-term changes in the water quality and eutrophication of lake ecosystems. Based on short-term spatial observations in the spring, summer, and winter and on long-term site-specific observation from 1988 to 2013, the spatial, seasonal, long-term variations, and the factors affecting transparency are presented for Xin’anjiang Reservoir (China). Spatially, transparency was high in the open water but low in the bays and the inflowing river mouths, reflecting the effect of river runoff. The seasonal effects were distinct, with lower values in the summer than in the winter, most likely due to river runoff and phytoplankton biomass increases. The transparency decreased significantly with a linear slope of 0.079 m/year, indicating a 2.05 m decrease and a marked decrease in water quality. A marked increase occurred in chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration, and a significant correlation was found between the transparency and Chla concentration, indicating that phytoplankton biomass can partially explain the long-term trend of transparency in Xin’anjiang Reservoir. The river input and phytoplankton biomass increase were associated with soil erosion and nutrient loss in the catchment. Our study will support future management of water quality in Xin’anjiang Reservoir. PMID:26274970

  2. Enhancing the quality of supportive supervisory behavior in long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    McGillis Hall, Linda; McGilton, Katherine S; Krejci, Janet; Pringle, Dorothy; Johnston, Erin; Fairley, Laura; Brown, Maryanne

    2005-04-01

    The practices of managers and registered nurses (RNs) in long-term care facilities are frequently ineffective in assisting the licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and healthcare aides (HCAs) whom they supervise. Little research exists that examines the area of supportive relationships between nursing staff and supervisors in these settings. The purpose of this study was to gather data that could improve management practices in long-term care residential facilities and enhance the quality of the supervisory relationships between supervisors (nurse managers and RNs) and care providers (HCAs and LPNs) in these settings. The study also identified factors that influence the supervisors' ability to establish supportive relationships with care providers. The challenges and barriers to nurse managers and leaders related to enacting supportive behaviors are discussed as well as their implications for long-term care settings.

  3. Clinical laboratory waste management in Shiraz, Iran.

    PubMed

    Askarian, Mehrdad; Motazedian, Nasrin; Palenik, Charles John

    2012-06-01

    Clinical laboratories are significant generators of infectious waste, including microbiological materials, contaminated sharps, and pathologic wastes such as blood specimens and blood products. Most waste produced in laboratories can be disposed of in the general solid waste stream. However, improper management of infectious waste, including mixing general wastes with infectious wastes and improper handling or storage, could lead to disease transmission. The aim of this study was to assess waste management processes used at clinical laboratories in Shiraz, Iran. One hundred and nine clinical laboratories participated In this cross sectional study, Data collection was by questionnaire and direct observation. Of the total amount of waste generated, 52% (by weight) was noninfectious domestic waste, 43% was non-sharps infectious waste and 5% consisted of sharps. There was no significant relationship between laboratory staff or manager education and the score for quality of waste collection and disposal at clinical laboratories. Improvements in infectious waste management processes should involve clearer, more uniformly accepted definitions of infectious waste and increased staff training.

  4. Connecting local support: A qualitative study exploring the role of voluntary organisations in long-term condition management.

    PubMed

    Morris, Rebecca; Kirk, Susan; Kennedy, Anne; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Mathieson, Amy; Jeffries, Mark; Blickem, Christian; Brooks, Helen; Sanders, Caroline; Rogers, Anne

    2015-06-01

    To examine the role of community groups to support people living with long-term conditions and the organisational factors that influence this role. Thirty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with voluntary group organisers purposefully sampled in Greater Manchester from a local database of community groups. Interviews explored the organisations role in supporting people living with a long-term condition, their social networks and the origins of the groups. Respondents' construed their role in supporting individual capacity for management either explicitly (e.g. providing exercise) or implicitly (e.g. emotional support). This role was influenced by a combination of group ideology, funding and social networks. Analysis highlights the role of the non-clinical setting, the social support provided within the group, as well as organisational processes that influenced their capacity to support people living with long-term conditions. By examining the organisation of voluntary groups, this study highlights the way in which they may support or constrain access to an extended range of support for people with long-term conditions. This paper has implications for commissioning of services by the health service from the third sector because of the differing ideological perspectives and limited operational capacity. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  5. [Management of hazardous waste in a hospital].

    PubMed

    Neveu C, Alejandra; Matus C, Patricia

    2007-07-01

    An inadequate management of hospital waste, that have toxic, infectious and chemical wastes, is a risk factor for humans and environment. To identify, quantify and assess the risk associated to the management of hospital residues. A cross sectional assessment of the generation of hazardous waste from a hospital, between June and August 2005, was performed. The environmental risk associated to the management of non-radioactive hospital waste was assessed and the main problems related to solid waste were identified. The rate of generation of hazardous non-radioactive waste was 1.35 tons per months or 0.7 kg/bed/day. Twenty five percent of hazardous liquid waste were drained directly to the sewage system. The drug preparation unit of the pharmacy had the higher environmental risk associated to the generation of hazardous waste. The internal transport of hazardous waste had a high risk due to the lack of trip planning. The lack of training of personnel dealing with these waste was another risk factor. Considering that an adequate management of hospital waste should minimize risks for patients, the hospital that was evaluated lacks an integral management system for its waste.

  6. Towards sustainable solid waste management: Investigating household participation in solid waste management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akil, A. M.; Ho, C. S.

    2014-02-01

    The aim of this paper is to assess the readiness of Iskandar Malaysia community to accept solid waste recycling. The research is based on quantitative research design and descriptive survey of the households at Iskandar Malaysia using the stratified sampling method for a sample of 670. The survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire that covered two basic principles; a) recycling knowledge; b) willingness to recycle. Data was analysed using the SPSS to carry out statistical analysis. The finding shows households' knowledge towards the solid waste recycling is good and positive. However, finding also shows that respondents have incomprehensive knowledge on the method of disposal as more than 50% of householders only recycle papers and textiles. Most of the households agreed to participate in the activities of the separation of waste if the facility will be made available at their kerbside. Therefore, it is recommended that government should provide more in-depth knowledge by intensifying the awareness of the households in the recycling programs. In term of urban planning and management, the location of recycling facility can be analysing by using GIS. This is important to understand the catchment area of each neighbourhood or precinct to ensure effective household participation.

  7. Waste Management Information System (WMIS) User Guide

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

    R. E. Broz

    2008-12-22

    This document provides the user of the Waste Management Information System (WMIS) instructions on how to use the WMIS software. WMIS allows users to initiate, track, and close waste packages. The modular design supports integration and utilization of data throuh the various stages of waste management. The phases of the waste management work process include generation, designation, packaging, container management, procurement, storage, treatment, transportation, and disposal.

  8. Long-term monitoring of UK river basins: the disconnections between the timescales of hydrological processes and watershed management planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howden, N. J. K.; Burt, T.; Worrall, F.

    2016-12-01

    The UK has a wealth of hydrological monitoring data that has both good coverage in space since the early 1970s, and also a few locations where records have been kept continuously for almost 150 years. Such datasets offer unique opportunities for the hydrologist to consider how the concepts of stationarity, change, and definitions of "baseline" resources should be used to shape how we build models of these systems, and how we devise appropriate and sustainable watershed management strategies. In this paper we consider some of the UK's longest hydrological and biogeochemical records, to explore how long records can be used to shape such understanding and, in some cases, how they can be used to identify new modes of behaviour that need to be incorporated into management planning, from the scale of individual watersheds right up to the national scale. We also consider how key timescales of hydrological responses that are evident within the data may pose major problems for watershed management unless appropriate attention is paid to the potential impacts of processes that work over decadal timescales - much longer than sub-decadal water industry investment cycles or short-term projects for watershed management planning. We use our long-term records to show how key processes can be identified, and to illustrate how careful interpretation of shorter term records will improve decision-making for water resource management.

  9. Understanding Long-Term Variations in an Elephant Piosphere Effect to Manage Impacts

    PubMed Central

    Landman, Marietjie; Schoeman, David S.; Hall-Martin, Anthony J.; Kerley, Graham I. H.

    2012-01-01

    Surface water availability is a key driver of elephant impacts on biological diversity. Thus, understanding the spatio-temporal variations of these impacts in relation to water is critical to their management. However, elephant piosphere effects (i.e. the radial pattern of attenuating impact) are poorly described, with few long-term quantitative studies. Our understanding is further confounded by the complexity of systems with elephant (i.e. fenced, multiple water points, seasonal water availability, varying population densities) that likely limit the use of conceptual models to predict these impacts. Using 31 years of data on shrub structure in the succulent thickets of the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, we tested elephant effects at a single water point. Shrub structure showed a clear sigmoid response with distance from water, declining at both the upper and lower limits of sampling. Adjacent to water, this decline caused a roughly 300-m radial expansion of the grass-dominated habitats that replace shrub communities. Despite the clear relationship between shrub structure and ecological functioning in thicket, the extent of elephant effects varied between these features with distance from water. Moreover, these patterns co-varied with other confounding variables (e.g. the location of neighboring water points), which limits our ability to predict such effects in the absence of long-term data. We predict that elephant have the ability to cause severe transformation in succulent thicket habitats with abundant water supply and elevated elephant numbers. However, these piosphere effects are complex, suggesting that a more integrated understanding of elephant impacts on ecological heterogeneity may be required before water availability is used as a tool to manage impacts. We caution against the establishment of water points in novel succulent thicket habitats, and advocate a significant reduction in water provisioning at our study site, albeit with greater

  10. Understanding long-term variations in an elephant piosphere effect to manage impacts.

    PubMed

    Landman, Marietjie; Schoeman, David S; Hall-Martin, Anthony J; Kerley, Graham I H

    2012-01-01

    Surface water availability is a key driver of elephant impacts on biological diversity. Thus, understanding the spatio-temporal variations of these impacts in relation to water is critical to their management. However, elephant piosphere effects (i.e. the radial pattern of attenuating impact) are poorly described, with few long-term quantitative studies. Our understanding is further confounded by the complexity of systems with elephant (i.e. fenced, multiple water points, seasonal water availability, varying population densities) that likely limit the use of conceptual models to predict these impacts. Using 31 years of data on shrub structure in the succulent thickets of the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, we tested elephant effects at a single water point. Shrub structure showed a clear sigmoid response with distance from water, declining at both the upper and lower limits of sampling. Adjacent to water, this decline caused a roughly 300-m radial expansion of the grass-dominated habitats that replace shrub communities. Despite the clear relationship between shrub structure and ecological functioning in thicket, the extent of elephant effects varied between these features with distance from water. Moreover, these patterns co-varied with other confounding variables (e.g. the location of neighboring water points), which limits our ability to predict such effects in the absence of long-term data. We predict that elephant have the ability to cause severe transformation in succulent thicket habitats with abundant water supply and elevated elephant numbers. However, these piosphere effects are complex, suggesting that a more integrated understanding of elephant impacts on ecological heterogeneity may be required before water availability is used as a tool to manage impacts. We caution against the establishment of water points in novel succulent thicket habitats, and advocate a significant reduction in water provisioning at our study site, albeit with greater

  11. Developing Tribal Integrated Waste Management Plans

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    An IWMP outlines how the tribe will reduce, manage, and dispose of its waste. It identifies existing waste systems, assesses needs, and sets forth the ways to design, implement, and monitor a more effective and sustainable waste management program.

  12. The Scientific Management of Hazardous Wastes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porter, Keith S.

    According to the jacket of this book, three independent scientists carefully define the limits of scientific knowledge applicable to the management of hazardous wastes. It is claimed that the extrapolation and application of this knowledge is examined, significant areas of uncertainty are identified, and the authors reveal “the fallibility of certain interpretations.” It would be more accurate to claim these as possible goals of the book rather than its accomplishments.Chapter 1, Hazardous Wastes and Their Recycling Potential, includes 11 pages of lists of chemicals, some of which are poorly reproduced. The remaining pages describe, superficially, several recycling schemes. Connections between the chemicals previously listed and the recycling schemes are not given. Concerning the potential for recycling, the last sentence of the chapter reads, “Indeed, the concept of waste recycling, itself a contradiction in terms, is better politics than business.” Taken literally, this assertion itself contradicts venerable practice, as the farmer might observe as he transfers waste from his cows to the crops in his field. More pertinently, it can be argued that the recovery of solvents, metals, and oil from waste flows is much more than a political gesture.

  13. The effect of food waste disposers on municipal waste and wastewater management.

    PubMed

    Marashlian, Natasha; El-Fadel, Mutasem

    2005-02-01

    This paper examines the feasibility of introducing food waste disposers as a waste minimization option within urban waste management schemes, taking the Greater Beirut Area (GBA) as a case study. For this purpose, the operational and economic impacts of food disposers on the solid waste and wastewater streams are assessed. The integration of food waste disposers can reduce the total solid waste to be managed by 12 to 43% under market penetration ranging between 25 and 75%, respectively. While the increase in domestic water consumption (for food grinding) and corresponding increase in wastewater flow rates are relatively insignificant, wastewater loadings increased by 17 to 62% (BOD) and 1.9 to 7.1% (SS). The net economic benefit of introducing food disposers into the waste and wastewater management systems constitutes 7.2 to 44.0% of the existing solid waste management cost under the various scenarios examined. Concerns about increased sludge generation persist and its potential environmental and economic implications may differ with location and therefore area-specific characteristics must be taken into consideration when contemplating the adoption of a strategy to integrate food waste disposers in the waste-wastewater management system.

  14. Transboundary hazardous waste management. Part I: Waste management policy of importing countries.

    PubMed

    Fan, Kuo-Shuh; Chang, Tien Chin; Ni, Shih-Piao; Lee, Ching-Hwa

    2005-12-01

    Mixed metal-containing waste, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) containing capacitors, printed circuit boards, steel mill dust and metal sludge were among the most common wastes exported from Taiwan. Before the implementation of the self-monitoring model programme of the Basel Convention (secretariat of the Basel Convention 2001) in the Asia region, Taiwan conducted a comprehensive 4-year follow-up project involving government authorities and the waste disposal facilities of the importing countries. A total of five countries and nine plants were visited in 2001-2002. The following outcomes can be drawn from these investigations. The Chinese government adopts the strategies of 'on-site processing' and 'relative centralization' on the waste management by tightening permitting and increasing site inspection. A three-level reviewing system is adopted for the import application. The United States have not signed the Basel Convention yet; the procedures of hazardous waste import rely on bilateral agreements. Importers are not required to provide official notification from the waste exporting countries. The operation, administration, monitoring and licensing of waste treatment plants are governed by the state environmental bureau. Finland, France and Belgium are members of the European Union. The procedures and policies of waste import are similar. All of the documents associated with transboundary movement require the approval of each government involved. Practically, the notification forms and tracking forms effectively manage the waste movement.

  15. Long-term outcomes and management of the heart transplant recipient.

    PubMed

    McCartney, Sharon L; Patel, Chetan; Del Rio, J Mauricio

    2017-06-01

    Cardiac transplantation remains the gold standard in the treatment of advanced heart failure. With advances in immunosuppression, long-term outcomes continue to improve despite older and higher risk recipients. The median survival of the adult after heart transplantation is currently 10.7 years. While early graft failure and multiorgan system dysfunction are the most important causes of early mortality, malignancy, rejection, infection, and cardiac allograft vasculopathy contribute to late mortality. Chronic renal dysfunction is common after heart transplantation and occurs in up to 68% of patients by year 10, with 6.2% of patients requiring dialysis and 3.7% undergoing renal transplant. Functional outcomes after heart transplantation remain an area for improvement, with only 26% of patients working at 1-year post-transplantation, and are likely related to the high incidence of depression after cardiac transplantation. Areas of future research include understanding and managing primary graft dysfunction and reducing immunosuppression-related complications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. In vivo wireless biodiagnosis system for long-term bioactivity monitoring network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Chun-Kuang; Wu, Wen-Jong; Yu, Shih-An; Huang, Jhen-Gang; Lin, Yun-Han; Chen, Yih-Fan; Jin, Ming-Hui; Wen, Chih-Min; Kao, Cheng-Yan; Lin, Shi-Ming; Lu, Shey-Shi; Lin, Chii-Wann; Yen, Jia-Yush; Jaw, Fu-Shan; Chen, Chi-An; Liao, Fang-Jen; Chiu, Nan-Fu; Chien, Chia-Nan; Lee, Chih-Kung

    2004-07-01

    Attempts to develop a Wireless Health Advanced Mobile Bio-diagnostic System (abbreviated as WHAM-BioS) have arisen from the need to monitor the health status of patients under long-term care programs. The proposed WHAM-BioS as presented here was developed by integrating various technologies: nano/MEMS technology, biotechnology, network/communication technology, and information technology. The biochips proposed not only detect certain diseases but will also report any abnormal status readings on the patient to the medical personnel immediately through the network system. Since long-term home care is typically involved, the parameters monitored must be analyzed and traced continuously over a long period of time. To minimize the intrusion to the patients, a wireless sensor embedded within a wireless network is highly recommended. To facilitate the widest possible use of various biochips, a smart sensor node concept was implemented. More specifically, various technologies and components such as built-in micro power generators, energy storage devices, initialization processes, no-waste bio-detection methodologies, embedded controllers, wireless warning signal transmissions, and power/data management were merged and integrated to create this novel technology. The design methodologies and the implementation schemes are detailed. Potential expansions of this newly developed technology to other applications regimes will be presented as well.

  17. Long term thermoelectric module testing system.

    PubMed

    D'Angelo, Jonathan; Hogan, Timothy

    2009-10-01

    Thermoelectric generators can be used for converting waste heat into electric power. Significant interest in developing new materials in recent years has led to the discovery of several promising thermoelectrics, however, there can be considerable challenges in developing the materials into working devices. Testing and feedback is needed at each step to gain valuable information for identification of difficulties, quality of the materials and modules, repeatability in fabrication, and longevity of the devices. This paper describes a long-term module testing system for monitoring the output power of a module over extended testing times. To evaluate the system, we have tested commercially available thermoelectric modules over a one month time period.

  18. Solid-Waste Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Science Teacher, 1973

    1973-01-01

    Consists of excerpts from a forthcoming publication of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Student's Guide to Solid-Waste Management.'' Discusses the sources of wastes from farms, mines, factories, and communities, the job of governments, ways to collect trash, methods of disposal, processing, and suggests possible student action.…

  19. Patient Safety Policy in Long-Term Care: A Research Protocol to Assess Executive WalkRounds to Improve Management of Early Warning Signs for Patient Safety.

    PubMed

    van Dusseldorp, Loes; Hamers, Hub; van Achterberg, Theo; Schoonhoven, Lisette

    2014-07-15

    At many hospitals and long-term care organizations (such as nursing homes), executive board members have a responsibility to manage patient safety. Executive WalkRounds offer an opportunity for boards to build a trusting relationship with professionals and seem useful as a leadership tool to pick up on soft signals, which are indirect signals or early warnings that something is wrong. Because the majority of the research on WalkRounds has been performed in hospitals, it is unknown how board members of long-term care organizations develop their patient safety policy. Also, it is not clear if these board members use soft signals as a leadership tool and, if so, how this influences their patient safety policies. The objective of this study is to explore the added value and the feasibility of WalkRounds for patient safety management in long-term care. This study also aims to identify how executive board members of long-term care organizations manage patient safety and to describe the characteristics of boards. An explorative before-and-after study was conducted between April 2012 and February 2014 in 13 long-term care organizations in the Netherlands. After implementing the intervention in 6 organizations, data from 72 WalkRounds were gathered by observation and a reporting form. Before and after the intervention period, data collection included interviews, questionnaires, and studying reports of the executive boards. A mixed-method analysis is performed using descriptive statistics, t tests, and content analysis. Results are expected to be ready in mid 2014. It is a challenge to keep track of ongoing development and implementation of patient safety management tools in long-term care. By performing this study in cooperation with the participating long-term care organizations, insight into the potential added value and the feasibility of this method will increase.

  20. Long-term effect of the antibiotic cefalexin on methane production during waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Lu, Xueqin; Zhen, Guangyin; Liu, Yuan; Hojo, Toshimasa; Estrada, Adriana Ledezma; Li, Yu-You

    2014-10-01

    Long-term experiments herein were conducted to investigate the effect of cefalexin (CLX) on methane production during waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. CLX exhibited a considerable inhibition in methane production during the initial 25 days while the negative effect attenuated subsequently and methane production recovered depending on CLX doses used (600 and 1000 mg/L). The highest methane yield reached 450 mL at 1000 mg-CLX/L after 157 days of digestion, 63.8% higher than CLX-free one. Stimulated excretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by CLX served as microbial protecting layers, creating a suitable environment for microbes' growth and fermentation. Further examination via ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectra also verified the elevated slime EPS, LB-EPS and TB-EPS indicated by UV-254 in the presence of CLX. Unlike the commonly accepted adverse effect, this study demonstrated the beneficial role of CLX in methane production, providing new insights into its true environmental impacts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Medical Waste Management in Community Health Centers.

    PubMed

    Tabrizi, Jafar Sadegh; Rezapour, Ramin; Saadati, Mohammad; Seifi, Samira; Amini, Behnam; Varmazyar, Farahnaz

    2018-02-01

    Non-standard management of medical waste leads to irreparable side effects. This issue is of double importance in health care centers in a city which are the most extensive system for providing Primary Health Care (PHC) across Iran cities. This study investigated the medical waste management standards observation in Tabriz community health care centers, northwestern Iran. In this triangulated cross-sectional study (qualitative-quantitative), data collecting tool was a valid checklist of waste management process developed based on Iranian medical waste management standards. The data were collected in 2015 through process observation and interviews with the health center's staff. The average rate of waste management standards observance in Tabriz community health centers, Tabriz, Iran was 29.8%. This case was 22.8% in dimension of management and training, 27.3% in separating and collecting, 31.2% in transport and temporary storage, and 42.9% in sterilization and disposal. Lack of principal separation of wastes, inappropriate collecting and disposal cycle of waste and disregarding safety tips (fertilizer device performance monitoring, microbial cultures and so on) were among the observed defects in health care centers supported by quantitative data. Medical waste management was not in a desirable situation in Tabriz community health centers. The expansion of community health centers in different regions and non-observance of standards could predispose to incidence the risks resulted from medical wastes. So it is necessary to adopt appropriate policies to promote waste management situation.

  2. 41 CFR 51-6.3 - Long-term procurements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Long-term procurements. 51-6.3 Section 51-6.3 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to Public... ensure stability of employment and development of job skills for persons who are blind or have other...

  3. Long-term predictions using natural analogues

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

    Ewing, R.C.

    1995-09-01

    One of the unique and scientifically most challenging aspects of nuclear waste isolation is the extrapolation of short-term laboratory data (hours to years) to the long time periods (10{sup 3}-10{sup 5} years) required by regulatory agencies for performance assessment. The direct validation of these extrapolations is not possible, but methods must be developed to demonstrate compliance with government regulations and to satisfy the lay public that there is a demonstrable and reasonable basis for accepting the long-term extrapolations. Natural systems (e.g., {open_quotes}natural analogues{close_quotes}) provide perhaps the only means of partial {open_quotes}validation,{close_quotes} as well as data that may be used directlymore » in the models that are used in the extrapolation. Natural systems provide data on very large spatial (nm to km) and temporal (10{sup 3}-10{sup 8} years) scales and in highly complex terranes in which unknown synergisms may affect radionuclide migration. This paper reviews the application (and most importantly, the limitations) of data from natural analogue systems to the {open_quotes}validation{close_quotes} of performance assessments.« less

  4. Improving certified nurse aide retention. A long-term care management challenge.

    PubMed

    Mesirow, K M; Klopp, A; Olson, L L

    1998-03-01

    In the long-term care industry, the turnover rate among nurse aides is extremely high. This adversely affects resident satisfaction, resident care, morale, and finances. It presents a challenge to long-term care administration. Refusing to accept high turnover as an impossible situation allows changes to be made. The authors describe how the staff at one intermediate care facility identified its problems, assessed the causes, and implemented corrective action.

  5. Long-Term Stress Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noel, James L.

    1987-01-01

    Techniques enabling faculty to decrease stress to more reasonable and productive levels are discussed, including management of chemical stressors, physical activities, relaxation, coping strategies for disappointment, emotional support, assertiveness, and time management. (MSE)

  6. A Report to Congress on Long-Term Stewardship. Volume II, Site Summaries

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

    None, None

    2001-01-01

    During World War II and the Cold War, the Federal government developed and operated a vast network of industrial facilities for the research, production, and testing of nuclear weapons, as well as for other scientific and engineering research. These processes left a legacy of radioactive and chemical waste, environmental contamination, and hazardous facilities and materials at well over a 100 sites in 30 States and one U.S. Territory. Hundreds of thousand of acres of residually contaminated soils, contaminated groundwater, surface water and sediment contamination, and contaminated buildings are present at many sites across the country. These sites range in sizemore » from less than one acre, containing only a single facility, to large sites spanning over 100,000 acres with huge uranium enrichment plants and plutonium processing canyons. Since 1989, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) program has made significant progress in addressing this environmental legacy. Millions of cubic meters of waste have been removed, stabilized, or disposed of, resulting in significant risk and cost reduction. In addition, DOE began disposing of transuranic (i.e., plutonium-contaminated) waste in the nation’s first deep geologic repository – the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. DOE is now carrying out its long-term stewardship obligations at dozens of sites, including smaller sites where DOE has completed cleanup work for the entire site and many larger sites where DOE has remediated portions of the site.« less

  7. The evolving role of physical therapists in the long-term management of chronic low back pain: longitudinal care using assisted self-management strategies

    PubMed Central

    Beattie, Paul F.; Silfies, Sheri P.; Jordon, Max

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background Longitudinal studies have shown that the symptoms of chronic low back pain (CLBP) will follow an episodic trajectory characterized by periods of high and low pain intensity that can persist for many years. There is a growing belief that the contemporary approach of limiting physical therapy to short, but intense courses of treatment for (CLBP) may be sub-optimal because these limited “windows” of clinical care are not congruent with the natural history of this condition. Recent research has suggested that people with CLBP undergo substantial, and individualized long-term variations in the neural processing of nociception over time. This has led to the concept of a “unique biosignature of pain” that may explain much of the variation in a person’s clinical picture. These and other findings have led to the reconceptualization of CLBP as an individualized, and continually evolving condition that may be more suitably managed by empowering the patient toward self-management strategies that can be modified as needed over time by the PT. Objectives The purpose of this Master Class Paper is to describe an emerging approach for the treatment of CLBP that emphasizes the formation of a long-term therapeutic alliance between the patient and the PT with an emphasis on individualized, patient-preferred approaches for activity-based self-management as an alternative to the contemporary approach of short, intense episodes of care directed toward pain reduction. Conclusion Longitudinal care using assisted self-management strategies is more congruent with the natural history of CLBP than are traditional approaches for PT intervention. This approach may empower patients to undergo lifestyle changes that will favorably influence long-term outcomes; however additional research is needed. PMID:28001268

  8. Windows into the forest: extending long-term small-watershed research

    Treesearch

    Sally Duncan

    2004-01-01

    Interactions among forests, forestry, and water remain a critical aspect of Forest Service land stewardship. Small, experimental watershed studies managed by Forest Service Research and Development have a long history of advancing science and management and have resulted in a rich collection of long-term data. Early work addressed effects of forestry practices in...

  9. Tribal Decisions-Makers Guide to Solid Waste Management: Chapter 2 - Developing Solid Waste Management Plans

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Solid waste management plans offer a host of benefits for tribes and Alaskan Native villages. Through the preparation of these plans, you can assess your cur-rent and future waste management needs, set priorities, and allocate resources accordingly.

  10. Long-term weight loss maintenance for obesity: a multidisciplinary approach

    PubMed Central

    Montesi, Luca; El Ghoch, Marwan; Brodosi, Lucia; Calugi, Simona; Marchesini, Giulio; Dalle Grave, Riccardo

    2016-01-01

    The long-term weight management of obesity remains a very difficult task, associated with a high risk of failure and weight regain. However, many people report that they have successfully managed weight loss maintenance in the long term. Several factors have been associated with better weight loss maintenance in long-term observational and randomized studies. A few pertain to the behavioral area (eg, high levels of physical activity, eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet; frequent self-monitoring of weight), a few to the cognitive component (eg, reduced disinhibition, satisfaction with results achieved, confidence in being able to lose weight without professional help), and a few to personality traits (eg, low novelty seeking) and patient–therapist interaction. Trials based on the most recent protocols of lifestyle modification, with a prolonged extended treatment after the weight loss phase, have also shown promising long-term weight loss results. These data should stimulate the adoption of a lifestyle modification-based approach for the management of obesity, featuring a nonphysician lifestyle counselor (also called “lifestyle trainer” or “healthy lifestyle practitioner”) as a pivotal component of the multidisciplinary team. The obesity physicians maintain a primary role in engaging patients, in team coordination and supervision, in managing the complications associated with obesity and, in selected cases, in the decision for drug treatment or bariatric surgery, as possible more intensive, add-on interventions to lifestyle treatment. PMID:27013897

  11. Long-term Strategic Planning for a Resilient Metro Colombo: An Economic Case for Wetland Conservation and Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rozenberg, J.

    2015-12-01

    Colombo faces recurrent floods that threaten its long-term economic development. Its urban wetlands have been identified by local agencies as a critical component of its flood reduction system, but they have declined rapidly in recent years due to continuous infilling, unmanaged land development and dredging to create lakes. In collaboration with government agencies, NGOs and local universities, the World Bank has carried out a Robust Decision Making analysis to examine the value of Colombo urban wetlands, both in the short-term and long-term, and identify what are the most viable strategies available to increase the city's flood resilience in an unclear future (in terms of climate change and patterns of urban development). This has involved the use of numerous hydrological and socio-economic scenarios as well as the evaluation of some wetlands benefits, like ecosystem services, wastewater treatment, or recreational services. The analysis has determined that if all urban wetlands across the Colombo catchment were lost, in some scenarios the metropolitan area would have to cope with an annual average flood loss of approximately 1% of Colombo GDP in the near future. For long-term strategies, trade-offs between urban development, lake creation and wetland conservation were analyzed and it was concluded that an active management of urban wetlands was the lowest regret option. Finally, the analysis also revealed that in the future, with climate change and fast urban development, wetlands will not be sufficient to protect Colombo against severe floods. Pro-active urban planning and land-use management are therefore necessary, both to protect existing wetlands and to reduce future exposure. The use of many different scenarios, the consideration of several policy options, and the open participatory process ensured policy-makers' buy-in and lead to the decision to actively protect urban wetlands in Colombo.

  12. Diagnosis, Treatment, and Long-Term Management of Kawasaki Disease: A Scientific Statement for Health Professionals From the American Heart Association.

    PubMed

    McCrindle, Brian W; Rowley, Anne H; Newburger, Jane W; Burns, Jane C; Bolger, Anne F; Gewitz, Michael; Baker, Annette L; Jackson, Mary Anne; Takahashi, Masato; Shah, Pinak B; Kobayashi, Tohru; Wu, Mei-Hwan; Saji, Tsutomu T; Pahl, Elfriede

    2017-04-25

    Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis of childhood that leads to coronary artery aneurysms in ≈25% of untreated cases. It has been reported worldwide and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. To revise the previous American Heart Association guidelines, a multidisciplinary writing group of experts was convened to review and appraise available evidence and practice-based opinion, as well as to provide updated recommendations for diagnosis, treatment of the acute illness, and long-term management. Although the cause remains unknown, discussion sections highlight new insights into the epidemiology, genetics, pathogenesis, pathology, natural history, and long-term outcomes. Prompt diagnosis is essential, and an updated algorithm defines supplemental information to be used to assist the diagnosis when classic clinical criteria are incomplete. Although intravenous immune globulin is the mainstay of initial treatment, the role for additional primary therapy in selected patients is discussed. Approximately 10% to 20% of patients do not respond to initial intravenous immune globulin, and recommendations for additional therapies are provided. Careful initial management of evolving coronary artery abnormalities is essential, necessitating an increased frequency of assessments and escalation of thromboprophylaxis. Risk stratification for long-term management is based primarily on maximal coronary artery luminal dimensions, normalized as Z scores, and is calibrated to both past and current involvement. Patients with aneurysms require life-long and uninterrupted cardiology follow-up. These recommendations provide updated and best evidence-based guidance to healthcare providers who diagnose and manage Kawasaki disease, but clinical decision making should be individualized to specific patient circumstances. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  13. Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Caughlan, L.; Oakley, K.L.

    2001-01-01

    For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program’s focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said than done. Frequently, the true costs of monitoring are not recognized and are, therefore, underestimated. Benefits are rarely evaluated, because they are difficult to quantify. The intent of this review is to assist the designers and managers of long-term ecological monitoring programs by providing a general framework for building and operating a cost-effective program. Previous considerations of monitoring costs have focused on sampling design optimization. We present cost considerations of monitoring in a broader context. We explore monitoring costs, including both budgetary costs, what dollars are spent on, and economic costs, which include opportunity costs. Often, the largest portion of a monitoring program budget is spent on data collection, and other, critical aspects of the program, such as scientific oversight, training, data management, quality assurance, and reporting, are neglected. Recognizing and budgeting for all program costs is therefore a key factor in a program’s longevity. The close relationship between statistical issues and cost is discussed, highlighting the importance of sampling design, replication and power, and comparing the costs of alternative designs through pilot studies and simulation modeling. A monitoring program development process that includes explicit checkpoints for considering costs is presented. The first checkpoint occurs during the setting of objectives and during sampling design optimization. The last checkpoint occurs once the basic shape of the program is known, and the costs and benefits, or alternatively the cost

  14. Cost considerations for long-term ecological monitoring

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Caughlan, L.; Oakley, K.L.

    2001-01-01

    For an ecological monitoring program to be successful over the long-term, the perceived benefits of the information must justify the cost. Financial limitations will always restrict the scope of a monitoring program, hence the program's focus must be carefully prioritized. Clearly identifying the costs and benefits of a program will assist in this prioritization process, but this is easier said than done. Frequently, the true costs of monitoring are not recognized and are, therefore, underestimated. Benefits are rarely evaluated, because they are difficult to quantify. The intent of this review is to assist the designers and managers of long-term ecological monitoring programs by providing a general framework for building and operating a cost-effective program. Previous considerations of monitoring costs have focused on sampling design optimization. We present cost considerations of monitoring in a broader context. We explore monitoring costs, including both budgetary costs--what dollars are spent on--and economic costs, which include opportunity costs. Often, the largest portion of a monitoring program budget is spent on data collection, and other, critical aspects of the program, such as scientific oversight, training, data management, quality assurance, and reporting, are neglected. Recognizing and budgeting for all program costs is therefore a key factor in a program's longevity. The close relationship between statistical issues and cost is discussed, highlighting the importance of sampling design, replication and power, and comparing the costs of alternative designs through pilot studies and simulation modeling. A monitoring program development process that includes explicit checkpoints for considering costs is presented. The first checkpoint occur during the setting of objectives and during sampling design optimization. The last checkpoint occurs once the basic shape of the program is known, and the costs and benefits, or alternatively the cost

  15. Orthogeriatric co-management improves the outcome of long-term care residents with fragility fractures.

    PubMed

    Gosch, M; Hoffmann-Weltin, Y; Roth, T; Blauth, M; Nicholas, J A; Kammerlander, C

    2016-10-01

    Fragility fractures are a major health care problem worldwide. Both hip and non-hip fractures are associated with excess mortality in the years following the fracture. Residents of long-term nursing homes represent a special high-risk group for poor outcomes. Orthogeriatric co-management models of care have shown in multiple studies to have medical as well as economic advantages, but their impact on this high-risk group has not been well studied. We studied the outcome of long-term care residents with hip and non-hip fractures admitted to a geriatric fracture center. The study design is a single center, prospective cohort study at a level-I trauma center in Austria running a geriatric fracture center. The cohort included all fragility fracture patients aged over 70 admitted from a long-term care residence from May 2009 to November 2011. The data set consisted of 265 patients; the mean age was 86.8 ± 6.7 years, and 80 % were female. The mean follow-up after the index fracture was 789 days, with a range from 1 to 1842 days. Basic clinical and demographic data were collected at hospital admission. Functional status and mobility were assessed during follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. Additional outcome data regarding readmissions for new fractures were obtained from the hospital information database; mortality was crosschecked with the death registry from the governmental institute of epidemiology. 187 (70.6 %) patients died during the follow-up period, with 78 patients (29.4 %) dying in the first year. The mean life expectancy after the index fracture was 527 (±431) days. Differences in mortality rates between hip and non-hip fracture patients were not statistically significant. Compared to reported mortality rates in the literature, hip fracture patients in this orthogeriatric-comanaged cohort had a significantly reduced one-year mortality [OR of 0.57 (95 % CI 0.31-0.85)]. After adjustment for confounders, only older age (OR 1.091; p = 0.013; CI 1

  16. Managing Osteoporosis Patients after Long-Term Bisphosphonate Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Adler, Robert A.; Fuleihan, Ghada El-Hajj; Bauer, Douglas C.; Camacho, Pauline M.; Clarke, Bart L.; Clines, Gregory A.; Compston, Juliet E.; Drake, Matthew T.; Edwards, Beatrice J.; Favus, Murray J.; Greenspan, Susan L.; McKinney, Ross; Pignolo, Robert J.; Sellmeyer, Deborah E.

    2016-01-01

    Bisphosphonates (BPs) are the most commonly used medications for osteoporosis, but optimal duration of therapy is unknown. This ASBMR report provides guidance on BP therapy duration with a risk benefit perspective. Two trials provided evidence for long-term BP use. In the Fracture Intervention Trial Long-term Extension (FLEX), postmenopausal women receiving alendronate for 10 years had fewer clinical vertebral fractures than those switched to placebo after 5 years. In the HORIZON extension, women who received 6 annual infusions of zoledronic acid had fewer morphometric vertebral fractures compared with those switched to placebo after 3 years. Low hip T-score between −2 and −2.5 in FLEX and below −2.5 in HORIZON extension predicted a beneficial response to continued therapy. Hence, the Task Force suggests that after 5 years of oral BP or 3 years of intravenous BP, women should be reassessed. Women with previous major osteoporotic fracture, those who fracture on therapy, or others at high risk should generally continue therapy for up to 10 years (oral) or 6 years (intravenous), with periodic risk-benefit evaluation. Older women, those with a low hip T-score or high fracture risk score are considered high risk. The risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical femoral fracture increases with BP therapy duration, but such rare events are far outweighed by fracture risk reduction with BPs in high risk patients. For women not at high fracture risk after 3–5 years of BP treatment, a drug holiday of 2–3 years can be considered, with periodic reassessment. The algorithm provided for long term BP use is based on limited evidence in mostly Caucasian postmenopausal women and only for vertebral fracture reduction. It is probably applicable to men and patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, with some adaptations. It is unlikely that future osteoporosis trials will provide data for formulating definitive recommendations. PMID:26350171

  17. A duality theorem-based algorithm for inexact quadratic programming problems: Application to waste management under uncertainty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kong, X. M.; Huang, G. H.; Fan, Y. R.; Li, Y. P.

    2016-04-01

    In this study, a duality theorem-based algorithm (DTA) for inexact quadratic programming (IQP) is developed for municipal solid waste (MSW) management under uncertainty. It improves upon the existing numerical solution method for IQP problems. The comparison between DTA and derivative algorithm (DAM) shows that the DTA method provides better solutions than DAM with lower computational complexity. It is not necessary to identify the uncertain relationship between the objective function and decision variables, which is required for the solution process of DAM. The developed method is applied to a case study of MSW management and planning. The results indicate that reasonable solutions have been generated for supporting long-term MSW management and planning. They could provide more information as well as enable managers to make better decisions to identify desired MSW management policies in association with minimized cost under uncertainty.

  18. Waste management with recourse: an inexact dynamic programming model containing fuzzy boundary intervals in objectives and constraints.

    PubMed

    Tan, Q; Huang, G H; Cai, Y P

    2010-09-01

    The existing inexact optimization methods based on interval-parameter linear programming can hardly address problems where coefficients in objective functions are subject to dual uncertainties. In this study, a superiority-inferiority-based inexact fuzzy two-stage mixed-integer linear programming (SI-IFTMILP) model was developed for supporting municipal solid waste management under uncertainty. The developed SI-IFTMILP approach is capable of tackling dual uncertainties presented as fuzzy boundary intervals (FuBIs) in not only constraints, but also objective functions. Uncertainties expressed as a combination of intervals and random variables could also be explicitly reflected. An algorithm with high computational efficiency was provided to solve SI-IFTMILP. SI-IFTMILP was then applied to a long-term waste management case to demonstrate its applicability. Useful interval solutions were obtained. SI-IFTMILP could help generate dynamic facility-expansion and waste-allocation plans, as well as provide corrective actions when anticipated waste management plans are violated. It could also greatly reduce system-violation risk and enhance system robustness through examining two sets of penalties resulting from variations in fuzziness and randomness. Moreover, four possible alternative models were formulated to solve the same problem; solutions from them were then compared with those from SI-IFTMILP. The results indicate that SI-IFTMILP could provide more reliable solutions than the alternatives. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A Specific Long-Term Plan for Management of U.S. Nuclear Spent Fuel

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

    Levy, Salomon

    2006-07-01

    A specific plan consisting of six different steps is proposed to accelerate and improve the long-term management of U.S. Light Water Reactor (LWR) spent nuclear fuel. The first step is to construct additional, centralized, engineered (dry cask) spent fuel facilities to have a backup solution to Yucca Mountain (YM) delays or lack of capacity. The second step is to restart the development of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), in a burner mode, because of its inherent safety characteristics and its extensive past development in contrast to Acceleration Driven Systems (ADS). The IFR and an improved non-proliferation version of its pyro-processingmore » technology can burn the plutonium (Pu) and minor actinides (MA) obtained by reprocessing LWR spent fuel. The remaining IFR and LWR fission products will be treated for storage at YM. The radiotoxicity of that high level waste (HLW) will fall below that of natural uranium in less than one thousand years. Due to anticipated increased capital, maintenance, and research costs for IFR, the third step is to reduce the required number of IFRs and their potential delays by implementing multiple recycles of Pu and Neptunium (Np) MA in LWR. That strategy is to use an advanced separation process, UREX+, and the MIX Pu option where the role and degradation of Pu is limited by uranium enrichment. UREX+ will decrease proliferation risks by avoiding Pu separation while the MIX fuel will lead to an equilibrium fuel recycle mode in LWR which will reduce U. S. Pu inventory and deliver much smaller volumes of less radioactive HLW to YM. In both steps two and three, Research and Development (R and D) is to emphasize the demonstration of multiple fuel reprocessing and fabrication, while improving HLW treatment, increasing proliferation resistance, and reducing losses of fissile material. The fourth step is to license and construct YM because it is needed for the disposal of defense wastes and the HLW to be generated under the proposed plan

  20. Management and prevalence of long-term conditions in primary health care for adults with intellectual disabilities compared with the general population: A population-based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Sally-Ann; Hughes-McCormack, Laura; Greenlaw, Nicola; McConnachie, Alex; Allan, Linda; Baltzer, Marion; McArthur, Laura; Henderson, Angela; Melville, Craig; McSkimming, Paula; Morrison, Jill

    2018-01-01

    In the UK, general practitioners/family physicians receive pay for performance on management of long-term conditions, according to best-practice indicators. Management of long-term conditions was compared between 721 adults with intellectual disabilities and the general population (n = 764,672). Prevalence of long-term conditions was determined, and associated factors were investigated via logistic regression analyses. Adults with intellectual disabilities received significantly poorer management of all long-term conditions on 38/57 (66.7%) indicators. Achievement was high (75.1%-100%) for only 19.6% of adults with intellectual disabilities, compared with 76.8% of the general population. Adults with intellectual disabilities had higher rates of epilepsy, psychosis, hypothyroidism, asthma, diabetes and heart failure. There were no clear associations with neighbourhood deprivation. Adults with intellectual disabilities receive poorer care, despite conditions being more prevalent. The imperative now is to find practical, implementable means of supporting the challenges that general practices face in delivering equitable care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Medical waste management plan.

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

    Lane, Todd W.; VanderNoot, Victoria A.

    2004-12-01

    This plan describes the process for managing research generated medical waste at Sandia National Laboratories/California. It applies to operations at the Chemical and Radiation Detection Laboratory (CRDL), Building 968, and other biosafety level 1 or 2 activities at the site. It addresses the accumulation, storage, treatment and disposal of medical waste and sharps waste. It also describes the procedures to comply with regulatory requirements and SNL policies applicable to medical waste.

  2. Solid waste management in Kolkata, India: Practices and challenges

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

    Hazra, Tumpa; Goel, Sudha

    2009-01-15

    This paper presents an overview of current solid waste management (SWM) practices in Kolkata, India and suggests solutions to some of the major problems. More than 2920 ton/d of solid waste are generated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and the budget allocation for 2007-2008 was Rs. 1590 million (US$40 million), which amounts to Rs. 265/cap-y (US$6.7/cap-d) on SWM. This expenditure is insufficient to provide adequate SWM services. Major deficiencies were found in all elements of SWM. Despite 70% of the SWM budget being allocated for collection, collection efficiency is around 60-70% for the registered residents and less thanmore » 20% for unregistered residents (slum dwellers). The collection process is deficient in terms of manpower and vehicle availability. Bin capacity provided is adequate but locations were found to be inappropriate, thus contributing to the inefficiency of the system. At this time, no treatment is provided to the waste and waste is dumped on open land at Dhapa after collection. Lack of suitable facilities (equipment and infrastructure) and underestimates of waste generation rates, inadequate management and technical skills, improper bin collection, and route planning are responsible for poor collection and transportation of municipal solid wastes.« less

  3. Solid waste management in Kolkata, India: practices and challenges.

    PubMed

    Hazra, Tumpa; Goel, Sudha

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of current solid waste management (SWM) practices in Kolkata, India and suggests solutions to some of the major problems. More than 2920ton/d of solid waste are generated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and the budget allocation for 2007-2008 was Rs. 1590 million (US$40 million), which amounts to Rs. 265/cap-y (US$6.7/cap-d) on SWM. This expenditure is insufficient to provide adequate SWM services. Major deficiencies were found in all elements of SWM. Despite 70% of the SWM budget being allocated for collection, collection efficiency is around 60-70% for the registered residents and less than 20% for unregistered residents (slum dwellers). The collection process is deficient in terms of manpower and vehicle availability. Bin capacity provided is adequate but locations were found to be inappropriate, thus contributing to the inefficiency of the system. At this time, no treatment is provided to the waste and waste is dumped on open land at Dhapa after collection. Lack of suitable facilities (equipment and infrastructure) and underestimates of waste generation rates, inadequate management and technical skills, improper bin collection, and route planning are responsible for poor collection and transportation of municipal solid wastes.

  4. The value of long-term silvicultural research studies

    Treesearch

    Wayne D. Shepperd; Carleton B. Edminster

    1997-01-01

    Reductions in research operating budgets and recent trends in research management philosophy have in many instances forced Forest Service scientists to realign their research programs to compete for short-term grants and other sources of funding. This approach may prove detrimental in silviculture, a discipline where long-term research is critical for: (1) research in...

  5. Reforming Management of Behavior Symptoms and Psychiatric Conditions in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Different Perspective.

    PubMed

    Levenson, Steven A; Desai, Abhilash K

    2017-04-01

    Despite much attention including national initiatives, concerns remain about the approaches to managing behavior symptoms and psychiatric conditions across all settings, including in long-term care settings such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities. One key reason why problems persist is because most efforts to "reform" and "correct" the situation have failed to explore or address root causes and instead have promoted inadequate piecemeal "solutions." Further improvement requires jumping off the bandwagon and rethinking the entire issue, including recognizing and applying key concepts of clinical reasoning and the care delivery process to every situation. The huge negative impact of cognitive biases and rote approaches on related clinical problem solving and decision making and patient outcomes also must be addressed. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Long-term Use of Opioids for Complex Chronic Pain

    PubMed Central

    Von Korff, Michael R.

    2014-01-01

    Increased opioid prescribing for back pain and other chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions has been accompanied by dramatic increases in prescription opioid addiction and fatal overdose. Opioid-related risks appear to increase with dose. While short-term randomized trials of opioids for chronic pain have found modest analgesic benefits (a one-third reduction in pain intensity on average), the long-term safety and effectiveness of opioids for chronic musculoskeletal pain is unknown. Given the lack of large, long-term randomized trials, recent epidemiologic data suggests the need for caution when considering long-term use of opioids to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain, particularly at higher dosage levels. Principles for achieving more selective and cautious use of opioids for chronic musculoskeletal pain are proposed. PMID:24315147

  7. Short- and long-term releases of fluorocarbons from disposal of polyurethane foam waste.

    PubMed

    Kjeldsen, Peter; Scheutz, Charlotte

    2003-11-01

    Several halocarbons having very high global warming or ozone depletion potentials have been used as a blowing agent (BA) for insulation foam in home appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers. Many appliances are shredded after the end of their useful life. Release experiments carried out in the laboratory on insulation foam blown with the blowing agents CFC-11, HCFC-141b, HCF-134fa, and HFC-245fa revealed that not all blowing agents are released during a 6-week period following the shredding process. The experiments confirmed the hypothesis that the release could be divided into three segments: By shredding foam panels, a proportion of the closed cells is either split or damaged to a degree allowing for a sudden release of the contained atmosphere in the cell (the instantaneous release). Cells adjacent to the cut surface may be only slightly damaged by tiny cracks or holes allowing a relative slow release of the BA to the surroundings (the short-term release). A significant portion of the cells in the foam particle will be unaffected and only allows release governed by slow diffusion through the PUR cell wall (the long-term release). The magnitude of the releases is for all three types highly dependent on how fine the foam is shredded. The residual blowing agent remaining after the 6-week period may be very slowly released if the integrity of the foam particles with respect to diffusion properties is kept after disposal of the foam waste on landfills. It is shown by setting up a national model simulating the BA releases following decommissioning of used domestic refrigerators/freezers in the United States that the release patterns are highly dependent on how the appliances are shredded.

  8. Management of exposure to waste anesthetic gases.

    PubMed

    Smith, Francis Duval

    2010-04-01

    Anesthetic agents were developed in the 1700s, and nitrous oxide was first used in 1884. Research on the effects of waste anesthetic gas exposure started appearing in the literature in 1967. Short-term exposure causes lethargy and fatigue, and long-term exposure may be linked to spontaneous abortion, congenital abnormalities, infertility, premature births, cancer, and renal and hepatic disease. Today, perioperative staff members are exposed to trace amounts of waste anesthetic gas, and although this exposure cannot be eliminated, it can be controlled. Health care facilities are required to develop, implement, measure, and control practices to reduce anesthetic gas exposure to the lowest practical level. Exposure levels must be measured every six months and maintained at less than 25 parts per million for nitrous oxide and 2 parts per million for halogenated agents to be compliant with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. Copyright 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Destined for indecision? A critical analysis of waste management practices in England from 1996 to 2013.

    PubMed

    Farmer, T D; Shaw, P J; Williams, I D

    2015-05-01

    European nations are compelled to reduce reliance on landfill as a destination for household waste, and should, in principle, achieve this goal with due recognition of the aims and principles of the waste hierarchy. Past research has predominantly focused on recycling, whilst interactions between changing waste destinies, causes and drivers of household waste management change, and potential consequences for the goal of the waste hierarchy are less well understood. This study analysed Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW) for England, at national, regional and sub-regional level, in terms of the destination of household waste to landfill, incineration and recycling. Information about waste partnerships, waste management infrastructure and collection systems was collected to help identify and explain changes in waste destinies. Since 1996, the proportion of waste landfilled in England has decreased, in tandem with increases in recycling and incineration. At the regional and sub-regional (Local Authority; LA) level, there have been large variations in the relative proportions of waste landfilled, incinerated and recycled or composted. Annual increases in the proportion of household waste incinerated were typically larger than increases in the proportion recycled. The observed changes took place in the context of legal and financial drivers, and the circumstances of individual LAs (e.g. landfill capacity) also explained the changes seen. Where observed, shifts from landfill towards incineration constitute an approach whereby waste management moves up the waste hierarchy as opposed to an attempt to reach the most preferred option(s); in terms of resource efficiency, this practice is sub-optimal. The requirement to supply incinerators with a feedstock over their lifespan reduces the benefits of developing of recycling and waste reduction, although access to incineration infrastructure permits short-term and marked decreases in the proportion of LACW landfilled. We

  10. Stakeholder opinions on a transformational model of pain management in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Hadjistavropoulos, Thomas; Janzen Claude, Jennifer A; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Marchildon, Gregory P; Kaasalainen, Sharon; Gallagher, Romayne; Beattie, B Lynn

    2011-07-01

    Pain in older adults with dementia who reside in long-term care (LTC) facilities tends to be undertreated, despite important guidelines designed to ameliorate this problem. A group of public policy and geriatric pain experts recently concluded that existing guidelines are not being implemented because they fail to take into account policy and resource realities. The group published a set of more feasible guidelines that confront these realities (e.g., a recommendation for very brief pain assessments that can be conducted by nursing staff at least weekly). We asked stakeholders to provide opinions on the possibility of implementation of these guidelines within their LTC facilities. Our results support the feasibility of, interest in, and desirability of implementation. They also support an increased role for nurse leadership in LTC pain management. These results could be used to strengthen advocacy efforts for improvement in pain management. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  11. Surgical management of penile fracture and long-term outcome on erectile function and voiding.

    PubMed

    Hatzichristodoulou, Georgios; Dorstewitz, Annika; Gschwend, Jürgen E; Herkommer, Kathleen; Zantl, Niko

    2013-05-01

    Penile fracture is an emergency in urology. Surgical management is recommended, but objective data of postoperative long-term effects, especially regarding voiding and erectile function, vary. To assess long-term results of patients undergoing surgical therapy for penile fracture. Patients presenting with suspicion of penile fracture were included in this study. Diagnosis of penile fracture was made by clinical assessment and surgery performed thereafter. The defect of the tunica albuginea was closed by absorbable suture. In case of concomitant urethral lesion, the defect was repaired simultaneously. Voiding and erectile function were evaluated at long-term follow-up by mail. Patients' status before penile fracture was assessed retroactively. Erectile function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire and voiding function by the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire. N = 34 patients were included. Penile fracture was suspected in 28/34 (82.4%) patients. Twenty-six of the 28 (92.9%) patients underwent surgery. Only less than half of confirmed fracture patients presented with the classical triad of an audible crack, detumescense, and hematoma. Fourteen of the 26 (53.8%) patients after surgery were available for follow-up. Mean follow-up was 45.6 months (range: 3.6-128.4). In 13/14 (92.9%) patients, penile fracture was confirmed by surgery. At follow-up, 7/13 (53.8%) patients had impaired erectile function, with 3/13 (23.1%) patients needing medical treatment. Four of the 13 (30.8%) patients showed deterioration of voiding including occurrence of urethral fistula. Penile fracture is an emergency for which surgery should be offered. Clinical suspicion of fracture should be high even with hematoma alone. Concomitant urethral injury is common, particularly with bilateral corporal rupture and/or initial hematuria. Preoperative counseling should include discussion of long-term erectile and voiding dysfunction, penile

  12. Factors influencing household participation in solid waste management (Case study: Waste Bank Malang)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maryati, S.; Arifiani, N. F.; Humaira, A. N. S.; Putri, H. T.

    2018-03-01

    Solid waste management is very important measure in order to reduce the amount of waste. One of solid waste management form in Indonesia is waste banks. This kind of solid waste management required high level of participation of the community. The objective of this study is to explore factors influencing household participation in waste banks. Waste bank in Malang City (WBM) was selected as case study. Questionnaires distribution and investigation in WBM were conducted to identify problems of participation. Quantitative analysis was used to analyze the data. The research reveals that education, income, and knowledge about WBM have relationship with participation in WBM.

  13. Decision Support System For Management Of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal At The Nevada Test Site

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

    Shott, G.; Yucel, V.; Desotell, L.

    2006-07-01

    The long-term safety of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) low-level radioactive disposal facilities is assessed by conducting a performance assessment -- a systematic analysis that compares estimated risks to the public and the environment with performance objectives contained in DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. Before site operations, facilities design features such as final inventory, waste form characteristics, and closure cover design may be uncertain. Site operators need a modeling tool that can be used throughout the operational life of the disposal site to guide decisions regarding the acceptance of problematic waste streams, new disposal cell design, environmental monitoringmore » program design, and final site closure. In response to these needs the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) has developed a decision support system for the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site in Frenchman Flat on the Nevada Test Site. The core of the system is a probabilistic inventory and performance assessment model implemented in the GoldSim{sup R} simulation platform. The modeling platform supports multiple graphic capabilities that allow clear documentation of the model data sources, conceptual model, mathematical implementation, and results. The combined models have the capability to estimate disposal site inventory, contaminant concentrations in environmental media, and radiological doses to members of the public engaged in various activities at multiple locations. The model allows rapid assessment and documentation of the consequences of waste management decisions using the most current site characterization information, radionuclide inventory, and conceptual model. The model is routinely used to provide annual updates of site performance, evaluate the consequences of disposal of new waste streams, develop waste concentration limits, optimize the design of new disposal cells, and assess the adequacy of

  14. Digital health system for personalised COPD long-term management.

    PubMed

    Velardo, Carmelo; Shah, Syed Ahmar; Gibson, Oliver; Clifford, Gari; Heneghan, Carl; Rutter, Heather; Farmer, Andrew; Tarassenko, Lionel

    2017-02-20

    Recent telehealth studies have demonstrated minor impact on patients affected by long-term conditions. The use of technology does not guarantee the compliance required for sustained collection of high-quality symptom and physiological data. Remote monitoring alone is not sufficient for successful disease management. A patient-centred design approach is needed in order to allow the personalisation of interventions and encourage the completion of daily self-management tasks. A digital health system was designed to support patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in self-managing their condition. The system includes a mobile application running on a consumer tablet personal computer and a secure backend server accessible to the health professionals in charge of patient management. The patient daily routine included the completion of an adaptive, electronic symptom diary on the tablet, and the measurement of oxygen saturation via a wireless pulse oximeter. The design of the system was based on a patient-centred design approach, informed by patient workshops. One hundred and ten patients in the intervention arm of a randomised controlled trial were subsequently given the tablet computer and pulse oximeter for a 12-month period. Patients were encouraged, but not mandated, to use the digital health system daily. The average used was 6.0 times a week by all those who participated in the full trial. Three months after enrolment, patients were able to complete their symptom diary and oxygen saturation measurement in less than 1 m 40s (96% of symptom diaries). Custom algorithms, based on the self-monitoring data collected during the first 50 days of use, were developed to personalise alert thresholds. Strategies and tools aimed at refining a digital health intervention require iterative use to enable convergence on an optimal, usable design. 'Continuous improvement' allowed feedback from users to have an immediate impact on the design of the system (e

  15. E-waste management in India: A mini-review.

    PubMed

    Awasthi, Abhishek Kumar; Wang, Mengmeng; Wang, Zhishi; Awasthi, Mrigendra Kumar; Li, Jinhui

    2018-05-01

    Environmental deterioration and health risk due to improper e-waste management has become a serious issue in India. The major portion of e-waste reaches an unorganized e-waste recycling sector and is then treated by using crude methods. This review article presents a brief highlight on e-waste management status, legislation, and technology uses in India. The present e-waste management needs to be more focused on environmentally sound management, by more active support from all the participants involved in the e-waste flow chain in India.

  16. Optimised management of orphan wastes in the UK

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

    Doudou, Slimane; McTeer, Jennifer; Wickham, Stephen

    2013-07-01

    Orphan wastes have properties preventing them from being managed according to existing or currently planned management routes, or lack characterisation so that their management is uncertain. The identification of new management opportunities for orphan wastes could realise significant benefits by reducing the number of processing facilities required, reducing waste volumes, reducing hazard or leading to the development of centres of excellence for the processing of certain types of orphan wastes. Information on the characteristics of orphan waste existing at nuclear licensed sites across the UK has been collated and a database developed to act as a repository for the informationmore » gathered. The database provides a capability to analyse the data and to explore possible treatment technologies for each orphan waste type. Thirty five distinct orphan waste types have been defined and possible treatment options considered. Treatment technologies (including chemical, high temperature, immobilisation and physical technologies) that could be applied to one or more of the generic orphan waste streams have been identified. Wiring diagrams have been used to highlight the waste treatment / lifecycle management options that are available for each of the generic orphan groups as well as identifying areas for further research and development. This work has identified the potential for optimising the management of orphan wastes in a number of areas, and many potential opportunities were identified. Such opportunities could be investigated by waste managers at waste producing nuclear sites, to facilitate the development of new management routes for orphan wastes. (authors)« less

  17. Analysis on 3RWB model (Reduce, reuse, recycle, and waste bank) in comprehensive waste management toward community-based zero waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Affandy, Nur Azizah; Isnaini, Enik; Laksono, Arif Budi

    2017-06-01

    Waste management becomes a serious issue in Indonesia. Significantly, waste production in Lamongan Regency is increasing in linear with the growth of population and current people activities, creating a gap between waste production and waste management. It is a critical problem that should be solved immediately. As a reaction to the issue, the Government of Lamongan Regency has enacted a new policy regarding waste management through a program named Lamongan Green and Clean (LGC). From the collected data, it showed that the "wet waste" or "organic waste" was approximately 63% of total domestic waste. With such condition, it can be predicted that the trashes will decompose quite quickly. From the observation, it was discovered that the generated waste was approximately 0.25 kg/person/day. Meanwhile, the number of population in Tumenggungan Village, Lamongan (data obtained from Monograph in Lamongan district, 2012) was 4651 people. Thus, it can be estimated the total waste in Lamongan was approximately 0.25 kg/person/day x 4651 characters = 930 kg/day. Within 3RWB Model, several stages have to be conducted. In the planning stage, the promotion of self-awareness among the communities in selecting and managing waste due to their interest in a potential benefit, is done. It indicated that community's awareness of waste management waste grew significantly. Meanwhile in socialization stage, each village staff, environmental expert, and policymaker should bear significant role in disseminating the awareness among the people. In the implementation phase, waste management with 3RWB model is promoted by applying it among of the community, starting from selection, waste management, until recycled products sale through the waste bank. In evaluation stage, the village managers, environmental expert, and waste managers are expected to regularly supervise and evaluate the whole activity of the waste management.

  18. Flowsheets and source terms for radioactive waste projections

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

    Forsberg, C.W.

    1985-03-01

    Flowsheets and source terms used to generate radioactive waste projections in the Integrated Data Base (IDB) Program are given. Volumes of each waste type generated per unit product throughput have been determined for the following facilities: uranium mining, UF/sub 6/ conversion, uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, boiling-water reactors (BWRs), pressurized-water reactors (PWRs), and fuel reprocessing. Source terms for DOE/defense wastes have been developed. Expected wastes from typical decommissioning operations for each facility type have been determined. All wastes are also characterized by isotopic composition at time of generation and by general chemical composition. 70 references, 21 figures, 53 tables.

  19. Evaluation of the leucine incorporation technique for detection of pollution-induced community tolerance to copper in a long-term agricultural field trial with urban waste fertilizers.

    PubMed

    Lekfeldt, Jonas Duus Stevens; Magid, Jakob; Holm, Peter E; Nybroe, Ole; Brandt, Kristian Koefoed

    2014-11-01

    Copper (Cu) is known to accumulate in agricultural soils receiving urban waste products as fertilizers. We here report the use of the leucine incorporation technique to determine pollution-induced community tolerance (Leu-PICT) to Cu in a long-term agricultural field trial. A significantly increased bacterial community tolerance to Cu was observed for soils amended with organic waste fertilizers and was positively correlated with total soil Cu. However, metal speciation and whole-cell bacterial biosensor analysis demonstrated that the observed PICT responses could be explained entirely by Cu speciation and bioavailability artifacts during Leu-PICT detection. Hence, the agricultural application of urban wastes (sewage sludge or composted municipal waste) simulating more than 100 years of use did not result in sufficient accumulation of Cu to select for Cu resistance. Our findings also have implications for previously published PICT field studies and demonstrate that stringent PICT detection criteria are needed for field identification of specific toxicants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Participatory health impact assessment used to support decision-making in waste management planning: A replicable experience from Italy.

    PubMed

    Linzalone, Nunzia; Coi, Alessio; Lauriola, Paolo; Luise, Daniela; Pedone, Alessandra; Romizi, Roberto; Sallese, Domenico; Bianchi, Fabrizio

    2017-01-01

    The lack of participatory tools in Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to support decision-makers is a critical factor that negatively affects the impacts of waste policies. This study describes the participatory HIA used in deciding on the possible doubling of the municipal solid waste incinerating plant located near the city of Arezzo, Italy. Within the framework of the new waste management plan, a methodology for the democratic participation of stakeholders was designed adopting the Local Agenda 21 methodology. Communication and participation events with the stakeholders were set up from the plan's development to its implementation. Eleven different categories of stakeholders including individual citizens were involved in 21 local events, reaching over 500 participants in three years. Actions were performed to build the commitment and ownership of the local administrators. Then, together with the environment and health agencies and a representative from the local committees, the local administrators collaborated with scientists and technicians in the knowledge-building and scoping stages. Focus groups of voluntary citizens worked together with the researchers to provide qualitative and quantitative evidence in the assessment stage. Periodic public forums were held to discuss processes, methods and findings. The local government authority considered the HIA results in the final decision and a new waste strategy was adopted both in the short term (increased curbside collection, waste sustainability program) and in the long term (limited repowering of the incinerator, new targets for separate collection). In conclusion, an effective participatory HIA was carried out at the municipal level to support decision makers in the waste management plan. The HIA21 study contributed to evidence-based decisions and to make a broadly participatory experience. The authors are confident that these achievements may improve the governance of the waste cycle and the trust in the public

  1. Medical waste management training for healthcare managers - a necessity?

    PubMed

    Ozder, Aclan; Teker, Bahri; Eker, Hasan Huseyin; Altındis, Selma; Kocaakman, Merve; Karabay, Oguz

    2013-07-16

    This is an interventional study, since a training has been given, performed in order to investigate whether training has significant impact on knowledge levels of healthcare managers (head-nurses, assistant head nurses, hospital managers and deputy managers) regarding bio-medical waste management. The study was conducted on 240 volunteers during June - August 2010 in 12 hospitals serving in Istanbul (private, public, university, training-research hospitals and other healthcare institutions). A survey form prepared by the project guidance team was applied to the participants through the internet before and after the training courses. The training program was composed of 40 hours of theory and 16 hours of practice sessions taught by persons known to have expertise in their fields. Methods used in the analysis of the data chi-square and t-tests in dependent groups. 67.5% (162) of participants were female. 42.5% (102) are working in private, and 21.7% in state-owned hospitals. 50.4% are head-nurses, and 18.3% are hospital managers.A statistically significant difference was found among those who had received medical waste management training (preliminary test and final test) and others who had not (p<0.01). It was observed that information levels of all healthcare managers who had received training on waste management had risen at the completion of that training session. On the subject of waste management, to have trained healthcare employees who are responsible for the safe disposal of wastes in hospitals is both a necessity for the safety of patients and important for its contribution to the economy of the country.

  2. General Summary of the National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (DHHS), Washington, DC.

    This paper summarizes the National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration Program, a project designed to test the feasibility and cost effectiveness of an alternative community-based long-term care service delivery concept for the frail elderly which integrated health and social services. Program management and early federal planning efforts are…

  3. Surgical Management for Destructive Atlantoaxial Spondyloarthropathy in Long-Term Hemodialysis Patients.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Je Hoon; Kim, Hee Kyung; Im, Soo Bin

    2017-01-01

    Atlantoaxial spondyloarthropathy most often results from rheumatoid arthritis, cancer metastasis, or basilar invagination. Dialysis-related spondyloarthropathy is a rare cause of spinal deformity and cervical myelopathy at the atlantoaxial joint. We report 2 patients on long-term hemodialysis who presented with atlantoaxial spondyloarthropathy. Two patients with end-stage renal failure presented with a history of progressively worsening neck pain, motion limitation, and gait disturbance. In both patients, radiologic findings showed a bone-destroying soft tissue mass lateral to C1 and C2, compressing the spinal cord and causing atlantoaxial instability. We performed a C1 laminectomy and C12 transarticular screw fixation and biopsied the osteolytic mass. The neck pain, hand numbness, and gait disturbance improved. Although the surgical management of these patients involves many challenges, appropriate decompression and fusion surgery is an effective treatment option. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Winning market positioning strategies for long term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Higgins, L F; Weinstein, K; Arndt, K

    1997-01-01

    The decision to develop an aggressive marketing strategy for its long term care facility has become a priority for the management of a one-hundred bed facility in the Rocky Mountain West. Financial success and lasting competitiveness require that the facility in question (Deer Haven) establish itself as the preferred provider of long term care for its target market. By performing a marketing communications audit, Deer Haven evaluated its present market position and created a strategy for solidifying and dramatizing this position. After an overview of present conditions in the industry, we offer a seven step process that provides practical guidance for positioning a long term care facility. We conclude by providing an example application.

  5. Conservative Management of Odontoid Peg Fractures, long term follow up.

    PubMed

    Osman, Aheed; Alageli, Nabil A; Short, D J; Masri, W S El

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the study was to look at the long-term effects of conservative management of odontoid peg fractures. We reviewed 48 consecutive patients with type II (32) and 16 type III, odontoid peg fractures. The clinical & radiological outcomes were assessed over an average period of follow up of 8 years. Union rate was determined and we discussed several factors that may affect it. Patients were treated conservatively with an average period of bed rest of 4 weeks followed by bracing for an average of 9 weeks. Bony union was established in 25 of 32 (78%) type II fractures. Of 7 cases of no bony union 4 were stable probably with fibrous union. 3 remained unstable. In 13 of 16(83%) type III fractures bony union was established. 2 of the 3 with no bony union were considered stable. Osseous non-union was higher in patients with displacement of >5 mm, but there is no correlation between union and age, gender or angulation of the fracture in both types.

  6. Significant alteration of soil bacterial communities and organic carbon decomposition by different long-term fertilization management conditions of extremely low-productivity arable soil in South China.

    PubMed

    Xun, Weibing; Zhao, Jun; Xue, Chao; Zhang, Guishan; Ran, Wei; Wang, Boren; Shen, Qirong; Zhang, Ruifu

    2016-06-01

    Different fertilization managements of red soil, a kind of Ferralic Cambisol, strongly affected the soil properties and associated microbial communities. The association of the soil microbial community and functionality with long-term fertilization management in the unique low-productivity red soil ecosystem is important for both soil microbial ecology and agricultural production. Here, 454 pyrosequencing analysis of 16S recombinant ribonucleic acid genes and GeoChip4-NimbleGen-based functional gene analysis were used to study the soil bacterial community composition and functional genes involved in soil organic carbon degradation. Long-term nitrogen-containing chemical fertilization-induced soil acidification and fertility decline and significantly altered the soil bacterial community, whereas long-term organic fertilization and fallow management improved the soil quality and maintained the bacterial diversity. Short-term quicklime remediation of the acidified soils did not change the bacterial communities. Organic fertilization and fallow management supported eutrophic ecosystems, in which copiotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher intensity of labile-C-degrading genes. However, long-term nitrogen-containing chemical fertilization treatments supported oligotrophic ecosystems, in which oligotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher intensity of recalcitrant-C-degrading genes but a lower intensity of labile-C-degrading genes. Quicklime application increased the relative abundance of copiotrophic taxa and crop production, although these effects were utterly inadequate. This study provides insights into the interaction of soil bacterial communities, soil functionality and long-term fertilization management in the red soil ecosystem; these insights are important for improving the fertility of unique low-productivity red soil. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Diabetes self-management education is not associated with a reduction in long-term diabetes complications: an effectiveness study in an elderly population.

    PubMed

    Shah, Baiju R; Hwee, Jeremiah; Cauch-Dudek, Karen; Ng, Ryan; Victor, J Charles

    2015-08-01

    The efficacy of diabetes self-management education on glycaemic control, self-care behaviour and knowledge has been established by short-term studies in experimental settings. The objective of this study was to assess its effectiveness to improve quality of care and reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications in unselected older patients with recently diagnosed diabetes in routine clinical care. Using population-level health care administrative databases and registries, all patients aged ≥66 years in Ontario, Canada with diabetes for <5 years were identified. Self-management education programme attendees (n = 8485) in 2006 were matched with non-attendees using high-dimensional propensity scores, creating extremely well-balanced study arms. Quality of care measures and the long-term risk of diabetes complications were compared. Self-management programme attendees were more likely than non-attendees to achieve process measures of quality of care such as retinal screening examinations (75.3% versus 70.3%, adjusted relative risk 1.05, 99% confidence interval 1.03-1.08), and ≥2 glycated haemoglobin tests (57.5% versus 53.3%, adjusted relative risk 1.08, 99% confidence interval 1.05-1.11). However, with a median follow-up of 5.3 years, diabetes complications and mortality were not different between arms. In real-world clinical care, self-management education for older patients with recently diagnosed diabetes was associated with modest improvements in quality of care, but no reductions in long-term clinical events. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Final environmental impact statement. Management of commercially generated radioactive waste. Volume 1 of 3

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

    Not Available

    1980-10-01

    This EIS analyzes the significant environmental impacts that could occur if various technologies for management and disposal of high-level and transuranic wastes from commercial nuclear power reactors were to be developed and implemented. This EIS will serve as the environmental input for the decision on which technology, or technologies, will be emphasized in further research and development activities in the commercial waste management program. The action proposed in this EIS is to (1) adopt a national strategy to develop mined geologic repositories for disposal of commercially generated high-level and transuranic radioactive waste (while continuing to examine subseabed and very deepmore » hole disposal as potential backup technologies) and (2) conduct a R and D program to develop such facilities and the necessary technology to ensure the safe long-term containment and isolation of these wastes. The Department has considered in this statement: development of conventionally mined deep geologic repositories for disposal of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors and/or radioactive fuel reprocessing wastes; balanced development of several alternative disposal methods; and no waste disposal action. This EIS reflects the public review of and comments offered on the draft statement. Included are descriptions of the characteristics of nuclear waste, the alternative disposal methods under consideration, and potential environmental impacts and costs of implementing these methods. Because of the programmatic nature of this document and the preliminary nature of certain design elements assumed in assessing the environmental consequences of the various alternatives, this study has been based on generic, rather than specific, systems. At such time as specific facilities are identified for particular sites, statements addressing site-specific aspects will be prepared for public review and comment.« less

  9. Contamination Mitigation Strategies for Long Duration Human Spaceflight Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lewis, Ruthan; Lupisella, Mark; Bleacher, Jake; Farrell, William

    2017-01-01

    Contamination control issues are particularly challenging for long-term human spaceflight and are associated with the search for life, dynamic environmental conditions, human-robotic-environment interaction, sample collection and return, biological processes, waste management, long-term environmental disturbance, etc. These issues impact mission success, human health, planetary protection, and research and discovery. Mitigation and control techniques and strategies may include and integrate long-term environmental monitoring and reporting, contamination control and planetary protection protocols, habitation site design, habitat design, and surface exploration and traverse pathways and area access planning.

  10. Short- and long-term theory-based predictors of physical activity in women who participated in a weight-management program.

    PubMed

    Wasserkampf, A; Silva, M N; Santos, I C; Carraça, E V; Meis, J J M; Kremers, S P J; Teixeira, P J

    2014-12-01

    This study analyzed psychosocial predictors of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and evaluated their associations with short- and long-term moderate plus vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and lifestyle physical activity (PA) outcomes in women who underwent a weight-management program. 221 participants (age 37.6 ± 7.02 years) completed a 12-month SDT-based lifestyle intervention and were followed-up for 24 months. Multiple linear regression analyses tested associations between psychosocial variables and self-reported short- and long-term PA outcomes. Regression analyses showed that control constructs of both theories were significant determinants of short- and long-term MVPA, whereas affective and self-determination variables were strong predictors of short- and long-term lifestyle PA. Regarding short-term prediction models, TPB constructs were stronger in predicting MVPA, whereas SDT was more effective in predicting lifestyle PA. For long-term models, both forms of PA were better predicted by SDT in comparison to TPB. These results highlight the importance of comparing health behavior theories to identify the mechanisms involved in the behavior change process. Control and competence constructs are crucial during early adoption of structured PA behaviors, whereas affective and intrinsic sources of motivation are more involved in incidental types of PA, particularly in relation to behavioral maintenance. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Waste management/waste certification plan for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Environmental Restoration Program

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

    Clark, C. Jr.; Hunt-Davenport, L.D.; Cofer, G.H.

    1995-03-01

    This Waste Management/Waste Certification (C) Plan, written for the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), outlines the criteria and methodologies to be used in the management of waste generated during ORNL ER field activities. Other agreed upon methods may be used in the management of waste with consultation with ER and Waste Management Organization. The intent of this plan is to provide information for the minimization, handling, and disposal of waste generated by ER activities. This plan contains provisions for the safe and effective management of waste consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA`s) guidance.more » Components of this plan have been designed to protect the environment and the health and safety of workers and the public. It, therefore, stresses that investigation derived waste (IDW) and other waste be managed to ensure that (1) all efforts be made to minimize the amount of waste generated; (2) costs associated with sampling storage, analysis, transportation, and disposal are minimized; (3) the potential for public and worker exposure is not increased; and (4) additional contaminated areas are not created.« less

  12. Destined for indecision? A critical analysis of waste management practices in England from 1996 to 2013

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

    Farmer, T.D.; Shaw, P.J.; Williams, I.D., E-mail: idw@soton.ac.uk

    Highlights: • Critical analysis of municipal waste management practices and performance in England. • Trends visualised via innovative ternary plots and changes and reasons explored. • Performance 1996–2013 moved slowly away from landfill dominance. • Large variations in %s of waste landfilled, incinerated and recycled/composted. • Progress to resource efficiency slow; affected by poor planning and hostile disputes. - Abstract: European nations are compelled to reduce reliance on landfill as a destination for household waste, and should, in principle, achieve this goal with due recognition of the aims and principles of the waste hierarchy. Past research has predominantly focused onmore » recycling, whilst interactions between changing waste destinies, causes and drivers of household waste management change, and potential consequences for the goal of the waste hierarchy are less well understood. This study analysed Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW) for England, at national, regional and sub-regional level, in terms of the destination of household waste to landfill, incineration and recycling. Information about waste partnerships, waste management infrastructure and collection systems was collected to help identify and explain changes in waste destinies. Since 1996, the proportion of waste landfilled in England has decreased, in tandem with increases in recycling and incineration. At the regional and sub-regional (Local Authority; LA) level, there have been large variations in the relative proportions of waste landfilled, incinerated and recycled or composted. Annual increases in the proportion of household waste incinerated were typically larger than increases in the proportion recycled. The observed changes took place in the context of legal and financial drivers, and the circumstances of individual LAs (e.g. landfill capacity) also explained the changes seen. Where observed, shifts from landfill towards incineration constitute an approach

  13. 40 CFR 60.35e - Waste management guidelines.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Waste management guidelines. 60.35e... Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators § 60.35e Waste management guidelines. For approval, a State plan shall include the requirements for a waste management plan at least as protective as those...

  14. 40 CFR 60.35e - Waste management guidelines.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Waste management guidelines. 60.35e... Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators § 60.35e Waste management guidelines. For approval, a State plan shall include the requirements for a waste management plan at least as protective as those...

  15. 40 CFR 60.35e - Waste management guidelines.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Waste management guidelines. 60.35e... Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators § 60.35e Waste management guidelines. For approval, a State plan shall include the requirements for a waste management plan at least as protective as those...

  16. 40 CFR 60.35e - Waste management guidelines.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Waste management guidelines. 60.35e... Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators § 60.35e Waste management guidelines. For approval, a State plan shall include the requirements for a waste management plan at least as protective as those...

  17. 45 CFR 671.13 - Waste management for the USAP.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... can be taken into account in planning future scientific, logistic and waste management programs. (e... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Waste management for the USAP. 671.13 Section 671... WASTE REGULATION Waste Management § 671.13 Waste management for the USAP. (a) In order to provide a...

  18. 45 CFR 671.13 - Waste management for the USAP.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... can be taken into account in planning future scientific, logistic and waste management programs. (e... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Waste management for the USAP. 671.13 Section 671... WASTE REGULATION Waste Management § 671.13 Waste management for the USAP. (a) In order to provide a...

  19. 45 CFR 671.13 - Waste management for the USAP.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... can be taken into account in planning future scientific, logistic and waste management programs. (e... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Waste management for the USAP. 671.13 Section 671... WASTE REGULATION Waste Management § 671.13 Waste management for the USAP. (a) In order to provide a...

  20. 45 CFR 671.13 - Waste management for the USAP.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... can be taken into account in planning future scientific, logistic and waste management programs. (e... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Waste management for the USAP. 671.13 Section 671... WASTE REGULATION Waste Management § 671.13 Waste management for the USAP. (a) In order to provide a...

  1. The Orbital Workshop Waste Management Compartment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    This image is a wide-angle view of the Orbital Workshop waste management compartment. The waste management facilities presented a unique challenge to spacecraft designers. In addition to collection of liquid and solid human wastes, there was a medical requirement to dry all solid human waste products and to return the residue to Earth for examination. Liquid human waste (urine) was frozen for return to Earth. Total quantities of each astronaut's liquid and solid wastes were precisely measured. Cabin air was drawn into the toilet, shown on the wall at right in this photograph, and over the waste products to generate a flow of the waste in the desired direction. The air was then filtered for odor control and antiseptic purposes prior to being discharged back into the cabin.

  2. Aerospace vehicle water-waste management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pecoraro, J. N.

    1973-01-01

    The collection and disposal of human wastes, such as urine and feces, in a spacecraft environment are performed in an aesthetic and reliable manner to prevent degradation of crew performance. The waste management system controls, transfers, and processes materials such as feces, emesis, food residues, used expendables, and other wastes. The requirements, collection, transport, and waste processing are described.

  3. The Basics of Long-Term Debt Issuance and Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Meter, Christine M.

    2011-01-01

    Issuing long-term debt can be a complex, multifaceted process. Although the process varies by stare, typically the school business official and the district solicitor work with the financing ream, which includes a financial adviser, bond counsel, underwriter, raring agency, and possibly a bond insurance agent, paying agent, and architect.…

  4. Healthcare waste management in Asia

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

    Prem Ananth, A.; Prashanthini, V.; Visvanathan, C., E-mail: visu@ait.ac.t

    The risks associated with healthcare waste and its management has gained attention across the world in various events, local and international forums and summits. However, the need for proper healthcare waste management has been gaining recognition slowly due to the substantial disease burdens associated with poor practices, including exposure to infectious agents and toxic substances. Despite the magnitude of the problem, practices, capacities and policies in many countries in dealing with healthcare waste disposal, especially developing nations, is inadequate and requires intensification. This paper looks upon aspects to drive improvements to the existing healthcare waste management situation. The paper placesmore » recommendation based on a 12 country study reflecting the current status. The paper does not advocate for any complex technology but calls for changes in mindset of all concerned stakeholders and identifies five important aspects for serious consideration. Understanding the role of governments and healthcare facilities, the paper also outlines three key areas for prioritized action for both parties - budget support, developing policies and legislation and technology and knowledge management.« less

  5. Healthcare waste management in Asia.

    PubMed

    Ananth, A Prem; Prashanthini, V; Visvanathan, C

    2010-01-01

    The risks associated with healthcare waste and its management has gained attention across the world in various events, local and international forums and summits. However, the need for proper healthcare waste management has been gaining recognition slowly due to the substantial disease burdens associated with poor practices, including exposure to infectious agents and toxic substances. Despite the magnitude of the problem, practices, capacities and policies in many countries in dealing with healthcare waste disposal, especially developing nations, is inadequate and requires intensification. This paper looks upon aspects to drive improvements to the existing healthcare waste management situation. The paper places recommendation based on a 12 country study reflecting the current status. The paper does not advocate for any complex technology but calls for changes in mindset of all concerned stakeholders and identifies five important aspects for serious consideration. Understanding the role of governments and healthcare facilities, the paper also outlines three key areas for prioritized action for both parties - budget support, developing policies and legislation and technology and knowledge management.

  6. A review of legal framework applicable for the management of healthcare waste and current management practices in Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Haylamicheal, Israel Deneke; Desalegne, Solomon Akalu

    2012-06-01

    The management of healthcare waste (HCW) requires special attention due to the risk posed by the presence of hazardous waste. The first step towards this is the issuance of national legislation complemented by policy documents, regulations and technical guidelines. In Ethiopia there is no specific legislation for healthcare waste management (HCWM). However, there are various legislations which may provide a legal framework for the management of HCW. This review assesses the various legislations that are relevant to HCWM. It also looks into the institutional arrangements put in place and waste management practices that prevail in the country. It was found that, although the existing legislations have provisions that may provide a legal framework for the management of HCW in Ethiopia, they are not comprehensive and lack specificity in terms of defining hazardous HCW and its categories; in indicating legal obligations of healthcare facilities (HCFs) in handling, transporting, treating and disposing HCW, and record keeping and reporting. There is overlapping of mandates and lackof co-ordination among various government institutions that are responsible for HCWM. The HCWM practices also do not conform to the principles of waste management in general and HCWM in particular. Thus, to better manage HCW in Ethiopia, a specific and comprehensive legislation and policy document on HCWM with clear designation of responsibilities to various stakeholders should be issued immediately. Moreover, training and awareness raising activities on proper HCWM should be undertaken targeting medical staffs, HCF administrators, waste handlers, policy and decision makers and the general public.

  7. Long-term effect of urethral dilatation and internal urethrotomy for urethral strictures.

    PubMed

    Veeratterapillay, Rajan; Pickard, Rob S

    2012-11-01

    Urethral dilatation and direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU) are widely used minimally invasive options to manage men with urethral strictures. Advances in open urethroplasty with better long-term cure rates have fuelled the continuing debate as to which treatment is best for primary and recurrent urethral strictures. We reviewed recent literature to identify contemporary practice of urethral dilatation and DVIU and the long-term outcome of these procedures. Systematic literature search for the period January 2010 to December 2011 showed that urethral dilatation and DVIU remain frequently used treatment options as confirmed by surveys of urologists in the USA and the Netherlands. Multiple reports of laser DVIU confirm the safety of this approach but long-term data were lacking. Stricture free rates from urethra dilatation and DVIU vary from 10 to 90% at 12 months, although adjunctive intermittent self-dilatation can reduce time to recurrence. Although quality-of-life benefit appears good in the short term, repeated procedures may harm sexual function in the long-term. Urethral dilatation and DVIU remain widely used in urethral stricture management but high-level comparative evidence of benefit and harms against urethroplasty in the short and long-term is still lacking.

  8. Modeling the long-term durability of concrete barriers in the context of low-activity waste storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Protière, Y.; Samson, E.; Henocq, P.

    2013-07-01

    The paper investigates the long-term durability of concrete barriers in contact with a cementitious wasteform designed to immobilize low-activity nuclear waste. The high-pH pore solution of the wasteform contains high concentration level of sulfate, nitrate, nitrite and alkalis. The multilayer concrete/wasteform system was modeled using a multiionic reactive transport model accounting for coupling between species, dissolution/ precipitation reactions, and feedback effect. One of the primary objectives was to investigate the risk associated with the presence of sulfate in the wasteform on the durability of concrete. Simulation results showed that formation of expansive phases, such as gypsum and ettringite, into the concrete barrier was not extensive. Based on those results, it was not possible to conclude that concrete would be severely damaged, even after 5,000 years. Lab work was performed to provide data to validate the modeling results. Paste samples were immersed in sulfate contact solutions and analyzed to measure the impact of the aggressive environment on the material. The results obtained so far tend to confirm the numerical simulations.

  9. WasteWise Resource Management: Innovative Solid Waste Contracting Methods

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Resource management is an innovative contractual partnership between a waste-generating organization and a qualified contractor that changes the nature of current disposal services to support waste minimization and recycling.

  10. What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

    PubMed

    Cowan, Nelson

    2008-01-01

    In the recent literature there has been considerable confusion about the three types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working memory. This chapter strives to reduce that confusion and makes up-to-date assessments of these types of memory. Long- and short-term memory could differ in two fundamental ways, with only short-term memory demonstrating (1) temporal decay and (2) chunk capacity limits. Both properties of short-term memory are still controversial but the current literature is rather encouraging regarding the existence of both decay and capacity limits. Working memory has been conceived and defined in three different, slightly discrepant ways: as short-term memory applied to cognitive tasks, as a multi-component system that holds and manipulates information in short-term memory, and as the use of attention to manage short-term memory. Regardless of the definition, there are some measures of memory in the short term that seem routine and do not correlate well with cognitive aptitudes and other measures (those usually identified with the term "working memory") that seem more attention demanding and do correlate well with these aptitudes. The evidence is evaluated and placed within a theoretical framework depicted in Fig. 1.

  11. Short- and Long-Term Stroke Risk after Urgent Management of Transient Ischaemic Attack: The Bologna TIA Clinical Pathway.

    PubMed

    Guarino, Maria; Rondelli, Francesca; Favaretto, Elisabetta; Stracciari, Andrea; Filippini, Massimo; Rinaldi, Rita; Zele, Ivana; Sartori, Michelangelo; Faggioli, Gianluca; Mondini, Susanna; Donti, Andrea; Strocchi, Enrico; Degli Esposti, Daniela; Muscari, Antonio; Veronesi, Maddalena; D'Addato, Sergio; Spinardi, Luca; Faccioli, Luca; Pastore Trossello, Marco; Cirignotta, Fabio

    2015-01-01

    Rapid management can reduce the short stroke risk after transient ischaemic attack (TIA), but the long-term effect is still little known. We evaluated 3-year vascular outcomes in patients with TIA after urgent care. We prospectively enrolled all consecutive patients with TIA diagnosed by a vascular neurologist and referred to our emergency department (ED). Expedited assessment and best secondary prevention was within 24 h. Endpoints were stroke within 90 days, and stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death at 12, 24 and 36 months. Between August 2010 and July 2013, we evaluated 686 patients with suspected TIA; 433 (63%) patients had confirmed TIA. Stroke at 90 days was 2.07% (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-3.9) compared with the ABCD2-predicted risk of 9.1%. The long-term stroke risk was 2.6% (95% CI, 1.1-4.2), 3.7% (95% CI, 1.6-5.9) and 4.4% (95% CI, 1.9-6.8) at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively. The composite outcome of stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death was 3.5% (95% CI, 1.7-5.1), 4.9% (95% CI, 2.5-7.4), and 5.6% (95% CI, 2.8-8.3) at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively. TIA expedited management driven by vascular neurologists was associated with a marked reduction in the expected early stroke risk and low long-term risk of stroke and other vascular events. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  12. Ongoing environmental monitoring and assessment of the long-term impacts of the February 2014 radiological release from the waste isolation pilot plant.

    PubMed

    Thakur, Punam; Runyon, Tim

    2018-04-09

    Three years ago, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) experienced its first minor accident involving a radiological release. Late in the evening on February 14, 2014, a waste container in the repository underwent a chemical reaction that caused the container to overheat and breach, releasing its contents into the underground. Following a lengthy recovery process, the facility recently resumed waste disposal operations. The accident released significant levels of radioactivity into the disposal room and adjacent exhaust drifts, and although no one was present in the underground at the time of the release, a total of 22 workers tested positive for very low level of radiation, presumably from some of the radioactive material that was released above ground through a small leak in the HEPA filtration system. The dominant radionuclides released were 241 Am and 239 + 240 Pu in a ratio that matched the content of the drum from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) that was eventually identified as the breached container. From the air particulate monitoring and plume modeling, it was concluded that the dose, at the nearest location accessible to the general public, from this radiation release event would have been less than 0.01 mSv (< 1 mrem/year). This level is well below the 0.1 mSv/year (10 mrem/year) regulatory limit for DOE facilities established by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).While no long-term impacts to public health or the environment are expected as a result of the WIPP radiation release, the limited ventilation and residual contamination levels in the underground are still a concern and pose a major challenge for the full recovery of WIPP. This article provides an up-to-date overview of environmental monitoring results through the WIPP recovery and an estimate of the long-term impacts of the accident on the natural and human environment.

  13. Guide to radioactive waste management literature

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

    Houser, B.L.; Holoway, C.F.; Madewell, D.G.

    Increased public concern about radioactive waste management has called attention to this aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle. Socio-economic planning and technical development are being undertaken to assure that such wastes will be managed safely. This Guide to Radioactive Waste Management Literature has been compiled to serve scientists, engineers, administrators, legislators, and private citizens by directing them to sources of information on various aspects of the subject. References were selected from about 6000 documents on waste management in the computerized information centers in Oak Ridge. The documents were selected, examined, indexed, and abstracted between 1966-1976 by several knowledgeable indexers, principallymore » at the Nuclear Safety Information Center. The selected references were further indexed and classified into 12 categories. Each category is discussed in enough detail to give some understandng of present technology in various phases of waste management and some appreciation of the attendant issues and problems. The bibliographic part of this guide exists in computerized form in the Health Physics Information System and is available through the Oak Ridge Information Center Complex for searching from remote terminals.« less

  14. 18. Uniform cost accounting in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Sorensen, J E

    1976-05-01

    Uniform cost data are essential for managing health services, establishing billing and reimbursement rates, and measuring effectiveness and impact. Although it is especially difficult in the case of long-term health care to develop standard cost accounting procedures because of the varied configurations of inpatient, intermediate, and ambulatory services, the overall approaches to cost accounting and its content can be made more uniform. With this purpose in mind, a general model of cost accounting is presented for a multilevel program of long-term services, together with a special method for ambulatory services using "hours accounted for" as the basic measure.

  15. [Role of long-term follow-up in management of late-onset post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant complications].

    PubMed

    Asano-Mori, Yuki

    As the number of long-term survivors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has increased owing to advances in transplantation and supportive care techniques, the health and welfare of these survivors have come into focus. However, they are still at risks for various complications, including chronic graft-versus-host disease, infectious diseases, and secondary cancers even in the late period, which can not only interfere with the patient's quality of life (QOL) but also lead to death. The importance of long-term follow-up (LTFU) and management have been recently recognized, and nationwide systems to promote LTFU care in patients receiving HSCT, such as medical fee revision, publication of a LTFU guideline unique to Japan, and preparation of patient pocketbook, is under consideration. The number of medical facilities at LTFU outpatient clinic is also increasing; therefore, an optimal comprehensive support system may be established sooner or later. However, self-management by patients is essential to overcome late complications as well as to improve QOL after HSCT. Healthcare professionals should collaborate and continue to make the greatest possible efforts to educate patients regarding the risks of late complications and their prevention.

  16. Health care waste management practice in a hospital.

    PubMed

    Paudel, R; Pradhan, B

    2010-10-01

    Health-care waste is a by-product of health care. Its poor management exposes health-care workers, waste handlers and the community to infections, toxic effects and injuries including damage of the environment. It also creates opportunities for the collection of disposable medical equipment, its re-sale and potential re-use without sterilization, which causes an important burden of disease worldwide. The purpose of this study was to find out health care waste management practice in hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital, Birgunj from May to October 2006 using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Study population was four different departments of the hospital (Medical/Paediatric, Surgical/Ortho, Gynae/Obstetric and Emergency), Medical Superintendent, In-charges of four different departments and all sweepers. Data was collected using interview, group discussion, observation and measurement by weight and volume. Total health-care waste generated was 128.4 kg per day while 0.8 kg per patient per day. The composition of health care waste was found to be 96.8 kg (75.4%) general waste, 24.1 kg (8.8%) hazardous waste and 7.5 kg (5.8%) sharps per day by weight. Health staffs and sweepers were not practicing the waste segregation. Occupational health and safety was not given due attention. Majority of the sweepers were unaware of waste management and need of safety measures to protect their own health. Health care waste management practice in the hospital was unsatisfactory because of the lack of waste management plan and carelessness of patients, visitors and staffs. Therefore the hospital should develop the waste management plan and strictly follow the National Health Care Waste Management Guideline.

  17. Healthcare waste management: current practices in selected healthcare facilities, Botswana.

    PubMed

    Mbongwe, Bontle; Mmereki, Baagi T; Magashula, Andrew

    2008-01-01

    Healthcare waste management continues to present an array of challenges for developing countries, and Botswana is no exception. The possible impact of healthcare waste on public health and the environment has received a lot of attention such that Waste Management dedicated a special issue to the management of healthcare waste (Healthcare Wastes Management, 2005. Waste Management 25(6) 567-665). As the demand for more healthcare facilities increases, there is also an increase on waste generation from these facilities. This situation requires an organised system of healthcare waste management to curb public health risks as well as occupational hazards among healthcare workers as a result of poor waste management. This paper reviews current waste management practices at the healthcare facility level and proposes possible options for improvement in Botswana.

  18. Underground Architecture and Layout for the Belgian High-Level and Long-Lived Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility- 12116

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

    Van Cotthem, Alain; Van Humbeeck, Hughes; Biurrun, Enrique

    The underground architecture and layout of the proposed Belgian high-level (HLW) and long-lived, intermediate-level radioactive wastes (ILW-LL) disposal system (repository) is mainly based on lessons learned during the development and 30-year-long operation of an underground research laboratory (URL) ('HADES') located adjacent to the city of Mol at a depth of 225 m in a 100-m-thick, Tertiary clay formation; the Boom clay. The following main operational and safety challenges are addressed in the proposed architecture and layout: 1. Following excavation, the underground openings needed to be promptly supported to minimize the extent of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ). 2. The sizemore » and unsupported stand-up time at tunnel crossings/intersections also needed to be minimized to minimize the extent of the related EDZ. 3. Steel components had to be minimized to limit the related long-term (post-closure) corrosion and hydrogen production. 4. The shafts and all equipment had to go down through a 180-m-thick aquifer and handle up to 65-Ton payloads. 5. The shaft seals had to be placed in the underlying clay layer. The currently proposed layout minimizes the excavated volume based on strict long-term-safety criteria and optimizes operational safety. Operational safety is further enhanced by a remote-controlled waste-package-handling system transporting the waste packages from their respective surface location down to their respective disposal location with no intermediate operation. The related on-site preparation and thenceforth use of cement-based, waste package- transportation containers are integral operational-safety components. In addition to strengthening the waste packages and providing radiation protection, these containers also provide long-term corrosion protection of the internal 'primary' steel packages. (authors)« less

  19. Growing trees where trees grow best: short-term research sheds light on long-term productivity.

    Treesearch

    Jonathan Thompson

    2008-01-01

    In 1999, the Fall River Long-Term Site Productivity study began in coastal Washington to investigate how intensive management practices affect soil processes and forest productivity. By comparing conventional harvests to more intensive wood removal treatments, researchers are answering long-standing questions about how residual organic matter influences future growth....

  20. Long-term Career Goals for Professional Women in Agriculture.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klepper, Betty

    1986-01-01

    Encourages the formation of long-term career goals for women in agronomy. Offers perspectives and practical suggestions for obtaining positions, maintaining professional credentials, and managing personal and career related obligations. (ML)

  1. Resource Management, Coexistence, and Balance--The Fundamentals of Teaching Waste Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donovan, Connie

    1998-01-01

    Argues for the need for courses in waste management in departments other than civil engineering. Points out that although waste management is a business administration function, it is best performed from an environmental management perspective. (DDR)

  2. Evaluating environmental impacts of alternative construction waste management approaches using supply-chain-linked life-cycle analysis.

    PubMed

    Kucukvar, Murat; Egilmez, Gokhan; Tatari, Omer

    2014-06-01

    Waste management in construction is critical for the sustainable treatment of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) waste materials, and recycling of these wastes has been considered as one of the best strategies in minimization of C&D debris. However, recycling of C&D materials may not always be a feasible strategy for every waste type and therefore recycling and other waste treatment strategies should be supported by robust decision-making models. With the aim of assessing the net carbon, energy, and water footprints of C&D recycling and other waste management alternatives, a comprehensive economic input-output-based hybrid life-cycle assessment model is developed by tracing all of the economy-wide supply-chain impacts of three waste management strategies: recycling, landfilling, and incineration. Analysis results showed that only the recycling of construction materials provided positive environmental footprint savings in terms of carbon, energy, and water footprints. Incineration is a better option as a secondary strategy after recycling for water and energy footprint categories, whereas landfilling is found to be as slightly better strategy when carbon footprint is considered as the main focus of comparison. In terms of construction materials' environmental footprint, nonferrous metals are found to have a significant environmental footprint reduction potential if recycled. © The Author(s) 2014.

  3. [Case management in long-term care--the task of individual related and family-oriented support for people in need of care and its realization through the reform of long-term care insurance].

    PubMed

    Klie, Thomas; Monzer, Michael

    2008-04-01

    The introduction of standardized Case Management structures to improve coordination and cooperation of all involved in care, such as cost units, service providers, voluntary organizations, families and the different occupational categories involved in nursing, is the main concern of the current reform of German long-term care insurance. In this article, demands on Case Management in care are enunciated and the basics found in expert talks, needed for efficient support of care, assembled. In doing so, the role and function of Case Management is differentiated, the different levels (case, organizational and system levels) distinguished and options and conditions needed to settle such an organization are introduced.

  4. Municipal solid-waste management in Istanbul.

    PubMed

    Kanat, Gurdal

    2010-01-01

    Istanbul, with a population of around 13 million people, is located between Europe and Asia and is the biggest city in Turkey. Metropolitan Istanbul produces about 14,000 tons of solid waste per day. The aim of this study was to assess the situation of municipal solid-waste (MSW) management in Istanbul. This was achieved by reviewing the quantity and composition of waste produced in Istanbul. Current requirements and challenges in relation to the optimization of Istanbul's MSW collection and management system are also discussed, and several suggestions for solving the problems identified are presented. The recovery of solid waste from the landfills, as well as the amounts of landfill-generated biogas and electricity, were evaluated. In recent years, MSW management in Istanbul has improved because of strong governance and institutional involvement. However, efforts directed toward applied research are still required to enable better waste management. These efforts will greatly support decision making on the part of municipal authorities. There remains a great need to reduce the volume of MSW in Istanbul. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Acute hand burns in children: management and long-term outcome based on a 10-year experience with 698 injured hands.

    PubMed Central

    Sheridan, R L; Baryza, M J; Pessina, M A; O'Neill, K M; Cipullo, H M; Donelan, M B; Ryan, C M; Schulz, J T; Schnitzer, J J; Tompkins, R G

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To document long-term results associated with an coordinated plan of care for acutely burned hands in children. SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND DATA: Optimal hand function is a crucial component of a high-quality survival after burn injury. This can be achieved only with a coordinated approach to the injuries. Long-term outcomes associated with such a plan of care have not been previously reported. METHODS: Over a 10-year period, 495 children with 698 acutely burned hands were managed at a regional pediatric burn facility; 219 children with 395 injured hands were followed in the authors' outpatient clinic for at least 1 year and an average of >5 years. The authors' approach to the acutely burned hand emphasizes ranging and splinting throughout the hospital stay, prompt sheet autograft wound closure as soon as practical, and the selective use of axial pin fixation and flaps. Long-term follow-up, hand therapy, and reconstructive surgery are emphasized. RESULTS: Normal functional results were seen in 97% of second-degree and 85% of third-degree injuries; in children with burns involving underlying tendon and bone, 70% could perform activities of daily living and 20% had normal function. Reconstructive hand surgery was required in 4.4% of second-degree burns, 32% of third-degree burns, and 65% of those with injuries involving underlying bone and tendon. CONCLUSIONS: When managed in a coordinated long-term program, the large majority of children with serious hand burns can be expected to have excellent functional results. Images Figure 1. Figure 2. PMID:10203090

  6. [Long-term psychiatric hospitalizations].

    PubMed

    Plancke, L; Amariei, A

    2017-02-01

    Long-term hospitalizations in psychiatry raise the question of desocialisation of the patients and the inherent costs. Individual indicators were extracted from a medical administrative database containing full-time psychiatric hospitalizations for the period 2011-2013 of people over 16 years old living in the French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. We calculated the proportion of people who had experienced a hospitalization with a duration of 292 days or more during the study period. A bivariate analysis was conducted, then ecological data (level of health-care offer, the deprivation index and the size of the municipalities of residence) were included into a multilevel regression model in order to identify the factors significantly related to variability of long-term hospitalization rates. Among hospitalized individuals in psychiatry, 2.6% had had at least one hospitalization of 292 days or more during the observation period; the number of days in long-term hospitalization represented 22.5% of the total of days of full-time hospitalization in psychiatry. The bivariate analysis revealed that seniority in the psychiatric system was strongly correlated with long hospitalization rates. In the multivariate analysis, the individual indicators the most related to an increased risk of long-term hospitalization were: total lack of autonomy (OR=9.0; 95% CI: 6.7-12.2; P<001); diagnoses of psychological development disorders (OR=9.7; CI95%: 4.5-20.6; P<.001); mental retardation (OR=4.5; CI95%: 2.5-8.2; P<.001): schizophrenia (OR=3.0; CI95%: 1.7-5.2; P<.001); compulsory hospitalization (OR=1.7; CI95%: 1.4-2.1; P<.001); having experienced therapeutic isolation (OR=1.8; CI95%: 1.5-2.1; P<.001). Variations of long-term hospitalization rates depending on the type of establishment were very high, but the density of hospital beds or intensity of ambulatory activity services were not significantly linked to long-term hospitalization. The inhabitants of small urban units had

  7. Status of waste tyres and management practice in Botswana.

    PubMed

    Mmereki, Daniel; Machola, Bontle; Mokokwe, Kentlafetse

    2017-02-22

    Waste tyres (WTs) are becoming a significant environmental, economical and technological challenge due to their high contents of combustible composition and potential for valuable materials and energy resources. Fewer studies in developing and even developed countries have been carried out to assess the challenges regarding waste tyres management, and suggested the best alternative solutions for managing this waste stream. While developed countries made progress in waste tyres management needs by implementing more efficient innovative recovery and recycling methods, and restrictive regulations regarding the management of used tyres, in many developing countries the management of waste tyres has not received adequate interest, and the processing, treatment and disposal of waste tyre is still nascent. In recent years, worldwide, several methods for managing used tyres, including other principal alternatives for managing end-of-life tyres defined in the 4Rs, reduction, re-use, recovery and recycling have been adopted and applied to minimize serious threats to both the natural environment environment and human. The paper attempted to establish stakeholders' action that has the responsibility in waste tyre management in Botswana. This study also analyzed important aspects on waste tyres management in Botswana. A synthesis of approaches was employed in the present investigation to determine the factors influencing effective performance of waste tyres management practice in Botswana. Data for the present study was obtained using relevant published literature, scientific journals, other third sector sources, academic sources, and research derived from governments and other agencies and field observations. Group discussions with the participants and semi-structured interviews with professionals were carried out. The outcomes of this investigation are a wide-range outline concerning the participants that are important in waste tyres management, and a set of aspects affecting

  8. Long-Term High-Level Defense-Waste technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1982-07-01

    In the residual liquid solidification effort, the primary alternative studied is the wiped film evaporator approach to solidifying salt well pumped liquids and returning the molten material to single shell tanks for microwave final stabilization to a hard dry product. Both systems analysis and experimental work are proceeding to evaluate this approach. The primary alternative for in situ stabilization of in-tank wastes is microwave drying of wet salt cake and unpumped sludges. Experimental work was successfully conducted on a 1/12 scale tank containing wet synthetic salt cake. Related systems analysis of a full scale system was initiated.

  9. Modeling framework for representing long-term effectiveness of best management practices in addressing hydrology and water quality problems: Framework development and demonstraton using a Bayesian method

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Best management practices (BMPs) are popular approaches used to improve hydrology and water quality. Uncertainties in BMP effectiveness over time may result in overestimating long-term efficiency in watershed planning strategies. To represent varying long-term BMP effectiveness in hydrologic/water q...

  10. Multi-objective model of waste transportation management for crude palm oil industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Silalahi, Meslin; Mawengkang, Herman; Irsa Syahputri, Nenna

    2018-02-01

    The crude palm oil industry is an agro-industrial commodity. The global market of this industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years, such that it has a strategic value to be developed for Indonesian economy. Despite these economic benefits there are a number of environmental problems at the factories, such as high water consumption, the generation of a large amount of wastewater with a high organic content, and the generation of a large quantity of solid wastes and air pollution. In terms of waste transportation, we propose a multiobjective programming model for managing business environmental risk in a crude palm oil manufacture which gives the best possible configuration of waste management facilities and allocates wastes to these facilities. Then we develop an interactive approach for tackling logistics and environmental risk production planning problem for the crude palm oil industry.

  11. Municipal waste management in Sicily: practices and challenges.

    PubMed

    Messineo, Antonio; Panno, Domenico

    2008-01-01

    There are numerous problems yet to be solved in waste management and although efforts towards waste recovery and recycling have been made, landfills are still the most common method used in the EU and many other industrialised countries. Thermal disposal, particularly incineration, is a tested and viable alternative. In 2004, only 11% of the annual waste production of Italy was incinerated. Sicily, with over five million inhabitants, is the second largest region in Italy where waste management is now a critical problem. The use of landfills can no longer be considered a satisfactory environmental solution; therefore, new methods have to be chosen and waste-to-energy plants could provide an answer. This paper gives details of municipal solid waste management in Sicily following a new Waste Management Plan. Four waste-to-energy plants will generate electricity through a steam cycle; the feedstock will become the residue after material recovery, which is calculated as 20-40% weight of the collected municipal solid waste.

  12. Final Inventory Work-Off Plan for ORNL transuranic wastes (1986 version)

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

    Dickerson, L.S.

    1988-05-01

    The Final Inventory Work-Off Plan (IWOP) for ORNL Transuranic Wastes addresses ORNL's strategy for retrieval, certification, and shipment of its stored and newly generated contact-handled (CH) and remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) wastes to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the proposed geologic repository near Carlsbad, New Mexico. This document considers certification compliance with the WIPP waste acceptance criteria (WAC) and is consistent with the US Department of Energy's Long-Range Master Plan for Defense Transuranic Waste Management. This document characterizes Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) TRU waste by type and estimates the number of shipments required to dispose of it; describesmore » the methods, facilities, and systems required for its certification and shipment; presents work-off strategies and schedules for retrieval, certification, and transportation; discusses the resource needs and additions that will be required for the effort and forecasts costs for the long-term TRU waste management program; and lists public documentation required to support certification facilities and strategies. 22 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs.« less

  13. Long-term accumulation and transport of anthropogenic phosphorus in world river basins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powers, S. M.

    2015-12-01

    Global food production crucially depends on phosphorus (P). In agricultural and urban landscapes, much P is anthropogenic, entering via trade, and then can be transported by a combination of fluvial and human processes. To date there have been few long-term, large-scale analyses combining both fluvial and human modes of P transport. Here we present reconstructed historical records of anthropogenic P entering and leaving soils and aquatic systems via a combination of trade, infrastructure, food waste, and fluvial fluxes. We then report the net annual P inputs, and the mass of P that has accumulated over the long-term, for entire river basins. Our analyses reveal rapid historical P accumulation for two mixed agricultural-urban landscapes (Thames Basin, UK, Yangtze Basin, China), and one rural agricultural landscape (Maumee Basin, USA). We also show that the human P fluxes massively dominate over the fluvial fluxes in these large basins. For Thames and Maumee Basins, recently there has been modest P depletion/drawdown of the massive P pool accumulated in prior decades, whereas the Yangtze Basin has consistently and rapidly accumulated P since 1980. These first estimates of the magnitude of historical P accumulation in contrasting settings illustrate the scope of management challenges surrounding the storage, fate, exploitation, and reactivation of legacy P that is currently present in the Earth's critical zone.

  14. Long-Term Planning for Nuclear Energy Systems Under Deep Uncertainty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Lance Kyungwoo

    Long-term planning for nuclear energy systems has been an area of interest for policy planners and systems designers to assess and manage the complexity of the system and the long-term, wide-ranging societal impacts of decisions. However, traditional planning tools are often poorly equipped to cope with the deep parametric, structural, and value uncertainties in long-term planning. A more robust, multiobjective decision-making method is applied to a model of the nuclear fuel cycle to address the many sources of complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity inherent to long-term planning. Unlike prior studies that rely on assessing the outcomes of a limited set of deployment strategies, solutions in this study arise from optimizing behavior against multiple incommensurable objectives, utilizing goal-seeking multiobjective evolutionary algorithms to identify minimax regret solutions across various demand scenarios. By excluding inferior and infeasible solutions, the choice between the Pareto optimal solutions depends on a decision-maker's preferences for the defined outcomes---limiting analyst bias and increasing transparency. Though simplified by the necessity of reducing computational burdens, the nuclear fuel cycle model captures important phenomena governing the behavior of the nuclear energy system relevant to the decision to close the fuel cycle---incorporating reactor population dynamics, material stocks and flows, constraints on material flows, and outcomes of interest to decision-makers. Technology neutral performance criteria are defined consistent with the Generation IV International Forum goals of improved security and proliferation resistance based on structural features of the nuclear fuel cycle, natural resource sustainability, and waste production. A review of safety risks and the economic history of the development of nuclear technology suggests that safety and economic criteria may not be decisive criteria as the safety risks posed by alternative fuel

  15. Supported self-management for cancer survivors to address long-term biopsychosocial consequences of cancer and treatment to optimize living well.

    PubMed

    Howell, Doris D

    2018-03-01

    As individuals are living longer with cancer as a chronic disease, they face new health challenges that require the application of self-management behaviors and skills that may not be in their usual repertoire of self-regulatory health behaviors. Increasing attention is focused on supported self-management (SSM) programs to enable survivors in managing the long-term biopsychosocial consequences and health challenges of survivorship. This review explores current directions and evidence for SSM programs that enable survivors to manage these consequences and optimize health. Cancer survivors face complex health challenges that affect daily functioning and well being. Multiple systematic reviews show that SSM programs have positive effects on health outcomes in typical chronic diseases. However, the efficacy of these approaches in cancer survivors are in their infancy; and the 'one-size' fits all approach for chronic disease self-management may not be adequate for cancer as a complex chronic illness. This review suggests that SSM has promising potential for improving health and well being of cancer survivors, but there is a need for standardizing SSM for future research. Although there is increasing enthusiasm for SSM programs tailored to cancer survivors, there is a need for further research of their efficacy on long-term health outcomes.

  16. Integrated modeling of long-term vegetation and hydrologic dynamics in Rocky Mountain watersheds

    Treesearch

    Robert Steven Ahl

    2007-01-01

    Changes in forest structure resulting from natural disturbances, or managed treatments, can have negative and long lasting impacts on water resources. To facilitate integrated management of forest and water resources, a System for Long-Term Integrated Management Modeling (SLIMM) was developed. By combining two spatially explicit, continuous time models, vegetation...

  17. Waste management outlook for mountain regions: Sources and solutions.

    PubMed

    Semernya, Larisa; Ramola, Aditi; Alfthan, Björn; Giacovelli, Claudia

    2017-09-01

    Following the release of the global waste management outlook in 2015, the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), through its International Environmental Technology Centre, is elaborating a series of region-specific and thematic waste management outlooks that provide policy recommendations and solutions based on current practices in developing and developed countries. The Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions is the first report in this series. Mountain regions present unique challenges to waste management; while remoteness is often associated with costly and difficult transport of waste, the potential impact of waste pollutants is higher owing to the steep terrain and rivers transporting waste downstream. The Outlook shows that waste management in mountain regions is a cross-sectoral issue of global concern that deserves immediate attention. Noting that there is no 'one solution fits all', there is a need for a more landscape-type specific and regional research on waste management, the enhancement of policy and regulatory frameworks, and increased stakeholder engagement and awareness to achieve sustainable waste management in mountain areas. This short communication provides an overview of the key findings of the Outlook and highlights aspects that need further research. These are grouped per source of waste: Mountain communities, tourism, and mining. Issues such as waste crime, plastic pollution, and the linkages between exposure to natural disasters and waste are also presented.

  18. Short- and Long-Term Theory-Based Predictors of Physical Activity in Women Who Participated in a Weight-Management Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wasserkampf, A.; Silva, M. N.; Santos, I. C.; Carraça, E. V.; Meis, J. J. M.; Kremers, S. P. J.; Teixeira, P. J.

    2014-01-01

    This study analyzed psychosocial predictors of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and evaluated their associations with short- and long-term moderate plus vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and lifestyle physical activity (PA) outcomes in women who underwent a weight-management program. 221 participants (age…

  19. Public concerns and behaviours towards solid waste management in Italy.

    PubMed

    Sessa, Alessandra; Di Giuseppe, Gabriella; Marinelli, Paolo; Angelillo, Italo F

    2010-12-01

    A self-administered questionnaire investigated knowledge, perceptions of the risks to health associated with solid waste management, and practices about waste management in a random sample of 1181 adults in Italy. Perceived risk of developing cancer due to solid waste burning was significantly higher in females, younger, with an educational level lower than university and who believed that improper waste management is linked to cancer. Respondents who had visited a physician at least once in the last year for fear of contracting a disease due to the non-correct waste management had an educational level lower than university, have modified dietary habits for fear of contracting disease due to improper waste management, believe that improper waste management is linked to allergies, perceive a higher risk of contracting infectious disease due to improper waste management and have participated in education/information activities on waste management. Those who more frequently perform with regularity differentiate household waste collection had a university educational level, perceived a higher risk of developing cancer due to solid waste burning, had received information about waste collection and did not need information about waste management. Educational programmes are needed to modify public concern about adverse health effects of domestic waste.

  20. Understanding the side effects of emission trading: implications for waste management.

    PubMed

    Braschel, Nina; Posch, Alfred; Pierer, Magdalena

    2014-01-01

    The trading of emission allowances is an important market instrument in climate policy. However, the inclusion of certain branches of industry in the trading system not only provides incentives for emission reduction, it also entails unwanted side effects. Thus, the objective of the present study is to identify such side effects-positive and negative-by examining the potential impact of waste management inclusion in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Desk research was supplemented with qualitative and quantitative empirical analysis (based on expert interviews and a questionnaire) in order to analyse the related perceptions and expectations of actors and stakeholders. The impact of waste management inclusion in the EU ETS is analysed in terms of the following three areas: (i) costs and cost pass-through, (ii), competitiveness and market position, and (iii) carbon leakage. Concerning expectations in the area of costs, both the interviewed experts and the practitioners surveyed thought that costs were likely to increase or that they could be passed on to customers. However, experts and practitioners differed with respect to the possibility of carbon leakage. Clearly, increased knowledge of the possible impact arising from inclusion of the waste sector in the EU ETS would enable managers to become more proactive and to manage waste streams and treatment options more economically.

  1. Long-term potentiation and long-term depression: a clinical perspective

    PubMed Central

    Bliss, Timothy V.P.; Cooke, Sam F

    2011-01-01

    Long-term potentiation and long-term depression are enduring changes in synaptic strength, induced by specific patterns of synaptic activity, that have received much attention as cellular models of information storage in the central nervous system. Work in a number of brain regions, from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex, and in many animal species, ranging from invertebrates to humans, has demonstrated a reliable capacity for chemical synapses to undergo lasting changes in efficacy in response to a variety of induction protocols. In addition to their physiological relevance, long-term potentiation and depression may have important clinical applications. A growing insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, and technological advances in non-invasive manipulation of brain activity, now puts us at the threshold of harnessing long-term potentiation and depression and other forms of synaptic, cellular and circuit plasticity to manipulate synaptic strength in the human nervous system. Drugs may be used to erase or treat pathological synaptic states and non-invasive stimulation devices may be used to artificially induce synaptic plasticity to ameliorate conditions arising from disrupted synaptic drive. These approaches hold promise for the treatment of a variety of neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, amblyopia, tinnitus and stroke. PMID:21779718

  2. Role of Brine Chemistry and Sorption in Potential Long-Term Storage of Radioactive Waste in Geologic Salt Formations: Experimental Evaluation of Sorption Parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dittrich, T. M.; Emerson, H. P.; Michael, D. P.; Reed, D. T.

    2016-12-01

    Bedded geologic salt formations have been shown to have many favorable properties for the disposal of radioactive waste (i.e., reducing conditions, fracture healing). Performance assessment (PA) modeling for a 10,000 year period for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM have predicted an extremely low risk of radioactive material reaching the surrounding environment after the 100 year period required for creep to seal the waste panels and access shafts. Human intrusion caused by drilling operations for oil and gas exploration is the main pathway of concern for environmental release of radioactive material due to pressurized brine pockets located within the salt formation below the repository. Our work focuses on the long-term capability of salt repositories and the associated geologic media to safely isolate stored radioactive waste from the surrounding environment, even in the event of a human intrusion scenario such as a direct brine release (DBR) due to a drilling operation intersecting a brine pocket. In particular, we are revisiting the degree of conservatism in the estimated sorption partition coefficients (Kds) used in the PA model based on complementary batch and column experimental methods (Dittrich and Reimus, 2016). The main focus of this work is to investigate the role of ionic strength, solution chemistry, and oxidation state (III-VI) in actinide sorption to dolomite rock. Based on redox conditions and solution chemistry expected in the WIPP, possible actinide species include Pu(III), Pu(IV), U(IV), U(VI), Np(IV), Np(V), Am(III), and Th(IV). We will present (1) a conceptual overview of Kd use in the PA model, (2) background and evolution of the Kd ranges used, and (3) results from batch and column experiments and model predictions for Kds with WIPP-relevant geologic media. We will also briefly discuss the challenges of upscaling from lab experiments to field scale predictions, the presence of ligands (e.g., acetate, citrate, EDTA

  3. Management of hazardous medical waste in Croatia.

    PubMed

    Marinković, Natalija; Vitale, Ksenija; Janev Holcer, Natasa; Dzakula, Aleksandar; Pavić, Tomo

    2008-01-01

    This article provides a review of hazardous medical waste production and its management in Croatia. Even though Croatian regulations define all steps in the waste management chain, implementation of those steps is one of the country's greatest issues. Improper practice is evident from the point of waste production to final disposal. The biggest producers of hazardous medical waste are hospitals that do not implement existing legislation, due to the lack of education and funds. Information on quantities, type and flow of medical waste are inadequate, as is sanitary control. We propose an integrated approach to medical waste management based on a hierarchical structure from the point of generation to its disposal. Priority is given to the reduction of the amounts and potential for harm. Where this is not possible, management includes reduction by sorting and separating, pretreatment on site, safe transportation, final treatment and sanitary disposal. Preferred methods should be the least harmful for human health and the environment. Integrated medical waste management could greatly reduce quantities and consequently financial strains. Landfilling is the predominant route of disposal in Croatia, although the authors believe that incineration is the most appropriate method. In a country such as Croatia, a number of small incinerators would be the most economical solution.

  4. Long term fluctuations of groundwater mine pollution in a sulfide mining district with dry Mediterranean climate: Implications for water resources management and remediation.

    PubMed

    Caraballo, Manuel A; Macías, Francisco; Nieto, José Miguel; Ayora, Carlos

    2016-01-01

    Water resources management and restoration strategies, and subsequently ecological and human life quality, are highly influenced by the presence of short and long term cycles affecting the intensity of a targeted pollution. On this respect, a typical acid mine drainage (AMD) groundwater from a sulfide mining district with dry Mediterranean climate (Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain) was studied to unravel the effect of long term weather changes in water flow rate and metal pollutants concentration. Three well differentiated polluting stages were observed and the specific geochemical, mineralogical and hydrological processes involved (pyrite and enclosing rocks dissolution, evaporitic salts precipitation-redisolution and pluviometric long term fluctuations) were discussed. Evidencing the importance of including longer background monitoring stage in AMD management and restoration strategies, the present study strongly advise a minimum 5-years period of AMD continuous monitoring previous to the design of any AMD remediation system in regions with dry Mediterranean climate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Long-Term Environmental Research Programs - Evolving Capacity for Discovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swanson, F. J.

    2008-12-01

    Long-term forestry, watershed, and ecological research sites have become critical, productive nodes for environmental science research and in some cases for work in the social sciences and humanities. The Forest Service's century-old Experimental Forests and Ranges and the National Science Foundation's 28- year-old Long-Term Ecological Research program have been remarkably productive in both basic and applied sciences, including characterization of acid rain and old-growth ecosystems and development of forest, watershed, and range management systems for commercial and other land use objectives. A review of recent developments suggests steps to enhance the function of collections of long-term research sites as interactive science networks. The programs at these sites have evolved greatly, especially over the past few decades, as the questions addressed, disciplines engaged, and degree of science integration have grown. This is well displayed by small, experimental watershed studies, which first were used for applied hydrology studies then more fundamental biogeochemical studies and now examination of complex ecosystem processes; all capitalizing on the legacy of intensive studies and environmental monitoring spanning decades. In very modest ways these collections of initially independent sites have functioned increasingly as integrated research networks addressing inter-site questions by using common experimental designs, being part of a single experiment, and examining long-term data in a common analytical framework. The network aspects include data sharing via publicly-accessible data-harvester systems for climate and streamflow data. The layering of one research or environmental monitoring network upon another facilitates synergies. Changing climate and atmospheric chemistry highlight a need to use these networks as continental-scale observatory systems for assessing the impacts of environmental change on ecological services. To better capitalize on long-term

  6. Los Alamos Plutonium Facility Waste Management System

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

    Smith, K.; Montoya, A.; Wieneke, R.

    1997-02-01

    This paper describes the new computer-based transuranic (TRU) Waste Management System (WMS) being implemented at the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Waste Management System is a distributed computer processing system stored in a Sybase database and accessed by a graphical user interface (GUI) written in Omnis7. It resides on the local area network at the Plutonium Facility and is accessible by authorized TRU waste originators, count room personnel, radiation protection technicians (RPTs), quality assurance personnel, and waste management personnel for data input and verification. Future goals include bringing outside groups like the LANL Waste Management Facilitymore » on-line to participate in this streamlined system. The WMS is changing the TRU paper trail into a computer trail, saving time and eliminating errors and inconsistencies in the process.« less

  7. Flow analysis of metals in a municipal solid waste management system.

    PubMed

    Jung, C H; Matsuto, T; Tanaka, N

    2006-01-01

    This study aimed to identify the metal flow in a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. Outputs of a resource recovery facility, refuse derived fuel (RDF) production facility, carbonization facility, plastics liquefaction facility, composting facility, and bio-gasification facility were analyzed for metal content and leaching concentration. In terms of metal content, bulky and incombustible waste had the highest values. Char from a carbonization facility, which treats household waste, had a higher metal content than MSW incinerator bottom ash. A leaching test revealed that Cd and Pb in char and Pb in RDF production residue exceeded the Japanese regulatory criteria for landfilling, so special attention should be paid to final disposal of these substances. By multiplying metal content and the generation rate of outputs, the metal content of input waste to each facility was estimated. For most metals except Cr, the total contribution ratio of paper/textile/plastics, bulky waste, and incombustible waste was over 80%. Approximately 30% of Cr originated from plastic packaging. Finally, several MSW management scenarios showed that most metals are transferred to landfills and the leaching potential of metals to the environment is quite small.

  8. Flow analysis of metals in a municipal solid waste management system

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

    Jung, C.H.; Matsuto, T.; Tanaka, N.

    2006-07-01

    This study aimed to identify the metal flow in a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. Outputs of a resource recovery facility, refuse derived fuel (RDF) production facility, carbonization facility, plastics liquefaction facility, composting facility, and bio-gasification facility were analyzed for metal content and leaching concentration. In terms of metal content, bulky and incombustible waste had the highest values. Char from a carbonization facility, which treats household waste, had a higher metal content than MSW incinerator bottom ash. A leaching test revealed that Cd and Pb in char and Pb in RDF production residue exceeded the Japanese regulatory criteria formore » landfilling, so special attention should be paid to final disposal of these substances. By multiplying metal content and the generation rate of outputs, the metal content of input waste to each facility was estimated. For most metals except Cr, the total contribution ratio of paper/textile/plastics, bulky waste, and incombustible waste was over 80%. Approximately 30% of Cr originated from plastic packaging. Finally, several MSW management scenarios showed that most metals are transferred to landfills and the leaching potential of metals to the environment is quite small.« less

  9. Current management of long-term survivors of biliary atresia: over 40 years of experience in a single center and review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Sasaki, Hideyuki; Tanaka, Hiromu; Nio, Masaki

    2017-12-01

    Owing to several therapeutic advancements, more patients with biliary atresia now survive into adulthood while retaining their native liver. However, the optimal strategy for long-term management of such patients remains unclear. Aiming to establish the current management strategies, we reviewed previous reports of long-term outcome of BA who underwent surgery at our institution as well as the relevant literature, focusing particularly on the treatment of late complications. Approximately 30-40% of long-term survivors of biliary atresia who retain their native liver exhibit late sequelae such as cholangitis and portal hypertension. Early and appropriate intervention with Kasai portoenterostomy is essential for ensuring long-term survival with good quality of life. In our hospital, the current standard for Kasai portoenterostomy involves dissecting the fibrous remnants along the porta hepatis, just on the level of the liver capsule. Cholangitis is an important late complication in biliary atresia, and the possibility of mechanical obstruction of the biliary drainage route or deformity of the intrahepatic bile ducts with or without gallstones should be thoroughly evaluated in patients with intractable cholangitis. Regarding portal hypertension, appropriate interventions such as endoscopic variceal treatment and partial splenic embolization are considered to provide good quality of life when hepatic function is preserved. Appropriate therapeutic management is strongly recommended in selected patients with late complications.

  10. International trade and waste and fuel management issue, 2009

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

    Agnihotri, Newal

    The focus of the January-February issue is on international trade and waste and fuel managment. Major articles/reports in this issue include: Innovative financing and workforce planning, by Donna Jacobs, Entergy Nuclear; Nuclear power - a long-term need, by John C. Devine, Gerald Goldsmith and Michael DeLallo, WorleyParsons; Importance of loan guarantee program, by Donald Hintz; EPC contracts for new plants, by Dave Barry, Shaw Power Group; GNEP and fuel recycling, by Alan Hanson, AREVA NC Inc.; Safe and reliable reactor, by Kiyoshi Yamauchi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Safe, small and simple reactors, by Yoshi Sakashita, Toshiba Corporation; Nuclear power inmore » Thailand, by Tatchai Sumitra, Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology; and, Nuclear power in Vietnam, by Tran Huu Phat, Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission. The Industry Innovation article this issue is Rectifying axial-offset-anomaly problems, by Don Adams, Tennessee Valley Authority. The Plant Profile article is Star of Stars Excellence, by Tyler Lamberts, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.« less

  11. Current perspectives on biomedical waste management: Rules, conventions and treatment technologies.

    PubMed

    Capoor, Malini R; Bhowmik, Kumar Tapas

    2017-01-01

    Unregulated biomedical waste management (BMWM) is a public health problem. This has posed a grave threat to not only human health and safety but also to the environment for the current and future generations. Safe and reliable methods for handling of biomedical waste (BMW) are of paramount importance. Effective BMWM is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility. This article reviews the current perspectives on BMWM and rules, conventions and the treatment technologies used worldwide. BMWM should ideally be the subject of a national strategy with dedicated infrastructure, cradle-to-grave legislation, competent regulatory authority and trained personnel. Improving the management of biomedical waste begins with waste minimisation. These standards, norms and rules on BMWM in a country regulate the disposal of various categories of BMW to ensure the safety of the health-care workers, patients, public and environment. Furthermore, developing models for the monitoring of hospital health-care waste practices and research into non-burn eco-friendly sustainable technologies, recycling and polyvinyl chloride-free devices will go in long way for safe carbon environment. Globally, greater research in BMWM is warranted to understand its growing field of public health importance.

  12. The Contribution of Social Networks to the Health and Self-Management of Patients with Long-Term Conditions: A Longitudinal Study

    PubMed Central

    Reeves, David; Blickem, Christian; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Brooks, Helen; Kennedy, Anne; Richardson, Gerry; Rogers, Anne

    2014-01-01

    Evidence for the effectiveness of patient education programmes in changing individual self-management behaviour is equivocal. More distal elements of personal social relationships and the availability of social capital at the community level may be key to the mobilisation of resources needed for long-term condition self-management to be effective. Aim To determine how the social networks of people with long-term conditions (diabetes and heart disease) are associated with health-related outcomes and changes in outcomes over time. Methods Patients with chronic heart disease (CHD) or diabetes (n = 300) randomly selected from the disease registers of 19 GP practices in the North West of England. Data on personal social networks collected using a postal questionnaire, alongside face-to-face interviewing. Follow-up at 12 months via postal questionnaire using a self-report grid for network members identified at baseline. Analysis Multiple regression analysis of relationships between health status, self-management and health-economics outcomes, and characteristics of patients' social networks. Results Findings indicated that: (1) social involvement with a wider variety of people and groups supports personal self-management and physical and mental well-being; (2) support work undertaken by personal networks expands in accordance with health needs helping people to cope with their condition; (3) network support substitutes for formal care and can produce substantial saving in traditional health service utilisation costs. Health service costs were significantly (p<0.01) reduced for patients receiving greater levels of illness work through their networks. Conclusions Support for self-management which achieves desirable policy outcomes should be construed less as an individualised set of actions and behaviour and more as a social network phenomenon. This study shows the need for a greater focus on harnessing and sustaining the capacity of networks and the importance of

  13. The contribution of social networks to the health and self-management of patients with long-term conditions: a longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    Reeves, David; Blickem, Christian; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Brooks, Helen; Kennedy, Anne; Richardson, Gerry; Rogers, Anne

    2014-01-01

    Evidence for the effectiveness of patient education programmes in changing individual self-management behaviour is equivocal. More distal elements of personal social relationships and the availability of social capital at the community level may be key to the mobilisation of resources needed for long-term condition self-management to be effective. To determine how the social networks of people with long-term conditions (diabetes and heart disease) are associated with health-related outcomes and changes in outcomes over time. Patients with chronic heart disease (CHD) or diabetes (n = 300) randomly selected from the disease registers of 19 GP practices in the North West of England. Data on personal social networks collected using a postal questionnaire, alongside face-to-face interviewing. Follow-up at 12 months via postal questionnaire using a self-report grid for network members identified at baseline. Multiple regression analysis of relationships between health status, self-management and health-economics outcomes, and characteristics of patients' social networks. Findings indicated that: (1) social involvement with a wider variety of people and groups supports personal self-management and physical and mental well-being; (2) support work undertaken by personal networks expands in accordance with health needs helping people to cope with their condition; (3) network support substitutes for formal care and can produce substantial saving in traditional health service utilisation costs. Health service costs were significantly (p<0.01) reduced for patients receiving greater levels of illness work through their networks. Support for self-management which achieves desirable policy outcomes should be construed less as an individualised set of actions and behaviour and more as a social network phenomenon. This study shows the need for a greater focus on harnessing and sustaining the capacity of networks and the importance of social involvement with community groups and

  14. 76 FR 55846 - Hazardous Waste Management System: Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste: Carbon Dioxide...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-09

    ... 2050-AG60 Hazardous Waste Management System: Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste: Carbon... hazardous waste management under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to conditionally exclude... and recordkeeping requirements. 40 CFR Part 261 Environmental protection, Hazardous waste, Solid waste...

  15. International nuclear waste management fact book

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

    Abrahms, C W; Patridge, M D; Widrig, J E

    1995-11-01

    The International Nuclear Waste Management Fact Book has been compiled to provide current data on fuel cycle and waste management facilities, R and D programs, and key personnel in 24 countries, including the US; four multinational agencies; and 20 nuclear societies. This document, which is in its second year of publication supersedes the previously issued International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Fact Book (PNL-3594), which appeared annually for 12 years. The content has been updated to reflect current information. The Fact Book is organized as follows: National summaries--a section for each country that summarizes nuclear policy, describes organizational relationships, and provides addressesmore » and names of key personnel and information on facilities. International agencies--a section for each of the international agencies that has significant fuel cycle involvement and a list of nuclear societies. Glossary--a list of abbreviations/acronyms of organizations, facilities, and technical and other terms. The national summaries, in addition to the data described above, feature a small map for each country and some general information that is presented from the perspective of the Fact Book user in the US.« less

  16. Low-level radioactive waste management handbook series: Low-level radioactive waste management in medical and biomedical research institutions

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

    Not Available

    1987-03-01

    Development of this handbook began in 1982 at the request of the Radhealth Branch of the California Department of Health Services. California Assembly Bill 1513 directed the DHS to ''evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of (1) reducing the volume, reactivity, and chemical and radioactive hazard of (low-level radioactive) waste and (2) substituting nonradioactive or short-lived radioactive materials for those radionuclides which require long-term isolation from the environment. A contract awarded to the University of California at Irvine-UCI (California Std. Agreement 79902), to develop a document focusing on methods for decreasing low-level radioactive waste (LLW) generation in institutions was amore » result of that directive. In early 1985, the US Department of Energy, through EG and G Idaho, Inc., contracted with UCI to expand, update, and revise the California text for national release.« less

  17. Ecosystem responses to long-term nutrient management in an urban estuary: Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greening, H.; Janicki, A.; Sherwood, E. T.; Pribble, R.; Johansson, J. O. R.

    2014-12-01

    In subtropical Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, we evaluated restoration trajectories before and after nutrient management strategies were implemented using long-term trends in nutrient loading, water quality, primary production, and seagrass extent. Following citizen demands for action, reduction in wastewater nutrient loading of approximately 90% in the late 1970s lowered external total nitrogen (TN) loading by more than 50% within three years. Continuing nutrient management actions from public and private sectors were associated with a steadily declining TN load rate and with concomitant reduction in chlorophyll-a concentrations and ambient nutrient concentrations since the mid-1980s, despite an increase of more than 1 M people living within the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. Water quality (chlorophyll-a concentration, water clarity as indicated by Secchi disk depth, total nitrogen concentration and dissolved oxygen) and seagrass coverage are approaching conditions observed in the 1950s, before the large increases in human population in the watershed. Following recovery from an extreme weather event in 1997-1998, water clarity increased significantly and seagrass is expanding at a rate significantly different than before the event, suggesting a feedback mechanism as observed in other systems. Key elements supporting the nutrient management strategy and concomitant ecosystem recovery in Tampa Bay include: 1) active community involvement, including agreement about quantifiable restoration goals; 2) regulatory and voluntary reduction in nutrient loadings from point, atmospheric, and nonpoint sources; 3) long-term water quality and seagrass extent monitoring; and 4) a commitment from public and private sectors to work together to attain restoration goals. A shift from a turbid, phytoplankton-based system to a clear water, seagrass-based system that began in the 1980s following comprehensive nutrient loading reductions has resulted in a present-day Tampa Bay which looks and

  18. How do soil quality indicators (SOC and nutrients) change with long-term different crop residue management?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spiegel, Heide; Lehtinen, Taru; Dersch, Georg; Baumgarten, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    Leaving the crop residues (cereal grain straw, maize stover, sugar beet leaves) on the field may enhance SOC and soil nutrient contents (e.g. P, K, Mg). In contrast, harvesting crop residues for livestock bedding or energy production are often connected with a loss of soil fertility (Lehtinen et al., 2014). We have evaluated the effects of different management of crop residues on selected soil parameters of the upper soil (0-25 cm) in two long-term field experiments in Austria focused on P-dynamics (Marchfeld, since 1982 and Alpenvorland, since 1986). In four P-fertilisation stages (0, 75, 150, 300 kg P2O5 ha-1y-1) all crop residues were incorporated in one treatment and all removed in the other one, respectively. The results show that the effects are different at the two investigated sites. At the site Marchfeld, a medium textured soil, on average SOC was significantly higher with the incorporation of crop residues (21.6 g kg-1) compared to the removal (19.9 g kg-1) after 32 years. In the long run, SOC levels could be maintained, if crop residues remained at the field, whereas the constant removal of crop residues resulted in a SOC decline. At the site Alpenvorland, SOC was only slightly higher with the incorporation of the crop residues after 28 years. In this case, in the long run, even with this management practice and, moreover, with the residue removal, SOC tended to decrease generally. At the Marchfeld, crop residue incorporation resulted in a significant increase of "plant available" phosphorus (P-CAL) only with very high P fertilization. However, "plant available" Mg (according to Schachtschabel) and potassium (K-CAL) were significantly higher in all P fertilisation stages compared to the residue removal treatments. At the site Alpenvorland, the soils are rich in silt and clay and with long-term incorporation of crop residues a significant increase only of „plant available" K of about 50% occurred. This indicates the necessity of taking into account the

  19. The Jornada Basin long term ecological research program

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Chihuahuan Desert landscapes exemplify the ecological conditions, vulnerability, and management challenges in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. The goal of the Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research program (JRN LTER) established in 1982 is to understand and quantify the key factors ...

  20. Implementation of an oxygen therapy clinic to manage users of long-term oxygen therapy.

    PubMed

    Chaney, John C; Jones, Kevin; Grathwohl, Kurt; Olivier, Kenneth N

    2002-11-01

    To evaluate the initial benefits of establishing an oxygen therapy clinic (OTC) to manage users of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). Cross-sectional observational study. Military-affiliated, tertiary care hospital. Current users of LTOT at our institution and patients with new oxygen prescriptions between June 2000 and May 2001. The OTC evaluation consisted of a focused medical interview and physical examination by a respiratory therapist. Demographic data, indications for supplemental oxygen, oxygen-related diagnoses, cardiopulmonary review of systems, pertinent physical examination findings, pulmonary function testing, and oximetry data were recorded. Patients prescribed oxygen during hospitalization were followed up for recertification within 90 days based on the recommendations of the Fifth Oxygen Consensus Conference. Also, patients with existing oxygen prescriptions and new oxygen prescriptions during the study period were evaluated in the OTC. Data are provided for the initial evaluation in this clinic. A total of 283 patients were evaluated in the OTC during the study period. Ninety-seven patients with a new oxygen prescription during hospitalization were evaluated, with a mean +/- SE time from discharge to evaluation of 2.6 +/- 0.4 months. At follow-up, 50.5% of these patients no longer met Medicare guidelines for LTOT. A significant change in oxygen prescription was required in 27.9% of these patients. A total of 95 outpatients with existing oxygen prescriptions were contacted for recertification in the OTC. Of these patients, 31.6% no longer met Medicare criteria for LTOT and 26% required a significant change to their oxygen prescription. Oxygen therapy was discontinued in 22% of the 91 patients who were referred from other outpatient clinics, and the oxygen prescription was changed in another 29.7%. Results of this initial evaluation suggest that the institution of a respiratory therapist-managed OTC to manage home oxygen patients can significantly

  1. Pomace waste management scenarios in Québec--impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

    PubMed

    Gassara, Fatma; Brar, S K; Pelletier, F; Verma, M; Godbout, S; Tyagi, R D

    2011-09-15

    Fruit processing industries generate tremendous amount of solid wastes which is almost 35-40% dry weight of the total produce used for the manufacturing of juices. These solid wastes, referred to as, "pomace" contain high moisture content (70-75%) and biodegradable organic load (high BOD and COD values) so that their management is an important issue. During the management of these pomace wastes by different strategies comprising incineration, landfill, composting, solid-state fermentation to produce high-value enzymes and animal feed, there is production of greenhouse gases (GHG) which must be taken into account. In this perspective, this study is unique that discusses the GHG emission analysis of agro-industrial waste management strategies, especially apple pomace waste management and repercussions of value-addition of these wastes in terms of their sustainability using life cycle assessment (LCA) model. The results of the analysis indicated that, among all the apple pomace management sub-models for a functional unit, solid-state fermentation to produce enzymes was the most effective method for reducing GHG emissions (906.81 tons CO(2) eq. per year), while apple pomace landfill resulted in higher GHG emissions (1841.00 tons CO(2) eq. per year). The assessment and inventory of GHG emissions during solid-state fermentation gave positive indications of environmental sustainability for the use of this strategy to manage apple pomace and other agricultural wastes, particularly in Quebec and also extended to other countries. The analysis and use of parameters in this study were drawn from various analytical approaches and data sources. There was absence of some data in the literature which led to consideration of some assumptions in order to calculate GHG emissions. Hence, supplementary experimental studies will be very important to calculate the GHG emissions coefficients during agro-industrial waste management. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Spatiotemporal variation of long-term drought propensity through reliability-resilience-vulnerability based Drought Management Index

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chanda, Kironmala; Maity, Rajib; Sharma, Ashish; Mehrotra, Rajeshwar

    2014-10-01

    This paper characterizes the long-term, spatiotemporal variation of drought propensity through a newly proposed, namely Drought Management Index (DMI), and explores its predictability in order to assess the future drought propensity and adapt drought management policies for a location. The DMI was developed using the reliability-resilience-vulnerability (RRV) rationale commonly used in water resources systems analysis, under the assumption that depletion of soil moisture across a vertical soil column is equivalent to the operation of a water supply reservoir, and that drought should be managed not simply using a measure of system reliability, but should also take into account the readiness of the system to bounce back from drought to a normal state. Considering India as a test bed, 5 year long monthly gridded (0.5° Lat × 0.5° Lon) soil moisture data are used to compute the RRV at each grid location falling within the study domain. The Permanent Wilting Point (PWP) is used as the threshold, indicative of transition into water stress. The association between resilience and vulnerability is then characterized through their joint probability distribution ascertained using Plackett copula models for four broad soil types across India. The joint cumulative distribution functions (CDF) of resilience and vulnerability form the basis for estimating the DMI as a five-yearly time series at each grid location assessed. The status of DMI over the past 50 years indicate that drought propensity is consistently low toward northern and north eastern parts of India but higher in the western part of peninsular India. Based on the observed past behavior of DMI series on a climatological time scale, a DMI prediction model comprising deterministic and stochastic components is developed. The predictability of DMI for a lead time of 5 years is found to vary across India, with a Pearson correlation coefficient between observed and predicted DMI above 0.6 over most of the study area

  3. Strategic alliance: adapting to the business environment in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Mara, Cynthia Massie; Ziegenfuss, James T

    2002-01-01

    This article is addressed to long-term-care administrators and planners as well as purchasers of long-term care. Believing the current and future business environment will force continued adaptation in long-term-care organizations, the authors utilize nine categories to map pressures for change: cultural, technological, educational, political, legal, natural resource, demographic, sociologic, and economic. Long-term-care organizations, especially those that are not-for-profit, are becoming members of alliances as one way of addressing these pressures. This article describes and presents a case example of a composite alliance to demonstrate the advantages of membership in a strategic alliance. We also present examples of ways in which alliance members use strategic partnerships to improve their ability to manage these forces.

  4. Long-term Internship through Cooperative Education with Regional Industries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takahashi, Kenzo; Hase, Hiroyuki

    The long term internship is one of special educational programs for graduate students of Graduate School of Engineering in University of Fukui. This is a collaborative program between university and industries where selected post-graduate students are dispatched to companies for a long term and educated in real business environments. It is the final goal of the program to develop sophisticated specialists who would be able to catch the business strategy in industries and solve any problems by themselves. The program is managed in a semester (6 months) and contains 1.5 month prior education of preliminary special knowledge, ethics and secrecy, about 3 month dispatch with long-term internship, and 1.5 month post-education for complementary education and presentation. This paper presents the effect of this program which has been evolving since 2005.

  5. Long-term management of type 2 diabetes with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.

    PubMed

    Courtney, Hamish; Nayar, Rahul; Rajeswaran, Chinnadorai; Jandhyala, Ravi

    2017-01-01

    Continuously reducing excess blood glucose is a primary goal for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Most patients with T2D require glucose-lowering medications to achieve and maintain adequate glycemic control; however, treatment failure may occur, limiting treatment options. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are an emerging therapeutic class that can be prescribed for patients instead of basal insulin after the failure of oral therapies. Recent studies have focused on the durability and tolerability of long-term GLP-1RA therapy. This review summarizes the key efficacy and safety findings from prospective phase 3 clinical studies of at least 76 weeks' duration for the GLP-1RAs currently approved in the United States and the European Union (albiglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide twice daily [BID], exenatide once weekly [QW], liraglutide, and lixisenatide). Currently, most of the long-term data are from uncontrolled extension studies, and continuous patient benefit has been observed for up to 3 years with multiple GLP-1RAs. Four-year comparative data demonstrated a longer time to treatment failure for exenatide BID than for sulfonylurea, and 3-year comparative extension data demonstrated greater glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reductions and weight loss with exenatide QW than with insulin glargine. Currently, the longest extension study for a GLP-1RA is the DURATION-1 study of exenatide QW, with >7 years of clinical data available. Data from DURATION-1 demonstrated that continuous HbA1c reductions and weight loss were observed for the patients continuing on the treatment, with no unexpected adverse events. Taken together, these data support GLP-1RAs as a long-term noninsulin treatment option after the failure of oral therapies.

  6. Factors Associated with the Effectiveness of Continuing Education in Long-Term Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stolee, Paul; Esbaugh, Jacquelin; Aylward, Sandra; Cathers, Tamzin; Harvey, David P.; Hillier, Loretta M.; Keat, Nancy; Feightner, John W.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: This article examines factors within the long-term-care work environment that impact the effectiveness of continuing education. Design & Methods: In Study 1, focus group interviews were conducted with staff and management from urban and rural long-term-care facilities in southwestern Ontario to identify their perceptions of the…

  7. Enhancing patient-provider communication for long-term post-stroke spasticity management.

    PubMed

    Sunnerhagen, K S; Francisco, G E

    2013-11-01

    Stroke is a major public health concern, with estimated 16 million people worldwide experiencing first-time strokes each year, a number that is expected to rise. Two-thirds of those experiencing a stroke are younger than 70 years of age. Stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults as a result of major sequelae that include spasticity, cognitive impairment, paresis, and depression. Disabling spasticity, defined as spasticity severe enough to require intervention, occurs in 4% of stroke survivors within 1 year of first-time stroke. The aim of this report is to focus instead on a discussion of patient-provider communication, and its role in post-stroke spasticity (PSS) rehabilitation within the context of patient-centered health care. A discussion based on a review of the literature, mainly since 2000. Problems within communication are identified and suggestion to enhance communication are proposed thus improving patient-centered goal setting/goal achievement for the effective management of spasticity rehabilitation. These are as follows: (i) involving family members, (ii) educating patients and family members on stroke and rehabilitation, and (iii) establishing a common definition for long-term goals. Increased communication among physicians, patients, and payers may bridge some of the gaps and increase the effectiveness of PSS rehabilitation and management. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

    PubMed Central

    Cowan, Nelson

    2008-01-01

    In the recent literature there has been considerable confusion about the three types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working memory. This chapter strives to reduce that confusion and makes up-to-date assessments of these types of memory. Long- and short-term memory could differ in two fundamental ways, with only short-term memory demonstrating (1) temporal decay and (2) chunk capacity limits. Both properties of short-term memory are still controversial but the current literature is rather encouraging regarding the existence of both decay and capacity limits. Working memory has been conceived and defined in three different, slightly discrepant ways: as short-term memory applied to cognitive tasks, as a multi-component system that holds and manipulates information in short-term memory, and as the use of attention to manage short-term memory. Regardless of the definition, there are some measures of memory in the short term that seem routine and do not correlate well with cognitive aptitudes and other measures (those usually identified with the term “working memory”) that seem more attention demanding and do correlate well with these aptitudes. The evidence is evaluated and placed within a theoretical framework depicted in Fig. 1. PMID:18394484

  9. Soil Organic Matter Dynamics in the Rothamsted Long-term Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacDonald, A.; Poulton, P.

    2009-04-01

    Soil science research at Rothamsted dates from 1843 when John Bennet Lawes and Joseph Henry Gilbert started the first of a series of what became long-term field experiments. The main object of these experiments was to examine the effect of inorganic and organic fertilisers and manures on crop yield and soil fertility. These "Classical Field Experiments" included studies on winter wheat (Broadbalk 1843), spring barley (Hoos Barley 1852) and permanent grassland (Park Grass 1856). Additional experiments were established in the 20th century to examine the value of ley-arable cropping, including the Highfield and Fosters Ley-arable experiments (1948) and the Woburn Ley-arable experiment (1938). More recently, the effects of incorporating organic manures and cereal straw have been examined. Early results quickly showed the benefits of inorganic N and P fertilisers on crop production, but the effects of contrasting land uses and management practices on soil properties emerged more slowly. Measurements of soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soils taken at intervals from the long-term experiments indicate that the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation is controlled largely by the balance between the rate of organic matter inputs and its oxidation rate, and that these are strongly influenced by land use and management, soil texture (especially clay content) and climate. A recent examination of soil organic C data from two long-term grassland experiments in the UK (including Park Grass) indicates that any changes observed in soil organic C under long-term grasslands over the past 40 years are more likely to be due to changes in land use and management rather than climate change. Data from the Rothamsted Long-term experiments have been used to develop and test biogeochemical models of C and N dynamics. In particular, the Roth-C model has successfully simulated soil C dynamics in the long-term experiments at Rothamsted and elsewhere. This model uses several

  10. Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

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

    Shearer, Jeffrey P.

    2012-02-29

    The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2012 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of themore » 3389 sites and 540 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.« less

  11. Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

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

    Shearer, Jeffrey P.

    2014-02-19

    The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2013 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of themore » 3438 sites and 569 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.« less

  12. Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

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

    Shearer, Jeffrey P.

    2013-02-13

    The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2013 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of themore » 3427 sites and 564 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.« less

  13. Monitoring and modeling of long-term settlements of an experimental landfill in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Simões, Gustavo Ferreira; Catapreta, Cícero Antônio Antunes

    2013-02-01

    Settlement evaluation in sanitary landfills is a complex process, due to the waste heterogeneity, time-varying properties and influencing factors and mechanisms, such as mechanical compression due to load application and creep, and physical-chemical and biological processes caused by the wastes decomposition. Many empirical models for the analysis of long-term settlement in landfills are reported in the literature. This paper presents the results of a settlement monitoring program carried out during 6 years in Belo Horizonte experimental landfill. Different sets of field data were used to calibrate three long-term settlement prediction models (rheological, hyperbolic and composite). The parameters obtained in the calibration were used to predict the settlements and to compare with actual field data. During the monitoring period of 6 years, significant vertical strains were observed (of up to 31%) in relation to the initial height of the experimental landfill. The results for the long-term settlement prediction obtained by the hyperbolic and rheological models significantly underestimate the settlements, regardless the period of data used in the calibration. The best fits were obtained with the composite model, except when 1 year field data were used in the calibration. The results of the composite model indicate settlements stabilization at larger times and with larger final settlements when compared to the hyperbolic and rheological models. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Hazardous healthcare waste management in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

    PubMed

    Mohamed, L F; Ebrahim, S A; Al-Thukair, A A

    2009-08-01

    Hazardous healthcare waste has become an environmental concern for many developing countries including the Kingdom of Bahrain. There have been several significant obstacles facing the Kingdom in dealing with this issue including; limited documentation regarding generation, handling, management, and disposal of waste. This in turn hinders efforts to plan better healthcare waste management. In this paper, hazardous waste management status in the Kingdom has been investigated through an extensive survey carried out on selected public and private healthcare premises. Hazardous waste management practices including: waste generation, segregation, storage, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal were determined. The results of this study along with key findings are discussed and summarized. In addition; several effective recommendations and improvements of hazardous waste management are suggested.

  15. Hazardous healthcare waste management in the Kingdom of Bahrain

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

    Mohamed, L.F.; Ebrahim, S.A.; Al-Thukair, A.A.

    2009-08-15

    Hazardous healthcare waste has become an environmental concern for many developing countries including the Kingdom of Bahrain. There have been several significant obstacles facing the Kingdom in dealing with this issue including; limited documentation regarding generation, handling, management, and disposal of waste. This in turn hinders efforts to plan better healthcare waste management. In this paper, hazardous waste management status in the Kingdom has been investigated through an extensive survey carried out on selected public and private healthcare premises. Hazardous waste management practices including: waste generation, segregation, storage, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal were determined. The results of this studymore » along with key findings are discussed and summarized. In addition; several effective recommendations and improvements of hazardous waste management are suggested.« less

  16. Municipal solid waste management planning considering greenhouse gas emission trading under fuzzy environment.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaodong; Huang, Gordon

    2014-03-15

    Waste management activities can release greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere, intensifying global climate change. Mitigation of the associated GHG emissions is vital and should be considered within integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management planning. In this study, a fuzzy possibilistic integer programming (FPIM) model has been developed for waste management facility expansion and waste flow allocation planning with consideration of GHG emission trading in an MSW management system. It can address the interrelationships between MSW management planning and GHG emission control. The scenario of total system GHG emission control is analyzed for reflecting the feature that GHG emission credits may be tradable. An interactive solution algorithm is used to solve the FPIM model based on the uncertainty-averse preferences of decision makers in terms of p-necessity level, which represents the certainty degree of the imprecise objective. The FPIM model has been applied to a hypothetical MSW planning problem, where optimal decision schemes for facility expansion and waste flow allocation have been achieved with consideration of GHG emission control. The results indicate that GHG emission credit trading can decrease total system cost through re-allocation of GHG emission credits within the entire MSW management system. This will be helpful for decision makers to effectively determine the allowable GHG emission permits in practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Impact of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantings on long term (137)Cs and (90)Sr recycling from a waste burial site in the Chernobyl Red Forest.

    PubMed

    Thiry, Yves; Colle, Claude; Yoschenko, Vasyl; Levchuk, Svjatoslav; Van Hees, May; Hurtevent, Pierre; Kashparov, Valery

    2009-12-01

    Plantings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) on a waste burial site in the Chernobyl Red Forest was shown to greatly influence the long term redistribution of radioactivity contained in sub-surfaces trenches. After 15 years of growth, aboveground biomass of the average tree growing on waste trench no.22 had accumulated 1.7 times more (137)Cs than that of trees growing off the trench, and 5.4 times more (90)Sr. At the scale of the trench and according to an average tree density of 3300 trees/ha for the study zone, tree contamination would correspond to 0.024% of the (137)Cs and 2.52% of the (90)Sr contained in the buried waste material. A quantitative description of the radionuclide cycling showed a potential for trees to annually extract up to 0.82% of the (90)Sr pool in the trench and 0.0038% of the (137)Cs. A preferential (90)Sr uptake from the deep soil is envisioned while pine roots would take up (137)Cs mostly from less contaminated shallow soil layers. The current upward flux of (90)Sr through vegetation appeared at least equal to downward loss in waste material leaching as reported by Dewiere et al. (2004, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 74, 139-150). Using a prospective calculation model, we estimated that maximum (90)Sr cycling can be expected to occur at 40 years post-planting, resulting in 12% of the current (90)Sr content in the trench transferred to surface soils through biomass turnover and 7% stored in tree biomass. These results are preliminary, although based on accurate methodology. A more integrated ecosystem study leading to the coupling between biological and geochemical models of radionuclide cycling within the Red Forest seems opportune. Such a study would help in the adequate management of that new forest and the waste trenches upon which they reside.

  18. The accessibility and acceptability of self-management support interventions for men with long term conditions: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

    PubMed

    Galdas, Paul; Darwin, Zoe; Kidd, Lisa; Blickem, Christian; McPherson, Kerri; Hunt, Kate; Bower, Peter; Gilbody, Simon; Richardson, Gerry

    2014-11-27

    Self-management support interventions can improve health outcomes, but their impact is limited by the numbers of people able or willing to access them. Men's attendance at existing self-management support services appears suboptimal despite their increased risk of developing many of the most serious long term conditions. The aim of this review was to determine whether current self-management support interventions are acceptable and accessible to men with long term conditions, and explore what may act as facilitators and barriers to access of interventions and support activities. A systematic search for qualitative research was undertaken on CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Social Science Citation Index, in July 2013. Reference lists of relevant articles were also examined. Studies that used a qualitative design to explore men's experiences of, or perceptions towards, self-management support for one or more long term condition were included. Studies which focused on experiences of living with a long term condition without consideration of self-management support were excluded. Thirty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. A meta-ethnography approach was employed to synthesise the findings. Four constructs associated with men's experience of, and perceptions towards, self-management support were identified: 1) need for purpose; 2) trusted environments; 3) value of peers; and 4) becoming an expert. The synthesis showed that men may feel less comfortable participating in self-management support if it is viewed as incongruous with valued aspects of their identity, particularly when activities are perceived to challenge masculine ideals associated with independence, stoicism, and control. Men may find self-management support more attractive when it is perceived as action-oriented, having a clear purpose, and offering personally meaningful information and practical strategies that can be integrated into daily life. Self-management support is most likely to be

  19. Tribal Waste Journal: What Is an Integrated Waste Management Plan (Issue 7)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMPs) may offer tribes an efficient and cost-effective way to reduce open dumping, effectively manage solid waste, and protect human health and the environment for this generation and the next.

  20. Case management for people with long-term conditions: impact upon emergency admissions and associated length of stay.

    PubMed

    Reilly, Siobhan; Abell, Jessica; Brand, Christian; Hughes, Jane; Berzins, Kathryn; Challis, David

    2011-07-01

    This paper describes findings from a study that evaluated the implementation and impact of case management for long-term conditions (CMLTC) in 10 primary care trusts (PCTs). Patients who have long-term conditions and complex health and social needs may require case management to deliver and coordinate their care from a range of agencies. A cross-sectional postal survey of managers with lead responsibility for CMLTC in each PCT is adopted to describe the implementation of services. A retrospective cohort analysis of longitudinal routinely collected admission data for patients enrolled within the CMLTC service (nine months before and nine months after the entry; n = 867) is used to measure their impact. The organisation of case management varied between PCTs in some aspects despite a high level of coordination across the geographical area. Mean emergency admissions and associated length of stay (LOS) for patients reduced significantly in the nine months after the service entry. There were a number of fairly robust positive and negative influences on these outcome measures in the regression analysis. Most patients with a history of emergency admissions experienced a marked improvement over time. However, most of those without any or with few admissions experienced an increase in admissions and corresponding LOS. Furthermore, a proportion of frequent service users with particular diagnoses also experienced an increase or remained at a high level. A very modest effect was shown with regard to the features of case management arrangements. For each day spent in hospital before service entry, patients are predicted to experience a reduction of nearly one day after. The main contributor explaining increases in LOS for emergency admissions was the number of primary and secondary diagnoses. Each added diagnosis is associated with a 2.4-day increase in LOS, everything else being equal.

  1. About the Managing and Transforming Waste Streams Tool

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Managing and Transforming Waste Streams Tool was developed by a team of zero waste consultants and solid waste program managers making informed observations from hands-on work in communities, with contributions from EPA.

  2. Science and society: the role of long-term studies in environmental stewardship

    Treesearch

    Charles T. Driscoll; Kathleen F. Lambert; F. Stuart Chapin; David J. Nowak; Thomas A. Spies; Frederick J. Swanson; David B. Kittredge; Clarisse M. Hart

    2012-01-01

    Long-term research should play a crucial role in addressing grand challenges in environmental stewardship. We examine the efforts of five Long Term Ecological Research Network sites to enhance policy, management, and conservation decisions for forest ecosystems. In these case studies, we explore the approaches used to inform policy on atmospheric deposition, public...

  3. Heavy Metal Leaching as Affected by Long-Time Organic Waste Fertilizer Application.

    PubMed

    Lekfeldt, Jonas Duus Stevens; Holm, Peter E; Kjærgaard, Charlotte; Magid, Jakob

    2017-07-01

    The recycling of urban waste products as fertilizers in agriculture may introduce contaminants such as heavy metals into soil that may leach and contaminate groundwater. In the present study, we investigated the leaching of heavy metals from intact soil cores collected in the long-term agricultural field trial CRUCIAL. At the time of sampling, the equivalent of >100 yr of urban waste fertilizers following Danish legislation had been applied. The leaching of Cu was significantly increased in the treatments receiving organic waste products compared with the unfertilized control but remained below the permissible level following Danish drinking water guidelines. The leaching of Cu was controlled primarily by the topsoil Cu content and by the leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) but at the same time significantly correlated with leaching of colloids in soils that had not received fertilizer or had received an organic fertilizer with a low concentration of Cu. The leaching of Zn, Cd, and Co was not significantly increased in urban waste-fertilized treatments. The leaching of Mo was elevated in accelerated waste treatments (both agricultural and urban), and the leaching of Mo was linked to the leaching of DOC. Since leaching of Cr and Pb was strongly linked to the level of colloid leaching, leaching of these metals was reduced in the urban waste treatments. Overall, the results presented should not raise concern regarding the agricultural use of urban waste products in agriculture as long as the relevant guidelines are followed. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  4. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) WasteWise Data

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA??s WasteWise encourages organizations and businesses to achieve sustainability in their practices and reduce select industrial wastes. WasteWise is part of EPA??s sustainable materials management efforts, which promote the use and reuse of materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. All U.S. businesses, governments and nonprofit organizations can join WasteWise as a partner, endorser or both. Current participants range from small local governments and nonprofit organizations to large multinational corporations. Partners demonstrate how they reduce waste, practice environmental stewardship and incorporate sustainable materials management into their waste-handling processes. Endorsers promote enrollment in WasteWise as part of a comprehensive approach to help their stakeholders realize the economic benefits to reducing waste. WasteWise helps organizations reduce their impact on global climate change through waste reduction. Every stage of a product's life cycle??extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal??indirectly or directly contributes to the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and affects the global climate. WasteWise is part of EPA's larger SMM program (https://www.epa.gov/smm). Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources

  5. 40 CFR 60.2620 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units that Commenced Construction On or Before November 30, 1999 Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.2620 What is a waste management plan? A waste management...

  6. 40 CFR 60.3010 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Other Solid Waste Incineration Units That Commenced Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.3010 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a...

  7. 40 CFR 60.2620 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.2620 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a written plan that identifies both the feasibility...

  8. 40 CFR 60.3010 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Other Solid Waste Incineration Units That Commenced Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.3010 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a...

  9. 40 CFR 60.3010 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Other Solid Waste Incineration Units That Commenced Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.3010 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a...

  10. 40 CFR 60.3010 - What is a waste management plan?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... Other Solid Waste Incineration Units That Commenced Construction On or Before December 9, 2004 Model Rule-Waste Management Plan § 60.3010 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a...

  11. Assessing the market for long-term care services.

    PubMed

    Rice, J A; Taylor, S

    1984-02-01

    Traditionally, long-term care services have been used by a diverse marketplace. The chronically ill, developmentally disabled, mentally ill and aging population has looked to long-term care support services as a means of physical and emotional support. Much of the time these services were housed together for the sake of efficiency. The enormous burden these services are creating on the economy, and the growing aging population, have forced the recognition that long-term care service delivery systems must change. Alternate programming for long-term care services that reach out into the community and into individual homes is becoming an attractive approach to meeting the growing demands of the marketplace. Home health, specialized housing and creative funding mechanisms such as HMOs, are examples of initiatives undertaken by healthcare organizations that view diversification as a vehicle for survival. Market research techniques that have been used in other industries are being adapted to the healthcare industry to ensure the proper mix of services that are demanded by older, more knowledgeable consumers. The programs of the future will be market driven, with the ability of the individual to pay for such services playing a significant role. The healthcare provider of today is in a position to serve the community in new ways. By becoming an integral link in the long-term care system and by developing new programs, the organization can serve as a catalyst for change. It is up to the governing bodies and managers of these facilities to become visionaries and to accept responsibility for assessing the market for long-term care services and to guide their organization into the future.

  12. Assessment of remote sensing technologies to discover and characterize waste sites

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

    NONE

    1992-03-11

    This report presents details about waste management practices that are being developed using remote sensing techniques to characterize DOE waste sites. Once the sites and problems have been located and characterized and an achievable restoration and remediation program have been established, efforts to reclaim the environment will begin. Special problems to be considered are: concentrated waste forms in tanks and pits; soil and ground water contamination; ground safety hazards for workers; and requirement for long-term monitoring.

  13. Biomedical waste management in India: Critical appraisal

    PubMed Central

    Datta, Priya; Mohi, Gursimran Kaur; Chander, Jagdish

    2018-01-01

    The safe and sustainable management of biomedical waste (BMW) is social and legal responsibility of all people supporting and financing health-care activities. Effective BMW management (BMWM) is mandatory for healthy humans and cleaner environment. This article reviews the recent 2016 BMWM rules, practical problems for its effective implementation, the major drawback of conventional techniques, and the latest eco-friendly methods for BMW disposal. The new rules are meant to improve the segregation, transportation, and disposal methods, to decrease environmental pollution so as to change the dynamic of BMW disposal and treatment in India. For effective disposal of BMWM, there should be a collective teamwork with committed government support in terms of finance and infrastructure development, dedicated health-care workers and health-care facilities, continuous monitoring of BMW practices, tough legislature, and strong regulatory bodies. The basic principle of BMWM is segregation at source and waste reduction. Besides, a lot of research and development need to be in the field of developing environmental friendly medical devices and BMW disposal systems for a greener and cleaner environment. PMID:29403196

  14. Biomedical waste management in India: Critical appraisal.

    PubMed

    Datta, Priya; Mohi, Gursimran Kaur; Chander, Jagdish

    2018-01-01

    The safe and sustainable management of biomedical waste (BMW) is social and legal responsibility of all people supporting and financing health-care activities. Effective BMW management (BMWM) is mandatory for healthy humans and cleaner environment. This article reviews the recent 2016 BMWM rules, practical problems for its effective implementation, the major drawback of conventional techniques, and the latest eco-friendly methods for BMW disposal. The new rules are meant to improve the segregation, transportation, and disposal methods, to decrease environmental pollution so as to change the dynamic of BMW disposal and treatment in India. For effective disposal of BMWM, there should be a collective teamwork with committed government support in terms of finance and infrastructure development, dedicated health-care workers and health-care facilities, continuous monitoring of BMW practices, tough legislature, and strong regulatory bodies. The basic principle of BMWM is segregation at source and waste reduction. Besides, a lot of research and development need to be in the field of developing environmental friendly medical devices and BMW disposal systems for a greener and cleaner environment.

  15. 40 CFR 60.55c - Waste management plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... plan. The owner or operator of an affected facility shall prepare a waste management plan. The waste management plan shall identify both the feasibility and the approach to separate certain components of solid waste from the health care waste stream in order to reduce the amount of toxic emissions from...

  16. 40 CFR 60.55c - Waste management plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... plan. The owner or operator of an affected facility shall prepare a waste management plan. The waste management plan shall identify both the feasibility and the approach to separate certain components of solid waste from the health care waste stream in order to reduce the amount of toxic emissions from...

  17. Application of Hydrometeorological Information for Short-term and Long-term Water Resources Management over Ungauged Basin in Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Ji-in; Ryu, Kyongsik; Suh, Ae-sook

    2016-04-01

    In 2014, three major governmental organizations that are Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), K-water, and Korea Rural Community Corporation have been established the Hydrometeorological Cooperation Center (HCC) to accomplish more effective water management for scarcely gauged river basins, where data are uncertain or non-consistent. To manage the optimal drought and flood control over the ungauged river, HCC aims to interconnect between weather observations and forecasting information, and hydrological model over sparse regions with limited observations sites in Korean peninsula. In this study, long-term forecasting ensemble models so called Global Seasonal forecast system version 5 (GloSea5): a high-resolution seasonal forecast system, provided by KMA was used in order to produce drought outlook. Glosea5 ensemble model prediction provides predicted drought information for 1 and 3 months ahead with drought index including Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI3) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Also, Global Precipitation Measurement and Global Climate Observation Measurement - Water1 satellites data products are used to estimate rainfall and soil moisture contents over the ungauged region.

  18. Host culling as an adaptive management tool for chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer: a modelling study.

    PubMed

    Wasserberg, Gideon; Osnas, Erik E; Rolley, Robert E; Samuel, Michael D

    2009-04-01

    Emerging wildlife diseases pose a significant threat to natural and human systems. Because of real or perceived risks of delayed actions, disease management strategies such as culling are often implemented before thorough scientific knowledge of disease dynamics is available. Adaptive management is a valuable approach in addressing the uncertainty and complexity associated with wildlife disease problems and can be facilitated by using a formal model.We developed a multi-state computer simulation model using age, sex, infection-stage, and seasonality as a tool for scientific learning and managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus. Our matrix model used disease transmission parameters based on data collected through disease management activities. We used this model to evaluate management issues on density- (DD) and frequency-dependent (FD) transmission, time since disease introduction, and deer culling on the demographics, epizootiology, and management of CWD.Both DD and FD models fit the Wisconsin data for a harvested white-tailed deer population, but FD was slightly better. Time since disease introduction was estimated as 36 (95% CI, 24-50) and 188 (41->200) years for DD and FD transmission, respectively. Deer harvest using intermediate to high non-selective rates can be used to reduce uncertainty between DD and FD transmission and improve our prediction of long-term epidemic patterns and host population impacts. A higher harvest rate allows earlier detection of these differences, but substantially reduces deer abundance.Results showed that CWD has spread slowly within Wisconsin deer populations, and therefore, epidemics and disease management are expected to last for decades. Non-hunted deer populations can develop and sustain a high level of infection, generating a substantial risk of disease spread. In contrast, CWD prevalence remains lower in hunted deer populations, but at a higher prevalence the disease competes with

  19. A total quality management approach to healthcare waste management in Namazi Hospital, Iran.

    PubMed

    Askarian, Mehrdad; Heidarpoor, Peigham; Assadian, Ojan

    2010-11-01

    Healthcare waste comprises all wastes generated at healthcare facilities, medical research centers and laboratories. Although 75-90% of these wastes are classified as household waste posing no potential risk, 10-25% are deemed to be hazardous, representing a potential threat to healthcare workers, patients, the environment and even the general population, if not disposed of appropriately. If hazardous and non-hazardous waste is mixed and not segregated prior to disposal, costs will increase substantially. Medical waste management is a worldwide issue. In Iran, the majority of problems are associated with an exponential growth in the healthcare sector together with low- or non-compliance with guidelines and recommendations. The aim of this study was to reduce the amounts of infectious waste by clear definition and segregation of waste at the production site in Namazi Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Namazi Hospital was selected as a study site with an aim to achieving a significant decrease in infectious waste and implementing a total quality management (TQM) method. Infectious and non-infectious waste was weighed at 29 admission wards over a 1-month period. Before the introduction of the new guidelines and the new waste management concept, weight of total waste was 6.67 kg per occupied bed per day (kg/occupied bed/day), of which 73% was infectious and 27% non-infectious waste. After intervention, total waste was reduced to 5.92 kg/occupied bed/day, of which infectious waste represented 61% and non-infectious waste 30%. The implementation of a new waste management concept achieved a 26% reduction in infectious waste. A structured waste management concept together with clear definitions and staff training will result in waste reduction, consequently leading to decreased expenditure in healthcare settings. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Implementation of Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports for Adults with Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disabilities in Kansas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Heather J.; Perkins, Elizabeth A.; Levin, Bruce L.; Baldwin, Julie A.; Lulinski, Amie; Armstrong, Mary I.; Massey, Oliver T.

    2017-01-01

    Many adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) can access health and long-term services and supports (LTSS) through Medicaid. States are reforming their Medicaid LTSS programs from a fee-for-service model to a Medicaid managed LTSS (MLTSS) approach, anticipating improved quality of care and reduced costs, although there is…