Emergency department visits by pediatric patients sustained as a passenger on a motorcycle

Objective: Currently only 5 out of the 50 states in the United States have laws restricting the age of passengers permitted to ride on a motorcycle. This study sought to characterize the visits by patients under the age of 16 to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) for injuries sustained as a passenger on a motorcycle.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data were obtained from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) for the years 2006 to 2011. Pediatric patients who were passengers on a motorcycle that was involved in a crash were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) External Cause of Injury codes. We also examined gender, age, disposition, regional differences, common injuries, and charges.

Results: Between 2006 and 2011 there were an estimated 9,689 visits to U.S. EDs by patients under the age of 16 who were passengers on a motorcycle involved in a crash. The overall average patient age was 9.4 years, and they were predominately male (54.5%). The majority (85%) of these patients were treated and released. The average charges for discharged patients were $2,116.50 and amounted to roughly $17,500,000 during the 6 years. The average cost for admission was $51,446 per patient and totaled over $54 million. The most common primary injuries included superficial contusions; sprains and strains; upper limb fractures; open wounds of head, neck, and trunk; and intracranial injuries.

Conclusion: Although there were only about 9,700 visits to U.S. EDs for motorcycle crashes involving passengers less than 16 years old for 2006 to 2011, the total cost of visits that resulted in either ED discharge or hospital admission amounted to over $71 million.     

Adaptive reversals in acid tolerance in copepods from lakes recovering from historical stress.

Anthropogenic habitat disturbance can often lead to rapid evolution of environmental tolerances in taxa that are able to withstand the stressor. What we do not understand, however, is how species respond when the stressor no longer exists, especially across landscapes and over a considerable length of time. Once anthropogenic disturbance is removed and if there is an ecological trade-off associated with local adaptation to such an historical stressor, then evolutionary theory would predict evolutionary reversals. On the Boreal Shield, tens of thousands of lakes acidified as a result of SO2 emissions, but many of these lakes are undergoing chemical recovery as a consequence of reduced emissions. We investigated the adaptive consequences of disturbance and recovery to zooplankton living in these lakes by asking (1) if contemporary evolution of acid tolerance had arisen among Leptodiaptomus minutus copepod populations in multiple circum-neutral lakes with and without historical acidification, (2) if L. minutus populations were adaptively responding to reversals in selection in historically acidified lakes that had recovered to pH 6.0 for at least 6-8 years, and (3) if there was a fitness trade-off for L. minutus individuals with high acid tolerance at circum-neutral pH. L. minutus populations had higher acid tolerances in circum-neutral lakes with a history of acidification than in local and distant lakes that were never acidified. However, copepods in circum-neutral acid-recovering lakes were less acid-tolerant than were copepods in lakes with longer recovery time. This adaptive reversal in acid tolerance of L. minutus populations following lake recovery was supported by the results of a laboratory experiment that indicated a fitness trade-off in copepods with high acid tolerances at circum-neutral pH. These responses appear to have a genetic basis and suggest that L. minutus is highly adaptive to changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, restoration managers should focus on removing environmental stressors, and adaptable species will be able to reverse evolutionary responses to environmental disturbance in the years following recovery.     

The role of new technologies in reducing energy demand

Energy efficiency is often stated to be the most cost-effective measure for satisfying our energy demand with minimal environmental damage. However, the potential energy savings attainable in 'the real world' are frequently overestimated, as is shown in an industrial case study of the glass industry. Nevertheless, there are significant energy savings to be realized, and the role of new technologies in this is important. However, the key to the effective use of new technology for improved energy efficiency is good management and. for best effect, it must be integrated into the normal resource management activities of a company.     

Analysis of uncertainty consideration in environmental assessment: an empirical study of Canadian EA practice

Identifying and communicating uncertainty is core to effective environmental assessment (EA). This study evaluates the extent to which uncertainties are considered and addressed in Canadian EA practice. We reviewed the environmental protection plans, follow-up programs, and panel reports (where applicable) of 12 EAs between 1995 and 2012. The types of uncertainties and levels of disclosure varied greatly. When uncertainties were acknowledged, practitioners adopted five different approaches to address them. However, uncertainties were never discussed or addressed in depth. We found a lack of suitable terminology and consistency in how uncertainties are disclosed, reflecting the need for explicit guidance, and we present recommendations for improvement. Canadian Environmental Impact Statements are not as transparent with respect to uncertainties as they should be, and uncertainties in EA need to be better considered and communicated.     

Microbially mediated redox processes in natural analogues for radioactive waste

Natural analogues allow scientists to investigate biogeochemical processes relevant to radioactive waste disposal that occur on time scales longer than those that may be studied by time-limited laboratory experiments. The Palmottu U-Th deposit in Finland and the Bangombé natural nuclear reactor in Gabon involve the study of natural uranium, and are both considered natural analogues for subsurface radioactive waste disposal. The microbial population naturally present in groundwater may affect the redox conditions, and hence, the radionuclide solubility and migration. Therefore, groundwater samples from the two sites were investigated for microbial populations. The total numbers of cells ranged from 10(4) to 10(6) cells ml(-1). Iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) were the largest culturable microbial population in the Palmottu groundwater and were present at up to 1.3 x 10(5) cells ml(-1). Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and acetogens could also be cultured from the Palmottu groundwater. The numbers of IRB and SRB were largest in groundwater with the lowest uranium concentrations. Removal of dissolved U(VI) from solution was concomitant with the growth of IRB enrichment cultures and the reduction of iron. The redox buffer in the Palmottu groundwater consists of iron and uranium species, both of which are affected by IRB. IRB and aerobic heterotrophs were cultured from the Bangombé groundwater, where redox potentials are buffered by iron and organic carbon species. Microbial populations similar to those found at Palmottu and Bangombé are found throughout the Fennoscandian Shield, a potential host rock for subsurface radioactive waste disposal. These results confirm that microorganisms can be expected to play a role in stabilizing radioactive waste disposed of in the subsurface by lowering redox potential and immobilizing radionuclides.     

Differences between weekday and weekend air pollutant levels in southern California

Ambient air quality data were analyzed to empirically evaluate the effects of reductions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions on weekday and weekend levels of ozone (O3; 1991-1998) and particulate NO3- (1980-1999) in southern California. Despite significantly lower O3 precursor levels on weekends, 20 of 28 South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) sites (28 of all 78 southern California sites) showed statistically significant higher mean O3 levels on Sundays than on weekdays (p < 0.01); 49 of the remaining 50 sites showed no significant differences between mean weekday and Sunday peak O3 levels. We also observed no statistically significant differences between mean weekday and weekend concentrations of particulate NO3- or nitric acid (HNO3, the precursor of particulate NO3-). Averaged over sites, the mean Sunday NOx and nonmethane hydrocarbon concentrations were 25-41% and 16-30% lower, respectively, than on weekdays. Site-to-site differences between weekend and weekday mean peak hourly O3 levels were related to whether O3 formation was limited by the availability of NOx. A thermodynamic equilibrium model predicts that particulate NO3- levels would decrease in response to a reduction of HNO3, and that particulate ammonium NO3- formation was not limited by the availability of ammonia. The similarity of mean weekday and weekend levels of NO3- therefore did not result from limitations on the formation of particulate NO3- from its precursor, HNO3.     

PROCEDURES FOR THE EVALUATION OF ENGINEERING ALTERNATIVES1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes a method of analyzing the nonquantifiable parameters which should be considered in the evaluation of engineering alternatives. The nonquantifiable parameters can include environmental impact, feasibility of implementation, and performance. The method considers rating all the alternatives on the basis of a set of criteria which reflect these parameters. A procedure is discussed for obtaining review and guidance in the evaluation of engineering alternatives from the local elected officials or governing bodies and for obtaining the views and desires of the local communities. This is achieved through the formation of project review committees and an evaluation procedure which allows for the technical rating of alternatives by the engineer and the weighing of the evaluation criteria by the political and social groups. With the growing environmental concern and the high cost of engineering projects, the involvement of the public during the evaluation of engineering projects is becoming increasingly important to the final success of the project.     

Base-neutral extractable organic pollutants in biota and sediments from Lake Pontchartrain

A study was conducted to screen the three passes that link Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Borne for the presence of EPA base-neutral (BN) priority pollutants and any other pollutants detected in significant concentration. Biota and sediment samples were collected and analytical procedures were developed for the trace analysis of BN organics in these matrices. Compounds identified include alkanes (normal, branched, cyclic), alkenes, aromatics, alkylated aromatics, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and their alkylated derivatives, phthalates, ketones, furans, thiophenes, phenols, amines, nitriles, thiazoles, amides, aldehydes, alcohols, free fatty acids, fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters, phosphates, sterols. Concentrations were in the parts-per-billion range.