Use of ATP Readings to Predict a Successful Hygiene Intervention in the Workplace to Reduce the Spread of Viruses on Fomites

The purpose of this study was to validate the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for evaluating hygiene intervention effectiveness in reducing viral dissemination in an office environment. The bacterial virus MS-2 was used to evaluate two scenarios, one where the hand of an individual was contaminated and another where a fomite was contaminated. MS-2 was selected as a model because its shape and size are similar to many human pathogenic viruses. Two separate experiments were conducted, one in which the entrance door push plate was inoculated and the other in which the hand of one selected employee was inoculated. In both scenarios, 54 selected surfaces in the office were tested to assess the dissemination of the virus within the office. Associated surface contamination was also measured employing an ATP meter. More than half of the tested hands and surfaces in the office were contaminated with MS-2 within 4 h. Next, an intervention was conducted, and each scenario was repeated. Half of the participating employees were provided hand sanitizer, facial tissues, and disinfecting wipes, and were instructed in their use. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction was observed in the number of surfaces contaminated with virus. This reduction in viral spread was evident from the results of both viral culture and the surface ATP measurements, although there was no direct correlation between ATP measurements with respect to viral concentration. Although ATP does not measure viruses, these results demonstrate that ATP measurements could be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of hygiene interventions aimed at preventing viral spread in the workplace.     

阳离子絮凝剂研制

介绍了一种阳离子絮凝剂的研制情况。用该絮凝剂对几种污水进行混凝处理，加药后生成的絮体大，沉降速度快，处理后水清澈度高。同时，用日立Ｈ－３００扫描电镜对絮体形态进行了观察，对阳离子絮凝剂的作用机理进行了初步探讨。     

Forest protection and economic development by offshoring wood extraction: Bhutan’s clean development path

With globalization, virtual exchanges of natural resources embodied in traded commodities redistribute geographically land use and its environmental impacts. Benefits of national forest protection may be undermined at the global-scale by leakage through international trade. We studied land use displacement associated with national policies to protect forests in Bhutan. This case study provides a simple situation: a dominant forest cover almost unaffected by agricultural expansion, a rural economy dominated by the primary sector, centralized forest conservation policies, and a dominant trading partner. We assessed the net effects at the international level of the Bhutanese forest protection policies by accounting for trade in wood products with India. Our results show that these policies have been effective in maintaining a high forest cover, but have been accompanied by an increasing displacement of forest use to India. In 1996–2011, the difference between the total volume of wood imported from India and the total volume exported from Bhutan—i.e., the net displacement—corresponds to 27 % of the total volume consumed in Bhutan. In 2011, 68 % of the total forest area required to produce the wood consumed in Bhutan was located in India. The wood imported by Bhutan was likely originating from tree plantations in the northeastern Indian states. Since Bhutan has few tree plantations and very valuable natural forests, the net international-level ecological impacts of this land use displacement is arguably positive. Most of the wood imports of Bhutan were wood charcoal for its emerging chemical industries. This case of displacement reflects functional upgrading in the value-chain rather than an externalization of consumption-based environmental costs. Through its government policies, Bhutan has managed to support its economic development while protecting its forests and leapfrogging the negative impacts on forests generally associated with the early stages of modernization.     

Towards a general relationship between climate change and biodiversity: an example for plant species in Europe

Climate change is one of the main factors that will affect biodiversity in the future and may even cause species extinctions. We suggest a methodology to derive a general relationship between biodiversity change and global warming. In conjunction with other pressure relationships, our relationship can help to assess the combined effect of different pressures to overall biodiversity change and indicate areas that are most at risk. We use a combination of an integrated environmental model (IMAGE) and climate envelope models for European plant species for several climate change scenarios to estimate changes in mean stable area of species and species turnover. We show that if global temperature increases, then both species turnover will increase, and mean stable area of species will decrease in all biomes. The most dramatic changes will occur in Northern Europe, where more than 35% of the species composition in 2100 will be new for that region, and in Southern Europe, where up to 25% of the species now present will have disappeared under the climatic circumstances forecasted for 2100. In Mediterranean scrubland and natural grassland/steppe systems, arctic and tundra systems species turnover is high, indicating major changes in species composition in these ecosystems. The mean stable area of species decreases mostly in Mediterranean scrubland, grassland/steppe systems and warm mixed forests.     

三峡水库汞活化效应对鱼汞含量影响的预测

报道了三峡库区长江干流江段鱼体汞元素的含量范围为０．０４￣０．４２ｍｇ／ｋｇ（湿重）,高于长江水系鱼体汞含量水平。分析了三峡库区鱼体汞含量高的原因,指出三峡库区毗邻武陵山高汞背景区,主要受汞矿开发、高汞燃煤及城市废弃物排放的影响。利用水库汞活化指数模型,预测三峡水库蓄水后库区干流及４０条主要支流水域汞的活化效应将增强０．３５￣１．５倍,鱼体汞含量将是现在鱼汞含量的１．４￣２．５倍;并根据不同鱼种汞     

The role of research in coastal westlands management: Salt Marshes of Santoña and Noja (Spain)

Coastal environments, such as marshes, dunes, or estuaries, are characterized by their high natural values that usually cause them to be subjected to high protection levels, affecting activities taking place within them. This is why the action in these spaces must be based on the use of proper techniques and approaches, which integrate ecology with practical engineering necessities. In this context, the Department of Sciences and Techniques of the Water and Environment of the University of Cantabria, through methods developed in the natural reserve of the Salt Marshes of Santoña and Noja, proposes the use of a working methodology based on the discipline of “ecosystem management” combined with the “adaptive management” methodologies; the application of mathematical, statistical, and specific predictive instruments; and the utilization of an “ecologic niche” as a union between the scientific knowledge of the littoral environments and the true actuation scale of the projects and activities carried out within them.     

The Role of Wind in Modeling of Oil Pollution Transport and Diffusion in the Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf ecosystem is facing a variety of stresses as a result of being located within the richest oil province in the world, which hosts more than 67 % of the world oil reserve. In this paper, the distribution of oil pollution on the surface layer of the Persian Gulf is predicted for the different months after the release, based on the Coupled Hydrodynamical Ecological model for Regional Shelf seas (COHERENS). An Eulerian model for the Persian Gulf is set up using the Cartesian coordinate in the horizontal direction, and the sigma coordinate in the vertical direction. Based on this model, our analysis and simulation results indicate that the winds lead to diffusion of the contaminant concentration in the direction of the Arabian coast from the initial position of the spill. The results of this study can be used to provide appropriate solutions for preventing oil from spreading further in the region.     

A spectrophotometric assay method for vanadium in biological and environmental samples using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine with imipramine hydrochloride

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method involving the interaction of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine with imipramine hydrochloride in presence of vanadium (V) in sulfuric acid medium has been proposed for the determination of vanadium. The purple-colored product developed showed an absorption maximum at 560 nm and was stable for 24 h. The working curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.1–2.8 μg ml^− 1, with sensitivity of detection of 0.0124 μg ml^− 1. Molar absorptivity and Sandell’s sensitivity were found to be 2.6 × 10⁴ l/mol cm and 0.0039 μg cm^− 1, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was assessed by Student’s t test and variance ratio F test, and the results were on par with the reported method. The method was successfully used in the determination of V in water, human urine, soil, and plant samples, and it was free from interference by various concomitant ions.     

Perceptions toward stewardship among residents living near U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Facilities

Although stewardship has been widely defined and used in environmental management and planning, there is a dearth of studies that describe how the lay public perceives this concept. A national sample of residents in 14 states who live near DOE nuclear facilities were interviewed to delineate public understanding and awareness of the stewardship program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This study discusses the findings of the survey and discusses how institutional trust influences public participation and resident’s choices of potential stewards. Almost 40% of the respondents could not define stewardship; those who did, believed that ‘responsibility,’ ‘management,’ and ‘accountability’ are key elements of stewardship. In addition, about a third of the respondents identified Federal groups and the DOE as potential stewards. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue