Health care system hazard vulnerability analysis: an assessment of all public hospitals in Abu Dhabi

Hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) is used to risk‐stratify potential threats, measure the probability of those threats, and guide disaster preparedness. The primary objective of this project was to analyse the level of disaster preparedness in public hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, utilising the HVA tool in collaboration with the Disaster Medicine Section at Harvard Medical School. The secondary objective was to review each facility's disaster plan and make recommendations based on the HVA findings. Based on the review, this article makes eight observations, including on the need for more accurate data; better hazard assessment capabilities; enhanced decontamination capacities; and the development of hospital‐specific emergency management programmes, a hospital incident command system, and a centralised, dedicated regional disaster coordination centre. With this project, HVAs were conducted successfully for the first time in health care facilities in Abu Dhabi. This study thus serves as another successful example of multidisciplinary emergency preparedness processes.     

Ag–TiO2 doped photo catalytic degradation of Procion blue H-B dye in textile washwater

The photocatalytic degradation of Procion blue H-B dye in biodegraded textile washwater has been investigated for the complete removal of color and maximum reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD). Pseudomonas putida was utilized for obtaining biodegraded textile washwater. In this process, silver-doped TiO₂ photocatalyst was prepared and experiments were carried out to study the effects of UV and mercury lamp irradiations on COD reduction and removal of color. The thus prepared silver-doped TiO₂ catalyst was characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, UV-visible spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, and BET surface area techniques. Adsorption studies were also carried out to evaluate the fitness of isotherm models. The results show that the silver-doped TiO₂ has enhanced the photodegradation of Procion blue H-B dye under UV and mercury lamp irradiations. The enhanced activity of silver-doped TiO₂ is due to the enrichment of electron–hole separation by electron trapping of silver particles.     

Inhibitory effect of arachidonic acid on venom acetylcholinesterase

The venom of krait (Bungarus sindanus), an Elapidae snake, contains high level of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. The effect of arachidonic acid on krait (Bungarus sindanus) venom AChE (acetylcholine hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7) was studied using kinetic methods. This study evaluated for the first time whether arachidonic acid acts as potential AChE inhibitor of krait venom. Kinetic studies, using Line-Weaver Burk and Dixon plots, indicated that the inhibition produced by arachidonic acid was non-competitive, i.e., both k_m and V _max fell with increase in the concentration of arachidonic acid. The concentration of arachidonic acid required to inhibit 50% of enzymatic activity was found to be 1.9?µM while the inhibitory constant (K_i ) was 1.4?µM. The present results suggest that essential fatty acid (arachidonic acid) may also be used as an inhibitor of snake venom AChE.     

Carbon paste electrode modified with chromium thiopental for the potentiometric flow injection analysis of chromium (III)

A chemically modified carbon paste electrode for chromium (III) based on the formation of ion-association complex of chromium with 5-ethyl-6-oxo-5-pentan-2-yl-sulfanyl-pyrimidin-4-olate (thiopental, THP) as electroactive ion-exchanger (Cr-THP) was prepared and investigated. The electrode has a linear dynamic range of 1.7?×?10^?6–1.3?×?10^?2?mol?L^?1, with a Nernstian slope of 19.6?±?0.5?mV per decade and a detection limit of 9.0?×?10^?7?mol?L^?1. It has a fast response time of <15?s and can be used for at least 7 weeks without any considerable divergence in potential. The proposed sensor revealed good selectivity for Cr(III) over a wide variety of mono-, di-, and trivalent cations and could be used in the pH range of 2.3–6.5. The proposed electrode was used in batch measurements and in flow injection analysis. The Cr-CMCPE was successfully applied for the determination of Cr(III) in real samples (wastewater of hot dip galvanizing unit and alloys). The present electrode was also used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Cr(III). The results were highly satisfactory.     

Vertical profiles of organochlorine pesticides in sediment core from Nile river and Manzala lake,Egypt

Residue levels of organochlorine pesticides (DDTs, HCHs, HCB and chlordane compounds) were determined in core samples collected from Nile River near by Cairo and Manzala Lake, Egypt in 1994. Regional difference and vertical profiles were discussed in view of historical reconstruction of environmental pollution by these chemicals. On the basis of estimated sedimentation rate (0.5 to 0.7 cm/year) in Manzala Lake, it seems that discharge of DDTs and CHLs into Egyptian environment increased rapidly from early 1960's and the maximum discharge was recorded in 1980's. However, concentration of HCHs increased continuously up to the present in spite of decreasing of DDTs and CHLs after 1980's. It was revealed that vertical profiles of organochlorine pesticides in sediment core from Manzala Lake are useful to estimate a temporal trend of pesticide use in Egypt.     

Seasonal changes in inorganic nutrient concentration in the alexandria western harbour (Egypt)

Surface and bottom water samples were collected on a monthly basis from six locations in the Alexandria Western Harbour between April 2002 and March 2003. Total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total phosphorus, reactive phosphate and silicate were analysed. The average content of total nitrogen ranged from 81.1 to 65.7?µmol?l^?1 in the surface and bottom waters, respectively, while ammonia ranged from 13.77 to 15.79?µmol?l^?1 in surface and bottom waters, respectively. Also, the average concentration of nitrite was relatively higher in surface waters than in bottom waters (0.89 and 0.61?µmol?l^?1, respectively). The results of this study also indicated a considerable temporal variation in nitrate concentrations which ranged from 1.12 to 13.83?µmol?l^?1. Total phosphorus displayed an irregular pattern throughout the year, ranging from 1.9 to 11.8?µmol?l^?1 in surface waters and from 1.7 to 9.1?µmol?l^?1 in bottom waters. The results of PO₄-P analysis showed higher values in surface waters (0.28–2.75?µmol?l^?1) than in bottom waters (0.10–1.70?µmol?l^?1). The average concentration of silicates was relatively lower in the surface than in the bottom waters (8.97 and 10.1?µmol?l^?1, respectively). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) among seasons and sites revealed significant differences for ammonia, total nitrogen and phosphate, while nitrate showed no significant differences among stations. Finally, silicate did not show any significant variance among sites and seasons (ANOVA, P?>?0.05).     

Tributyltin pollution in sediments from Alexandria's coastal areas

Presence of Tributyltin (TBT) in Alexandria’s coastal water areas has been demonstrated by measuring concentrations of this compound. The TBT was measured in sediments from three docking areas namely: Western Harbour, Eastern Harbour and Abu Qir Bay. The sediment of those areas has been affected by marine traffic and other industrial activities. This is reflected by the distribution of TBT in the sediments nearby the shipyards in the three docking areas of the region where the average values of 258.6 ηg TBT/g for Western Harbour; 126.4 ηg TBT/g dw for Abu Qir Bay and 42.3 ηg TBT/g dw for the Eastern Harbour were recorded. This fact reflects the effect of industry and marine traffic on the marine environments of the Alexandria region.     

Chlorpyrifos insecticide uptake by plantain from polluted water and soil

Chlorpyrifos is a common organophosphorus insecticide used for crop protection. Chlorpyrifos use has induced heath issues and water pollution. Such issues may be solved by phytoremediation, which is the use of plants for the cleanup of pollutants. Here, we tested Plantago major L. to clean water and soils under laboratory conditions. Results show that the concentration of chlorpyrifos residues after 5 days exposure reached 36.86 μg/g in roots and 13.93 μg/g in upper plant tissues. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of chlorpyrifos metabolites suggests the formation of 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) and diethyl 3,5,6-trichloropyridin-2-yl phosphate (chlorpyrifos-oxon). Chlorpyrifos-oxon was detected in the roots and the leaves after 2 h of testing. After 24 h of testing, the degradation product chlorpyrifos-oxon increased in the roots and the leaves then decreased gradually until the end of testing. TCP levels increased gradually to 192 h then decreased until the end of testing.     

Integrating livelihoods and conservation in protected areas: understanding the role and stakeholder views on prospects for non-timber forest products,a Bangladesh case study

Protected areas (PAs) represent a key global strategy in biodiversity conservation. In tropical developing countries, the management of PAs is a great challenge as many contain resources on which local communities rely. Collection and trading of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is a well-established forest-based livelihood strategy, which has been promoted as a potential means for enhanced conservation and improved rural livelihoods in recent years, even though the sustainability or ecological implications have rarely been tested. We conducted an exploratory survey to understand the role and stakeholder views on conservation prospects and perceived ecological feasibility of NTFPs and harvesting schemes in a northeastern PA of Bangladesh, namely the Satchari National Park. Households (n?=?101) were interviewed from three different forest dependency categories, adopting a stratified random sampling approach and using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study identified 13 locally important NTFPs, with five being critically important to supporting local livelihoods. Our study suggests that collection, processing and trading in NTFPs constitutes the primary occupation for about 18% of local inhabitants and account for an estimated 19% of their cash annual income. The household consensus on issues relating to NTFPs and their prospective role in conservation was surprisingly high, with 48% of respondents believing that promotion of NTFPs in the PA could have positive conservation value. The majority (71%) of households also had some understanding of the ecological implications of NTFP harvesting, sustainability (53%) and possible management and monitoring regimes (100%). With little known about their real application in the field, our study suggests further investigations are required to understand the ecological compatibility of traditional NTFP harvesting patterns and management.     

Green supply chain management in the chemical industry: structural framework of drivers

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is to improve the quality of supply chain management strategies and environmental performance. As per current statistics, the chemical industry is growing fast in Bangladesh. In order to compete for global competition, GSCM is essential in this sector. This paper proposes a systematic approach of structural framework whose aim is to enhance the probability of constructive implementation of GSCM in the field chemical industry in Bangladesh. Therefore, this framework evaluates the appropriate interrelationship along with the drivers of GSCM in the chemical industry. In total, eight drivers were finalized from an associated literature review with the help of survey and by taking expert opinions via the Delphi methodology. In addition to MICMAC analysis, the driving and the dependence powers for all the drivers were determined. Moreover, the structural frameworks for the drivers were developed by means of total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) technique. As a result, the findings indicate that the most significant driver was supplier pressure and willingness and the most important barrier was high cost. Finally, the main objective of this research is expected to help industrial managers to evaluate and understand the critical areas where they should emphasize to implement GSCM in the chemical industry.