Environment, Development and Sustainability - There is growing recognition of the potential environmental and socio-economic benefits of applying a circular approach to urban organic waste... 相似文献
Objective: We compared the differences in the braking response to vehicle collision between an active human emergency braking (control condition) and cruise control (CC) or adaptive cruise control (ACC).
Methods: In 11 male subjects, age 22 to 67 years, we measured the active emergency braking response during manual driving using the accelerator pedal (control condition) or in condition mimicking CC or ACC. In both conditions, we measured the brake reaction time (BRT), delay to produce the peak braking force (PBD), total emergency braking response (BRT + PBD), and peak braking force (PBF). Electromyograms of leg and thigh muscles were recorded during braking. The tonic vibratory response (TVR), Hoffman reflex (HR), and M-waves were recorded in leg muscles to explore the change in sensorimotor control.
Results: No difference in PBF, TVR amplitude, HR latency, and Hmax/Mmax ratio were found between the control and CC/ACC conditions. On the other hand, BRT and PBD were significantly lengthened in the CC/ACC condition (240 ± 13 ms and 704 ± 70 ms, respectively) compared to control (183 ± 7 ms and 568 ± 36 ms, respectively). BRT increased with the age of participants and the driving experience shortened PBD and increased PBF.
Conclusions: In male subjects, driving in a CC/ACC condition significantly delays the active emergency braking response to vehicle collision. This could result from higher amplitude of leg motion in the CC/ACC condition and/or by the age-related changes in motor control. Car and truck drivers must take account of the significant increase in the braking distance in a CC/ACC condition. 相似文献
Human noroviruses (NoVs) are considered a worldwide leading cause of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis. Due to a combination of prolonged shedding of high virus levels in feces, virus particle shedding during asymptomatic infections, and a high environmental persistence, NoVs are easily transmitted pathogens. Norovirus (NoV) outbreaks have often been reported and tend to affect a lot of people. NoV is spread via feces and vomit, but this NoV spread can occur through several transmission routes. While person-to-person transmission is without a doubt the dominant transmission route, human infective NoV outbreaks are often initiated by contaminated food or water. Zoonotic transmission of NoV has been investigated, but has thus far not been demonstrated. The presented review aims to give an overview of these NoV transmission routes. Regarding NoV person-to-person transmission, the NoV GII.4 genotype is discussed in the current review as it has been very successful for several decades but reasons for its success have only recently been suggested. Both pre-harvest and post-harvest contamination of food products can lead to NoV food borne illness. Pre-harvest contamination of food products mainly occurs via contact with polluted irrigation water in case of fresh produce or with contaminated harvesting water in case of bivalve molluscan shellfish. On the other hand, an infected food handler is considered as a major cause of post-harvest contamination of food products. Both transmission routes are reviewed by a summary of described NoV food borne outbreaks between 2000 and 2010. A third NoV transmission route occurs via water and the spread of NoV via river water, ground water, and surface water is reviewed. Finally, although zoonotic transmission remains hypothetical, a summary on the bovine and porcine NoV presence observed in animals is given and the presence of human infective NoV in animals is discussed. 相似文献
While US climate change mitigation policy has stalled at the national level, local and regional actors are increasingly taking progressive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Universities are poised to play a key role in this grassroots effort by targeting their own emissions and by working with other local actors to develop climate change mitigation programmes. Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University have collaborated with university administrators and personnel to inventory campus emissions and develop mitigation strategies. In addition, they have facilitated a stakeholder-driven climate change mitigation project in one Pennsylvania county and started an ongoing service-learning project aimed at reducing emissions in another county. These campus and community outreach initiatives demonstrate that university-based mitigation action may simultaneously achieve tangible local benefits and develop solutions to broader challenges facing local climate change mitigation efforts. Outcomes include improved tools and protocols for measuring and reducing local emissions, lessons learned about service-learning approaches to climate change mitigation, and methods for creating climate change governance networks involving universities, local governments and community stakeholders. 相似文献
A major goal of our selenium (Se) phytoremediation research is to use genetic engineering to develop fast-growing plants with an increased ability to tolerate, accumulate, and volatilize Se. To this end we incorporated a gene (encoding selenocysteine methyltransferase, SMT) from the Se hyperaccumulator, Astragalus bisulcatus, into Indian mustard (LeDuc, D.L., Tarun, A.S., Montes-Bayón, M., Meija, J., Malit, M.F., Wu, C.P., AbdelSamie, M., Chiang, C.-Y., Tagmount, A., deSouza, M., Neuhierl, B., B?ck, A., Caruso, J., Terry, N., 2004. Overexpression of selenocysteine methyltransferase in Arabidopsis and Indian mustard increases selenium tolerance and accumulation Plant Physiol. 135, 377-383.). The resulting transgenic plants successfully enhanced Se phytoremediation in that the plants tolerated and accumulated Se from selenite significantly better than wild type. However, the advantage conferred by the SMT enzyme was much less when Se was supplied as selenate. In order to enhance the phytoremediation of selenate, we developed double transgenic plants that overexpressed the gene encoding ATP sulfurylase (APS) in addition to SMT, i.e., APSxSMT. The results showed that there was a substantial improvement in Se accumulation from selenate (4 to 9 times increase) in transgenic plants overexpressing both APS and SMT. 相似文献
The transmission of free-living trematode stages is mediated by various environmental factors, of which the presence of ambient
organisms within the host space is a potential major determinant. In two laboratory mesocosm experiments, we investigated
the influence of four intertidal rocky shore species on transmission success of cercariae of the digenean trematodes Echinostephillapatellae (encysting in the tissue of blue mussels Mytilus edulis) and Parorchisacanthus (encysting on mussel shells). Encystment success of both parasite species was significantly lower in the presence of test
organisms when compared to controls. Observations revealed that barnacles Austrominiusmodestus actively filtered cercariae, whereas the larvae were obstructed by the seaweeds Corallinaofficinalis and Fucusserratus. Anemones Actiniaequina both physically disturbed and consumed cercariae. In a further laboratory experiment, grazing gastropods (Littorinalittorea, Patellavulgata, and Gibbulaumbilicalis) were found to significantly reduce the numbers of P. acanthus metacercariae in artificially prepared dishes by ingestion of cysts. Our results suggest that non-host organisms may play
a key role in regulating the transmission of free-living trematode stages in rocky shore ecosystems, which is especially important
with regard to the relative diversity and density of species in these habitats. The findings also emphasize the need to include
parasites into marine food webs, since cercariae seem to be consumed by certain organisms to a considerable extent and could
possibly represent an important energy source. 相似文献
Over a five-year period in the West Midlands there were 34 pregnancies to women who were possible carriers for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and who were known to the Department of Clinical Genetics. Fetal sexing was performed in only ten of 26 pregnancies to women of high or moderate risk, and of the five male fetuses discovered, only two were aborted. Overall, the 34 pregnancies resulted in one miscarriage, 14 males (of whom two were aborted and two were affected) and 19 females. Information was also obtained on five further possible carriers who were ascertained solely because they had an amniocentesis. These five pregnancies led to the birth of one affected male and to the termination of one male fetus. 相似文献
As a consequence of the accumulation of anthropogenic Pb in upland catchments, there has been much recent concern about the potential mobilisation and transport of Pb from the soils to receiving waters and also the possible harmful effects that this might have on aquatic biota. This paper presents the findings of a two-year study of Pb behaviour in an organic-rich upland catchment at Glensaugh in NE Scotland. Pb inputs to the catchment were characterised by direct measurements of Pb concentration and (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in rain water and interception. Pb outputs from the catchment were calculated from measurements on stream water samples taken from the two main streams, the Cairn Burn and Birnie Burn. The relative contribution of Pb from groundwater and throughflow, under different flow conditions (base flow and high flow), to stream waters was investigated via analysis of springs sourced from groundwater and of waters flowing through the various soil horizons (S (surface), A, B, C, and D), respectively. The outcome of intensive sampling and analysis over the two-year time period was that, even with marked reduction in Pb inputs over the past two decades, the catchment was still acting as a net sink for the current atmospheric deposition. Although the Pb isotopic signature for stream water is very similar to that for the contemporaneous rain water ((206)Pb/(207)Pb approximately 1.15-1.16), only a small portion of the rain water is transferred directly to stream water. Instead, the Pb input is transferred to the stream waters mainly via groundwater and it was also confirmed that the latter had a similar Pb isotopic signature. From the Pb isotopic measurements on throughflow waters, however, Pb being removed via the streams contained some previously deposited Pb, i.e. mobilisation of a small portion of soil-derived anthropogenic Pb was occurring. These findings are important not only with respect to the source/sink status of the catchment but also for calculation of the extent of retention of the current atmospheric Pb inputs, which must take account of the release of previously deposited Pb from the catchment soils, a process occurring mainly under high flow conditions. 相似文献
Pulsed column experiments using Co, fulvic acid and porous sediment packing, along with up/down-flooding experiments using Eu, humic acid and intact sandstone blocks have been performed. The elution of metal and humic and their distribution along the sandstone columns have been measured. A mixed equilibrium and kinetic coupled chemical transport model has been used to simulate the results. In both cases, one exchangeable and one non-exchangeable component have been used to simulate the interaction of metal and humic substance. For the pulsed experiments, a simple equilibrium approach was used to model humic sorption, while a two component, kinetic model was required for the sandstone columns. 相似文献