scholarly journals Novel Antibiofilm Non-Biocidal Strategies

2021 ◽  
pp. 117-136
Author(s):  
Francesca Cappitelli ◽  
Federica Villa
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
Biofilm Model ◽  
Biocidal Products ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Cultural Heritage Objects ◽  
And Control ◽  
By Products

AbstractSubaerial biofilm (SAB) formation on cultural heritage objects is often considered an undesirable process in which microorganisms and their by-products, e.g., enzymes and pigments, cause damage or alteration to a surface. Since biofilms are widespread phenomena, there has been a high demand for preventive and control strategies that resist their formation or reduce their negative effects once formed. Up to date, the main strategy to control biofilms has been the use of biocides. Because of their intrinsic properties, biocidal products can pose risks to humans, animals, and the environment. In this chapter, the authors call “green” only those alternative strategies to biocides able to prevent/control biofilms but that do not kill microorganisms, i.e., irrespective of the use of natural compounds. Here, we describe some of the methods that are most commonly used to test the effectiveness of antibiofilm compounds with multiple-species biofilm model systems. A unified terminology and well described protocols and guidelines are still required to compare and test the effectiveness of traditional or novel compounds against biofilms retrieved on heritage surfaces.

Supply chain risk management dimensions in Indian automobile industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1023-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satyendra Kumar Sharma ◽  
Anil Bhat
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Supplier Development ◽  
Supply Chain Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Control

Purpose – Globalization and outsourcing have rendered Indian automotive companies more vulnerable to supply chain (SC) risks. Consequently, companies adopt different supply chain risk management (SCRM) strategies to mitigate SC risks. The purpose of this paper is to explore SCRM strategies in Indian automobile industry and to classify automobile firms based on SCRM dimensions. Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument on SCRM dimensions was designed and data were collected from 79 automobile firms. Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed on the collected data to derive the factors underlying SCRM dimensions. Further, cluster analysis using extracted factors as a clustering variate was performed to identify strategic groups from the given set of firms. Findings – PCA derived seven factors, namely: avoidance, supplier development, flexibility, risk pooling, redundancy, integration and control strategies. The surveyed firms were classified into two clusters as low and high SCRM level. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of this study is that data were collected from a single industry and in a single country. Practical implications – Understanding of SCRM dimensions shall increase the use of these dimensions and firms can mitigate negative effects of SC risks. The detailed operationalization of SCRM strategies highlights the importance of three strategies: avoidance, integration and supplier development. Managers’ understanding of SCRM strategies will improve the firm's performance and business excellence. Originality/value – This research empirically validates SCRM strategies and investigates how these create differences among firms.

Effective infection prevention and control strategies in a large accredited psychiatric facility in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Poremski ◽  
Sandra Henrietta Subner ◽  
Grace Lam Fong Kin ◽  
Raveen Dev Ram Dev ◽  
Mok Yee Ming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Psychiatric Facility ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
And Control

The Institute of Mental Health in Singapore continues to attempt to prevent the introduction of COVID-19, despite community transmission. Essential services are maintained and quarantine measures are currently unnecessary. To help similar organizations, strategies are listed along three themes: sustaining essential services, preventing infection, and managing human and consumable resources.

Optimization and Control Petroleum Refinery Wastewater Treatment Systems — Status, Trends and Needs

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-477
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Nutt
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Process Control ◽  
Petroleum Refinery ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Refinery Wastewater ◽  
Statistical Process ◽  
Petroleum Refinery Wastewater ◽  
Optimization And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Systems

Abstract Based on discussions in workshop sessions, several recurring themes became evident with respect to the optimization and control of petroleum refinery wastewater treatment systems to achieve effective removal of toxic contaminants. It was apparent that statistical process control (SPC) techniques are finding more widespread use and have been found to be effective. However, the implementation of real-time process control strategies in petroleum refinery wastewater treatment systems is in its infancy. Considerable effort will need to be expended to demonstrate the practicality of on-line sensors, and the utility of automated process control in petroleum refinery wastewater treatment systems. This paper provides a summary of the discussions held at the workshop.

The Effects of Corporate Ownership on Public Accountants' Professionalism and Ethics

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Shafer ◽  
D. Jordan Lowe ◽  
Timothy J. Fogarty
Keyword(s):  
Current Trend ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Corporate Ownership ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Public Accounting ◽  
Corporate Acquisitions ◽  
Accounting Professionals ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
And Control ◽  
First Time

The current trend toward corporate acquisitions of CPA firms poses potential threats to the autonomy and ethical standards of public accounting professionals. This recent consolidation movement suggests that for the first time a significant number of public accounting professionals are subject to the supervision and control of nonprofessionals. In addition to acknowledging the potential threats to auditor independence and objectivity, this paper suggests that these new organizational arrangements for the provision of public accounting services have other negative effects on professionalism and ethics such as desensitizing CPAs to traditional professional values, and subverting professional institutions to the goals of corporate employers. This paper develops a framework that identifies several specific research questions related to the effects of corporate ownership on professionalism and ethics in public accounting.

Learning and control

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Herreros
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Learning Problems ◽  
Animal Learning ◽  
Feed Forward Control ◽  
Machine Learning Applications ◽  
And Control

This chapter discusses basic concepts from control theory and machine learning to facilitate a formal understanding of animal learning and motor control. It first distinguishes between feedback and feed-forward control strategies, and later introduces the classification of machine learning applications into supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning problems. Next, it links these concepts with their counterparts in the domain of the psychology of animal learning, highlighting the analogies between supervised learning and classical conditioning, reinforcement learning and operant conditioning, and between unsupervised and perceptual learning. Additionally, it interprets innate and acquired actions from the standpoint of feedback vs anticipatory and adaptive control. Finally, it argues how this framework of translating knowledge between formal and biological disciplines can serve us to not only structure and advance our understanding of brain function but also enrich engineering solutions at the level of robot learning and control with insights coming from biology.

Current status, problems and control strategies of water resources pollution in China

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wu ◽  
Tong Qi ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Huijuan Yang ◽  
Guoqing Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Underground Water ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Major River ◽  
And Control ◽  
Research And Policy

The surface water of 10 major river systems across China has been under intermediate pollution with striking eutrophication problems in major lakes (reservoirs). More data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China showed that underground water in 57% of monitoring sites across Chinese cities was polluted or extremely polluted. Rural water pollution, the rising number of incidents of industrial pollution, outdated sewerage systems, and the overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers also endanger the health of rural inhabitants in China. Nearly 0.2 billion rural residents could not use drinking water in accordance with the national standard, and there were reports of ‘cancer villages' and food-borne diseases (cancer village refers to a village where a certain proportion of its inhabitants suffer from the same kind of cancer or where there is a hike in cancer incidence in that area). This study aims to raise awareness of the prevention and control of water pollution and to propose a set of national research and policy initiatives for the future safety of the water environment in China.

scholarly journals Disinfection by-products in desalinated and blend water: formation and control strategy

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakhawat Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Cancer Risks ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Desalinated Water ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Product Water ◽  
And Control ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
By Products

Abstract Desalinated seawater is the major source of drinking water in many countries. During desalination, several activities including pretreatment, desalination, stabilization, mixing, storage and distribution are performed. Few disinfectants are used during these activities to control the biofouling agents and microbiological regrowth. The reactions between the disinfectants and natural organic matter (NOM), bromide and iodide form disinfection by-products (DBPs) in product water. The product water is stabilized and mixed with treated freshwater (e.g., groundwater) to meet the domestic water demands. The DBPs in desalinated and blend water are an issue due to their possible cancer and non-cancer risks to humans. In this paper, formation and distribution of DBPs in different steps of desalination and water distribution systems prior to reaching the consumer tap were reviewed. The variability of DBPs among different sources and desalination processes was explained. The toxicities of DBPs were compared and the strategies to control DBPs in desalinated water were proposed. Several research directions were identified to achieve comprehensive control on DBPs in desalinated water, which are likely to protect humans from the adverse consequences of DBPs.

scholarly journals An Agent-Based Crop Model Framework for Heterogeneous Soils

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Jorge Lopez-Jimenez ◽  
Nicanor Quijano ◽  
Alain Vande Wouwer
Keyword(s):  
Growth Models ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soil Heterogeneity ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Crop Growth Models ◽  
Definition Of

Climate change and the efficient use of freshwater for irrigation pose a challenge for sustainable agriculture. Traditionally, the prediction of agricultural production is carried out through crop-growth models and historical records of the climatic variables. However, one of the main flaws of these models is that they do not consider the variability of the soil throughout the cultivation area. In addition, with the availability of new information sources (i.e., aerial or satellite images) and low-cost meteorological stations, it is convenient that the models incorporate prediction capabilities to enhance the representation of production scenarios. In this work, an agent-based model (ABM) that considers the soil heterogeneity and water exchanges is proposed. Soil heterogeneity is associated to the combination of individual behaviours of uniform portions of land (agents), while water fluxes are related to the topography. Each agent is characterized by an individual dynamic model, which describes the local crop growth. Moreover, this model considers positive and negative effects of water level, i.e., drought and waterlogging, on the biomass production. The development of the global ABM is oriented to the future use of control strategies and optimal irrigation policies. The model is built bottom-up starting with the definition of agents, and the Python environment Mesa is chosen for the implementation. The validation is carried out using three topographic scenarios in Colombia. Results of potential production cases are discussed, and some practical recommendations on the implementation are presented.

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