scholarly journals Testing wastewater to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 782-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D Harries ◽  
Selma dar Berger ◽  
Srinath Satyanarayana ◽  
Pruthu Thekkur ◽  
Ajay M V Kumar

Abstract Research groups around the world are starting to analyse whether wastewater surveillance is a useful tool to monitor the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in communities. Reported studies from the Netherlands, USA, Australia and France have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can be detected and quantified in wastewater, allowing the total number of community infections to be estimated as well as monitoring whether the virus has returned to a community after elimination. Further work is required to improve the quantification of virus, to better detect the virus at low levels and to ensure wastewater samples are representative of the community under surveillance.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-357
Author(s):  
Anne G. Balter ◽  
Malene Kallestrup-Lamb ◽  
Jesper Rangvid

AbstractThe Danish and the Dutch pension systems are often referred to as “among the best in the world”. We compare pension systems and pension products in Denmark and The Netherlands. We focus on the shifts that have taken place in both countries, from pension products with relatively low levels of risk for the participant to pension products with more risk but also higher expected return. We end by drawing lessons that are relevant for discussions in many countries.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kurowiak

AbstractAs a work of propaganda, graphics Austroseraphicum Coelum Paulus Pontius should create a new reality, make appearances. The main impression while seeing the graphics is the admiration for the power of Habsburgs, which interacts with the power of the Mother of God. She, in turn, refers the viewer to God, as well as Franciscans placed on the graphic, they become a symbol of the Church. This is a starting point for further interpretation of the drawing. By the presence of certain characters, allegories, symbols, we can see references to a particular political situation in the Netherlands - the war with the northern provinces of Spain. The message of the graphic is: the Spanish Habsburgs, commissioned by the mission of God, they are able to fight all of the enemies, especially Protestants, with the help of Immaculate and the Franciscans. The main aim of the graphic is to convince the viewer that this will happen and to create in his mind a vision of the new reality. But Spain was in the seventeenth century nothing but a shadow of former itself (in the time of Philip IV the general condition of Spain get worse). That was the reason why they wanted to hold the belief that the empire continues unwavering. The form of this work (graphics), also allowed to export them around the world, and the ambiguity of the symbolic system, its contents relate to different contexts, and as a result, the Habsburgs, not only Spanish, they could promote their strength everywhere. Therefore it was used very well as a single work of propaganda, as well as a part of a broader campaign


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 748-752
Author(s):  
Swapnali Khabade ◽  
Bharat Rathi ◽  
Renu Rathi

A novel, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and spread globally from Wuhan, China. In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared the SARS-Cov-2 virus as a COVID- 19, a global pandemic. This pandemic happened to be followed by some restrictions, and specially lockdown playing the leading role for the people to get disassociated with their personal and social schedules. And now the food is the most necessary thing to take care of. It seems the new challenge for the individual is self-isolation to maintain themselves on the health basis and fight against the pandemic situation by boosting their immunity. Food organised by proper diet may maintain the physical and mental health of the individual. Ayurveda aims to promote and preserve the health, strength and the longevity of the healthy person and to cure the disease by properly channelling with and without Ahara. In Ayurveda, diet (Ahara) is considered as one of the critical pillars of life, and Langhana plays an important role too. This article will review the relevance of dietetic approach described in Ayurveda with and without food (Asthavidhi visheshaytana & Lanhgan) during COVID-19 like a pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravikant Piyush ◽  
Aroni Chatterjee ◽  
Shashikant Ray

The world is currently going through a disastrous event and a catastrophic upheaval caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pandemic has resulted in loss of more than 150000 deaths across the globe. Originating from China and spreading across all continents within a short span of time, it has become a matter of international emergency. Different agencies are adopting diverse approaches to stop and spread of this viral disease but still now nothing confirmatory has come up. Due to lack of vaccines and proper therapeutic drugs, the disease is still spreading like wild fire without control. An Old but very promising method- the convalescent plasma therapy could be the key therapy to stop this pandemic. This method has already proven its mettle on several occasions previously and has been found to be effective in curing the pandemics induced by Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the same group of β-Coronavirus that has resulted in the above diseases. Therefore, the role of plasma therapy is being explored for treatment of this disease. In this review, we have mainly focused on the role of convalescent plasma therapy and why its use should be promoted in fight against COVID-19, as it could turn out to be a game changer.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2304-2305
Author(s):  
Oana Ruxandra Iana ◽  
Dragos Cristian Stefanescu ◽  
Viorel Zainea ◽  
Razvan Hainarosie

Variable pH values for skin have been reported in the literature, all within the acidic range, varying from 4.0 up to 7. 0. The origin of the acidic pH remains conjectural, and several factors have been incriminated with this role, such as eccrine and sebaceous secretions as well as proton pumps. Keeping low levels of pH prevents microbial dispersal as well as multiplication. The skin in the external auditory canal is also covered with this acidic mantle with antimicrobial value. Changes of pH in the external ear can lead to acute otitis externa. This condition is defined by the inflammation and infection of the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues of the external auditory canal. 10% of the world�s population may suffer from acute otitis externa at least once in their lifetime. This paper aims to consolidate the relevance of an acidic pH in the healthy external ear and its relation to the pathogenesis and treatment of otitis externa through a prospective and interventional clinical study on 80 patients who presented to the outpatient department at Prof. Dr D. Hociota ENT Institute in Buch


Author(s):  
Detlef Pollack ◽  
Gergely Rosta

In recantation of his earlier approach, Peter L. Berger now claims: ‘The world today, with some exceptions […], is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more so than ever.’ The most important exception that Berger refers to is Western Europe. The introduction to Part II provides an overview of the religious landscape in Western Europe. The data show that the current religious situation in the countries of Western Europe is in fact subject to considerable variation. It would therefore be erroneous to describe Western Europe as secularized. At the same time, the data reveal that there have been clear secularization tendencies over the last few decades. To grasp the diversity of religious tendencies, Part II deals with three cases: West Germany with moderate downward tendencies, Italy with a considerably high degree of stability, and the Netherlands displaying disproportionately strong secularizing tendencies.


Author(s):  
James Kennedy ◽  
Ronald Kroeze

This chapter takes as its starting point the contemporary idea that the Netherlands is one of the least corrupt countries in the world; an idea that it dates back to the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this chapter, the authors explain how corruption was controlled in the Netherlands against the background of the rise and fall of the Dutch Republic, modern statebuilding and liberal politics. However, the Dutch case also presents some complexities: first, the decrease in some forms of corruption was due not to early democratization or bureaucratization, but was rather a side-effect of elite patronage-politics; second, although some early modern forms of corruption disappeared around this period, new forms have emerged in more recent times.


Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 163 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Sivasundar ◽  
Jody Hey

AbstractCaenorhabditis elegans has become one of the most widely used model research organisms, yet we have little information on evolutionary processes and recent evolutionary history of this widespread species. We examined patterns of variation at 20 microsatellite loci in a sample of 23 natural isolates of C. elegans from various parts of the world. One-half of the loci were monomorphic among all strains, and overall genetic variation at microsatellite loci was low, relative to most other species. Some population structure was detected, but there was no association between the genetic and geographic distances among different natural isolates. Thus, despite the nearly worldwide occurrence of C. elegans, little evidence was found for local adaptation in strains derived from different parts of the world. The low levels of genetic variation within and among populations suggest that recent colonization and population expansion might have occurred. However, the patterns of variation are not consistent with population expansion. A possible explanation for the observed patterns is the action of background selection to reduce polymorphism, coupled with ongoing gene flow among populations worldwide.


AJIL Unbound ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Giesela Rühl

The past sixteen years have witnessed the proliferation of international commercial courts around the world. However, up until recently, this was largely an Asian and a Middle Eastern phenomenon. Only during the past decade have Continental European countries, notably Germany, France and the Netherlands, joined the bandwagon and started to create new judicial bodies for international commercial cases. Driven by the desire to attract high-volume commercial litigation, these bodies try to offer international businesses a better dispute settlement framework. But what are their chances of success? Will more international litigants decide to settle their disputes in these countries? In this essay, I argue that, despite its recently displayed activism, Continental Europe lags behind on international commercial courts. In fact, although the various European initiatives are laudable, most cannot compete with the traditional market leaders, especially the London Commercial Court, or with new rivals in Asia and the Middle East. If Continental Europe wants a role in the international litigation market, it must embrace more radical change. And this change will most likely have to happen on the European––not the national––level.


Author(s):  
Valeria Seidita ◽  
Francesco Lanza ◽  
Arianna Pipitone ◽  
Antonio Chella

Abstract Motivation The epidemic at the beginning of this year, due to a new virus in the coronavirus family, is causing many deaths and is bringing the world economy to its knees. Moreover, situations of this kind are historically cyclical. The symptoms and treatment of infected patients are, for better or worse even for new viruses, always the same: more or less severe flu symptoms, isolation and full hygiene. By now man has learned how to manage epidemic situations, but deaths and negative effects continue to occur. What about technology? What effect has the actual technological progress we have achieved? In this review, we wonder about the role of robotics in the fight against COVID. It presents the analysis of scientific articles, industrial initiatives and project calls for applications from March to now highlighting how much robotics was ready to face this situation, what is expected from robots and what remains to do. Results The analysis was made by focusing on what research groups offer as a means of support for therapies and prevention actions. We then reported some remarks on what we think is the state of maturity of robotics in dealing with situations like COVID-19.


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