NOA Air-Quality Lessons Learned During Calaveras Dam Replacement Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
Bart Eklund ◽  
John Roadifer ◽  
Noel Wong ◽  
Michael Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Dust Control ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Naturally Occurring Asbestos ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Community Exposure ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACT The Calaveras Dam Replacement Project (CDRP) pioneered technical approaches for addressing community exposure to naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) via the inhalation pathway. Over the course of the CDRP, approaches were developed for key issues, including determining the NOA particles of interest, defining the toxicity limits to apply to various types of NOA particles, establishing dust control, and creating appropriate feedback loops for using laboratory data. Specific issues of interest included whether to count only structures above a certain length and the inhalation unit risk value to use for amphiboles. The knowledge gained on the CDRP can and is being used to optimize NOA evaluation and control at other, similar projects.

scholarly journals Smart Cities and COVID-19: Implications for Data Ecosystems from Lessons Learned in India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaideep Gupte ◽  
Sarath MG Babu ◽  
Debjani Ghosh ◽  
Eric Kasper ◽  
Priyanka Mehra
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
City Governments ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Urban Regimes ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
And Control ◽  
Frugal Innovations

This brief distils best data practice recommendations through consideration of key issues involved in the use of technology for surveillance, fact-checking and coordinated control during crisis or emergency response in resource constrained urban contexts. We draw lessons from how data enabled technologies were used in urban COVID-19 response, as well as how standard implementation procedures were affected by the pandemic. Disease control is a long-standing consideration in building smart city architecture, while humanitarian actions are increasingly digitised. However, there are competing city visions being employed in COVID-19 response. This is symptomatic of a broader range of tech-based responses in other humanitarian contexts. These visions range from aspirations for technology driven, centralised and surveillance oriented urban regimes, to ‘frugal innovations’ by firms, consumers and city governments. Data ecosystems are not immune from gendered- and socio-political discrimination, and technology-based interventions can worsen existing inequalities, particularly in emergencies. Technology driven public health (PH) interventions thus raise concerns about 1) what types of technologies are appropriate, 2) whether they produce inclusive outcomes for economically and socially disadvantaged urban residents and 3) the balance between surveillance and control on one hand, and privacy and citizen autonomy on the other.

scholarly journals The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Sly ◽  
Brittany A. Trottier ◽  
Catherine M. Bulka ◽  
Stephania A. Cormier ◽  
Julius Fobil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Environmental Exposures ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background An unusual feature of SARS-Cov-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic is that children are less severely affected than adults. This is especially paradoxical given the epidemiological links between poor air quality and increased COVID-19 severity in adults and that children are generally more vulnerable than adults to the adverse consequences of air pollution. Objectives To identify gaps in knowledge about the factors that protect children from severe SARS-Cov-2 infection even in the face of air pollution, and to develop a transdisciplinary research strategy to address these gaps. Methods An international group of researchers interested in children’s environmental health was invited to identify knowledge gaps and to develop research questions to close these gaps. Discussion Key research questions identified include: what are the effects of SAR-Cov-2 infection during pregnancy on the developing fetus and child; what is the impact of age at infection and genetic susceptibility on disease severity; why do some children with COVID-19 infection develop toxic shock and Kawasaki-like symptoms; what are the impacts of toxic environmental exposures including poor air quality, chemical and metal exposures on innate immunity, especially in the respiratory epithelium; what is the possible role of a “dirty” environment in conveying protection – an example of the “hygiene hypothesis”; and what are the long term health effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection in early life. Conclusion A concerted research effort by a multidisciplinary team of scientists is needed to understand the links between environmental exposures, especially air pollution and COVID-19. We call for specific research funding to encourage basic and clinical research to understand if/why exposure to environmental factors is associated with more severe disease, why children appear to be protected, and how innate immune responses may be involved. Lessons learned about SARS-Cov-2 infection in our children will help us to understand and reduce disease severity in adults, the opposite of the usual scenario.

scholarly journals Immunohistological Evaluation of Von Willebrand Factor in the Left Atrial Endocardium and Atrial Thrombi from Cats with Cardiomyopathy

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1240
Author(s):  
Wan-Ching Cheng ◽  
Lois Wilkie ◽  
Tsumugi Anne Kurosawa ◽  
Melanie Dobromylskyj ◽  
Simon Lawrence Priestnall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Von Willebrand Factor ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Feline Model ◽  
Von Willebrand ◽  
And Control ◽  
Endocardial Endothelium ◽  
Willebrand Factor

Aortic thromboembolism (ATE) occurs in cats with cardiomyopathy and often results in euthanasia due to poor prognosis. However, the underlying predisposing mechanisms leading to left atrial (LA) thrombus formation are not fully characterised. von Willebrand Factor (vWF) is a marker of endothelium and shows increased expression following endothelial injury. In people with poor LA function and LA remodelling, vWF has been implicated in the development of LA thrombosis. In this study we have shown (1) the expression of endocardial vWF protein detected using immunohistofluorescence was elevated in cats with cardiomyopathy, LA enlargement (LAE) and clinical signs compared to cats with subclinical cardiomyopathy and control cats; (2) vWF was present at the periphery of microthrombi and macrothrombi within the LA where they come into contact with the LA endocardium and (3) vWF was integral to the structure of the macrothrombi retrieved from the atria. These results provide evidence for damage of the endocardial endothelium in the remodelled LA and support a role for endocardial vWF as a pro-thrombotic substrate potentially contributing to the development of ATE in cats with underlying cardiomyopathy and LAE. Results from this naturally occurring feline model may inform research into human thrombogenesis.

Impacts of land use on spatial distribution of mortality rates of cancers caused by naturally occurring asbestos

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binggan Wei ◽  
Xianjie Jia ◽  
Bixiong Ye ◽  
Jiangping Yu ◽  
Biao Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Naturally Occurring Asbestos

Food for thought: food systems, livestock futures and animal health

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
Angela Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Futures Research ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Fundamental Misunderstanding ◽  
And Control ◽  
Global Food

AbstractGlobal food security, livestock production and animal health are inextricably bound. However, our focus on the future tends to disaggregate food and health into largely separate domains. Indeed, much foresight work is either food systems or health-based with little overlap in terms of predictions or narratives. Work on animal health is no exception. Part of the problem is the fundamental misunderstanding of the role, nature and impact of the modern futures tool kit. Here, I outline three key issues in futures research ranging from methodological confusion over the application of scenarios to the failure to effectively integrate multiple methodologies to the gap between the need for more evidence and power and control over futures processes. At its core, however, a better understanding of the narrative and worldview framing much of the futures work in animal health is required to enhance the value and impact of such exercises.

scholarly journals Chikungunya outbreak in Al-Hudaydah, Yemen, 2011: Epidemiological characterization and key lessons learned for early detection and control

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamunur Rahman Malik ◽  
Abraham Mnzava ◽  
Emad Mohareb ◽  
Alia Zayed ◽  
Abdulhakeem Al Kohlani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
And Control ◽  
Epidemiological Characterization

scholarly journals Guardianship in the Digital Age

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle M. Reynald
Keyword(s):  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Digital Crime ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
And Control

This conceptual article focuses on the potential to advance and extend guardianship using new digital crime prevention applications that have been developed as a consequence of technological advancements in communication and social engagement. The new opportunity structure for informal guardianship through active citizen participation and involvement in crime prevention and control efforts using the Internet and smartphones is discussed to emphasize how this has changed in the digital age. Specifically, the article highlights how the fundamental tenets of guardianship (i.e., what it means to be available, how supervision or monitoring is carried out and ways of intervening) have evolved due to neighborhood watch/community safety mobile applications. Based on what we have learned about guardianship, this article considers the potential for these digital crime prevention applications to extend and support guardianship. It also assesses these applications critically by highlighting some of the concerns and risks that need to be considered amid the proliferation of these new platforms for crime control. The article concludes by weighing up the pros and cons with a view to focusing on key issues in the continued development of such applications so their potential can be maximized.

scholarly journals Assessment of Building Automation and Control Systems in Danish Healthcare Facilities in the COVID-19 Era

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Jeanette Maria Pedersen ◽  
Farah Jebaei ◽  
Muhyiddine Jradi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Building Automation ◽  
Efficient Operation ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Automation And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Indoor Conditions ◽  
The Impact

A well-designed and properly operated building automation and control system (BACS) is key to attaining energy-efficient operation and optimal indoor conditions. In this study, three healthcare facilities of a different type, age, and use are considered as case studies to investigate the functionalities of BACS in providing optimal air quality and thermal comfort. IBACSA, the first-of-its-kind instrument for BACS assessment and smartness evaluation, is used to evaluate the current systems and their control functionalities. The BACS assessment is reported and analyzed. Then, three packages of improvements were implemented in the three cases, focusing on (1) technical systems enhancement, (2) indoor air quality and comfort, and (3) energy efficiency. It was found that the ventilation system domain is the best performer in the three considered cases with an overall score of 52%, 89% and 91% in Case A, B, and C,, respectively. On the other hand, domestic hot water domain scores are relatively low, indicating that this is an area where Danish healthcare facilities need to provide more concentration on. A key finding indicated by the assessment performed is that the three buildings score relatively very low when it comes to the impact criteria of energy flexibility and storage.

scholarly journals A Project-Centric Curriculum Design

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Dennis Drinka ◽  
Minnie Yi-Miin Yen
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Team Projects ◽  
Individual Project ◽  
The University ◽  
And Control ◽  
Small Team

Student success was the motivation for evolving an individual project-based course into a project-centric curriculum. A one semester project was first extended across a sequence of three interrelated courses tied together through their focus on the success of small team projects that spanned those courses. This sequence was then targeted as the core of a redesign of the entire program curriculum focused on project and student success. Currently, the department is in the process of introducing the measurement of project success as a tool for assessment and control of the departments learning objectives. An overview of the design of this curriculum, lessons learned from developing it, and benefits of this type of curriculum in quality of student learning, community engagement, and reputation of the university, will be discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document