scholarly journals Microbiological Risk Assessment and Bioprocess Engineering

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-239
Author(s):  
Grażyna Płaza ◽  
Varenyam Achal ◽  
Deepika Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Biological Agents ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Recycling Industry ◽  
Green Industry ◽  
Detection And Identification

Abstract The Europe 2020 strategy (European Commission, 2010) calls a bioeconomy as a key element for smart and green growth in Europe. The development of a greener and more resource-efficient economy gives rise to new technologies and materials, which in turn may result in increased exposure to biological agents or combinations of different potentially harmful factors. For example, the expanding recycling industry employs an increasing number of workers which have to face various health problems (pulmonary, gastrointestinal and skin problems) as a result of exposure to biological agents such as airborne microorganisms. However, specific numbers for occupational diseases in this sector are still lacking. There are various workplaces and professional activities especially from the green industry for which exposure to microbiological agents occur unexpectedly and in an uncontrolled way. The issue of uncontrolled microbial exposure there is for example in waste treatment and for retrofitting activities, both growing sectors of employment in a greening society. As a result of the problem in the green industrial sector, there is a need to develop tools for risk assessment and prevention measures. In order to be able to develop suitable risk management strategies, a further development of detection and identification methods for biological agents is needed to cover the whole spectrum of microorganisms. the present paper focuses on the microbiological risk assessment in the context of the development of new and safe industrial products and processes of green industry (bioindustry and bioprocessing).

scholarly journals Present and Future of Parkinson’s Disease in Spain: PARKINSON-2030 Delphi Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1027
Author(s):  
Diego Santos García ◽  
Marta Blázquez-Estrada ◽  
Matilde Calopa ◽  
Francisco Escamilla-Sevilla ◽  
Eric Freire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Diagnostic Capacity ◽  
Socio Economic Impact

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive and irreversible disease and the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. In Spain, it affects around 120.000–150.000 individuals, and its prevalence is estimated to increase in the future. PD has a great impact on patients’ and caregivers’ lives and also entails a substantial socioeconomic burden. The aim of the present study was to examine the current situation and the 10-year PD forecast for Spain in order to optimize and design future management strategies. This study was performed using the modified Delphi method to try to obtain a consensus among a panel of movement disorders experts. According to the panel, future PD management will improve diagnostic capacity and follow-up, it will include multidisciplinary teams, and innovative treatments will be developed. The expansion of new technologies and studies on biomarkers will have an impact on future PD management, leading to more accurate diagnoses, prognoses, and individualized therapies. However, the socio-economic impact of the disease will continue to be significant by 2030, especially for patients in advanced stages. This study highlighted the unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment and how crucial it is to establish recommendations for future diagnostic and therapeutic management of PD.

scholarly journals Geochemical Mapping, Risk Assessment, and Source Identification of Heavy Metals in Road Dust Using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF)

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 614
Author(s):  
Muhammad Faisal ◽  
Zening Wu ◽  
Huiliang Wang ◽  
Zafar Hussain ◽  
Chenyang Shen
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Matrix Factorization ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Contamination Factor ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Positive Matrix Factorization ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Positive Matrix ◽  
The City

Heavy metals in road dust pose a significant threat to human health. This study investigated the concentrations, patterns, and sources of eight hazardous heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg) in the street dust of Zhengzhou city of PR China. Fifty-eight samples of road dust were analyzed based on three methods of risk assessment, i.e., Geo-Accumulation Index (Igeo), Potential Ecological Risk Assessment (RI), and Nemerow Synthetic Pollution Index (PIN). The results exhibited higher concentrations of Hg and Cd 14 and 7 times higher than their background values, respectively. Igeo showed the risks of contamination in a range of unpolluted (Cr, Ni) to strongly polluted (Hg and Cd) categories. RI came up with the contamination ranges from low (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb) to extreme (Cd and Hg) risk of contamination. The risk of contamination based on PIN was from safe (Cu, As, and Pb) to seriously high (Cd and Hg). The results yielded by PIN indicated the extreme risk of Cd and Hg in the city. Positive Matrix Factorization was used to identify the sources of contamination. Factor 1 (vehicular exhaust), Factor 2 (coal combustion), Factor 3 (metal industry), and Factor 4 (anthropogenic activities), respectively, contributed 14.63%, 35.34%, 36.14%, and 13.87% of total heavy metal pollution. Metal’s presence in the dust is a direct health risk for humans and warrants immediate and effective pollution control and prevention measures in the city.

Persistence and Potential Lethality in Intimate Partner Violence: Evaluating the Concurrent and Predictive Validity of a Dual Risk Assessment Protocol

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122098834
Author(s):  
Kirk R. Williams ◽  
Richard Stansfield ◽  
Jacquelyn Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Domestic Violence Screening

This study seeks to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of a dual risk assessment protocol. It combines the risk of persistence in intimate partner violence (IPV) measured via the Domestic Violence Screening Instrument–Revised (DVSI-R) with supplemental items from the Danger Risk Assessment (DRA) bearing on the risk of potential lethality. We further test whether this assessment protocol reproduces disparities by race and ethnicity found in the larger population. Using a sample of 4,665 IPV male defendants with a female victim, analyses support both types of criterion validity. The DRA risk score is associated with felony charges, incarceration at the initial arrest, and the frequency of subsequent dangerous behavior. Results also suggest minimal predictive bias or disparate impact by race and ethnicity. Incorporating supplemental items bearing on potential lethality risk adds important information concerning the risk management strategies of those involved in IPV.

scholarly journals Nurses and the acceptance of innovations in technology-intensive contexts: the need for tailored management strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Barchielli ◽  
Cristina Marullo ◽  
Manila Bonciani ◽  
Milena Vainieri
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Utaut Model ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Social ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Facilitating Conditions

Abstract Background Several technological innovations have been introduced in healthcare over the years, and their implementation proved crucial in addressing challenges of modern health. Healthcare workers have frequently been called upon to become familiar with technological innovations that pervade every aspect of their profession, changing their working schedule, habits, and daily actions. Purpose An in-depth analysis of the paths towards the acceptance and use of technology may facilitate the crafting and adoption of specific personnel policies taking into consideration definite levers, which appear to be different in relation to the age of nurses. Approach The strength of this study is the application of UTAUT model to analyse the acceptance of innovations by nurses in technology-intensive healthcare contexts. Multidimensional Item Response Theory is applied to identify the main dimensions characterizing the UTAUT model. Paths are tested through two stage regression models and validated using a SEM covariance analysis. Results The age is a moderator for the social influence: social influence, or peer opinion, matters more for young nurse. Conclusion The use of MIRT to identify the most important items for each construct of UTAUT model and an in-depth path analysis helps to identify which factors should be considered a leverage to foster nurses’ acceptance and intention to use new technologies (o technology-intensive devices). Practical implications Young nurses may benefit from the structuring of shifts with the most passionate colleagues (thus exploiting the social influence), the participation in ad hoc training courses (thus exploiting the facilitating conditions), while other nurses could benefit from policies that rely on the stressing of the perception of their expectations or the downsizing of their expectancy of the effort in using new technologies.

scholarly journals Sensitive Men and Hardy Women: How Do Millennials, Xennials and Gen X Manage to Work from Home?

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Agota Giedrė Raišienė ◽  
Violeta Rapuano ◽  
Kristina Varkulevičiūtė
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Work From Home

Despite the huge number of studies on telework in 2020, the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of workers on their attitudes towards telework continues to raise questions. Researchers agree on some aspects, such as younger individuals being better at absorbing new technologies. However, given that not only those who wanted to but also those who were obliged to switched to teleworking, it appears that younger people may not be as effective at working remotely as previously thought. The relevance of our study is based on the contradictory findings of research conducted during the pandemic. With this article, we contribute to the accumulation of knowledge about the change that takes place in telework. The paper aims to examine the relationship between socio-demographic indicators and the evaluation of telework. Our study confirms that the gender and age of employees are important factors in an employee’s attitude to telecommuting. Mostly, the attitudes vary in terms of gender. At least in the case of Lithuania where the research was conducted, Millennial men, unlike other generations and significantly more than Millennial women, see personal career development problems working remotely. Meanwhile, older generations do not declare greater dissatisfaction working remotely, although they do not express much favour for this approach. The results of the study indicate that in the circumstances created by the pandemic, organizations should update their human resource management strategies to achieve employee work efficiency and maintain employee motivation. The practical implication of our study in terms of open innovation is that in the future, the development of virtual working relationships will need to focus not on the technological training of older workers but on the specific provision of feedback to younger workers. In this regard, our insights may be useful for leaders in human resource management and open innovation teams.

scholarly journals Multi-Criteria Benefit-Risk Assessment of Biological Agents in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriais: A Stochastical Approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. A727
Author(s):  
B.S. Riveros ◽  
I. Rotta ◽  
M. Garcia ◽  
T.T. Souza ◽  
R.R. Godoy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Biological Agents ◽  
Benefit Risk Assessment

Evaluating Risk After a Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant Released Persistent Organic Pollutants. Part 1. Background and Policy Issues

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tee L. Guidotti
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Hazardous Waste ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Treatment Plant

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants to the atmosphere. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the human health risk, the findings of which are presented in Part 2, on Ecotoxicology and Human Health Risk. The incident resulted in the largest fine for an environmental infraction in Alberta history up to that time. Despite the incident, the province of Alberta has continued to subsidize the facility and has kept it in operation, with changes in management. The policy rationale is that if the facility were not available, accumulation and possible diversion of hazardous waste into illegal disposal alternatives would threaten the environment much more than operation of the plant. This case study illustrates an ecological approach to risk assessment and an attempted culturally sensitive approach to risk management. Incidents in which people are exposed to toxic substances do not occur in a social vacuum. Risk management strategies must be adapted to groups with different cultural values and expectations. Community and individual responses to such incidents, and the development of health advisory messages, may depend on presenting information on exposure and risk in terms consistent with cultural patterns among subpopulations in the community.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document