Bacterial Characteristics of Dust Particle Saltation in Gobi Dust Sites, Mongolia

The Gobi Desert is a major source of Asian dust events, and the resulting health hazards have increased significantly in recent years. We reported that a variety of live bacteria were distributed in the Gobi Desert in relation to land use. Bacterial distribution was confirmed in the environment and on the land used by animals; however, bacterial saltation due to dust events has not been investigated in detail. In this study, to understand the distribution of surface bacteria in the atmosphere by dust saltation, live bacteria in four dust-generating areas in the Gobi area were monitored using an artificial dust generating device. The live bacteria were detected by experimental saltation at a wind speed of 6.5–8 m/s in all areas. A certain number of live bacteria are constantly saltated by dust events, and these bacteria depend on land use. Moreover, the bacterial saltation strain depended on land use and diversity, indicating that live bacteria are lifted into the environment by dust events. These findings indicate that dust events saltate environmental bacteria on the ground, suggest the risk of animal-derived bacterial saltation affected by land use, and present cross-border public health challenges to be considered in the future.

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Mineralogy and geochemistry of Asian dust: dependence on migration path, fractionation, and reactions with polluted air

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-7411-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 7411-7428

Author(s):

Gi Young Jeong

Keyword(s):

Northern China ◽

Asian Dust ◽

Chinese Loess Plateau ◽

Geochemical Data ◽

Gobi Desert ◽

Data Sets ◽

Migration Path ◽

Chinese Loess ◽

Dust Events ◽

A Minor

Abstract. Mineralogical and geochemical data are essential for estimating the effects of long-range transport of Asian dust on the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and pedosphere. However, consistent long-term data sets of dust samples are rare. This study analyzed 25 samples collected during 14 Asian dust events occurring between 2005 and 2018 on the Korean Peninsula and compared them to 34 soil samples (<20 µm) obtained from the Mongolian Gobi Desert, which is a major source of Asian dust. The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of Asian dust were consistent with those of fine source soils in general. In dust, clay minerals were most abundant, followed by quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, calcite, and gypsum. The trace element contents were influenced by the mixing of dust with polluted air and the fractionation of rare earth elements. Time-series analyses of the geochemical data of dust, combined with satellite remote sensing images, showed a significant increase in the Ca content in the dust crossing the Chinese Loess Plateau and the sandy deserts of northern China. Calcareous sediments in the sandy deserts and pedogenic calcite-rich loess are probable sources of additional Ca. Dust-laden air migrating toward Korea mixes with polluted air over East Asia. Gypsum, a minor mineral in source soils, was formed by the reaction between calcite and pollutants. This study describes not only the representative properties of Asian dust but also their variation according to the migration path, fractionation, and atmospheric reactions.

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Public health challenges in hepatitis C virus infection

Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1746.2000.02134.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 15 (5 (Suppl.)) ◽

pp. E83-E90 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

John M Kaldor ◽

Gregory J Dore ◽

Patricia Kl Correll

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Hepatitis C Virus ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽

Public Health Challenges

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Integrating psychology and public health: Challenges and opportunities.

American Psychologist ◽

10.1037/0003-066x.51.1.42 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 42-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Laura C. Leviton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Public Health Challenges

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Today’s Nutrition and Tomorrow’s Public Health: Challenges and Opportunities

10.3389/978-2-88919-818-4 ◽

2016 ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Public Health Challenges

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Effectiveness of Face Coverings in Mitigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3666

Author(s):

Olukayode James Ayodeji ◽

Seshadri Ramkumar

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

District Of Columbia ◽

Preventive Measure ◽

The United States ◽

Protective Measure ◽

Sharp Change ◽

The Public ◽

Public Health Challenges ◽

Effective Preventive Measure

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. Many prevalent measures have been taken to prevent its spread and protect the public. However, the use of face coverings as an effective preventive measure remains contentious. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of face coverings as a protective measure. We examined the effectiveness of face coverings between 1 April and 31 December 2020. This was accomplished by analyzing trends of daily new COVID-19 cases, cumulative confirmed cases, and cases per 100,000 people in different U.S. states, including the District of Columbia. The results indicated a sharp change in trends after face covering mandates. For the 32 states with face covering mandates, 63% and 66% exhibited a downward trend in confirmed cases within 21 and 28 days of implementation, respectively. We estimated that face covering mandates in the 32 states prevented approximately 78,571 and 109,703 cases within 21- and 28-day periods post face covering mandate, respectively. A statistically significant (p = 0.001) negative correlation (−0.54) was observed between the rate of cases and days since the adoption of a face covering mandate. We concluded that the use of face coverings can provide necessary protection if they are properly used.

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“No Entry into New South Wales”: COVID-19 and the Historic and Contemporary Trajectories of the Effects of Border Closures on an Australian Cross-Border Community

Land ◽

10.3390/land10060610 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 610

Author(s):

Dirk H. R. Spennemann

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Economic Impact ◽

New South ◽

Community Integration ◽

New South Wales ◽

The State ◽

Cross Border ◽

Health Measures ◽

Border Community ◽

South Wales

Given its intensity, rapid spread, geographic reach and multiple waves of infections, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/21 became a major global disruptor with a truly cross-sectoral impact, surpassing even the 1918/19 influenza epidemic. Public health measures designed to contain the spread of the disease saw the cessation of international travel as well as the establishment of border closures between and within countries. The social and economic impact was considerable. This paper examines the effects of the public health measures of “ring-fencing” and of prolonged closures of the state border between New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), placing the events of 2020/21 into the context of the historic and contemporary trajectories of the border between the two states. It shows that while border closures as public-health measures had occurred in the past, their social and economic impact had been comparatively negligible due to low cross-border community integration. Concerted efforts since the mid-1970s have led to effective and close integration of employment and services, with over a quarter of the resident population of the two border towns commuting daily across the state lines. As a result, border closures and state-based lockdown directives caused significant social disruption and considerable economic cost to families and the community as a whole. One of the lessons of the 2020/21 pandemic will be to either re-evaluate the wisdom of a close social and economic integration of border communities, which would be a backwards step, or to future-proof these communities by developing strategies, effectively public health management plans, to avoid a repeat when the next pandemic strikes.

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Contradictions in the promotion of publishing academic and scientific journal articles, and the inability to cope with the new coronavirus (COVID-19)

Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control ◽

10.1186/s13756-021-00884-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rostam Jalali ◽

Amin Hosseinian-Far ◽

Masoud Mohammadi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Scientific Journal ◽

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Journal Articles ◽

Public Health Challenges ◽

Knowledge And Practice ◽

Nih Roadmap

Abstract Background Translating research into practice is a central priority within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap. The underlying aim of the NIH Roadmap is to accelerate the movement of scientific findings into practical health care provisions through translational research. Main text Despite the advances in health sciences, emerging infectious diseases have become more frequent in recent decades. Furthermore, emerging and reemerging pathogens have led to several global public health challenges. A question, and to an extent a concern, arises from this: Why our health care system is experiencing several challenges in encountering the coronavirus outbreak, despite the ever-growing advances in sciences, and the exponential rise in the number of published articles in the first quartile journals and even the ones among the top 1%? Conclusion Two responses could be potentially provided to the above question: First, there seems to be a significant gap between our theoretical knowledge and practice. And second that many scholars and scientists publish papers only to have a longer list of publications, and therefore publishing is viewed as a personal objective, rather than for improving communities’ public health.

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