Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

2021 ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
В.Я. Кофман
Keyword(s):  
Rna Virus ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Low Prevalence

Пандемия СOVID-19, объявленная ВОЗ чрезвычайной ситуацией в области здравоохранения, вызвана новым коронавирусом SARS-CoV-2. По сообщениям из Евросоюза, США и Австралии, потенциальная выживаемость коронавируса SARS-CoV-2 в фекалиях и сточных водах в течение достаточно длительного времени создает реальную возможность его поступления с канализационными стоками на очистные сооружения или непосредственно в поверхностные воды при сбросе неочищенных стоков. Это свидетельствует о существовании потенциальной возможности передачи SARS-CoV-2 через воду. В этой связи особую актуальность приобретает разработка эффективных способов удаления и инактивации вирусов на очистных сооружениях. Наличие коронавирусной инфекции в сточных водах может представлять серьезную опасность для здоровья контактирующих с ними людей. К ним относится персонал очистных сооружений, а также население в целом, которое может подвергаться непосредственному воздействию необработанных или недостаточно обработанных сточных вод через неисправные водопроводные или канализационные коммуникации. Во многих странах для получения своевременной достоверной информации о распространении коронавирусной инфекции используют методы эпидемиологии сточных вод. Возможность выявления РНК вируса в сточных водах даже при низкой распространенности СOVID-19 и корреляция между концентрацией РНК SARS-CoV-2 в сточных водах и официальной информацией указывают на то, что наблюдение за сточными водами может стать чувствительным инструментом мониторинга циркуляции вируса в популяции. The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by WHO as a health emergency, is caused by a novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. According to reports from the European Union, the United States and Australia, the potential survival of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in feces and wastewater for a sufficiently long time creates a real threat of its entry with wastewater into treatment facilities or directly into surface water while raw wastewater is discharged. This indicates the potential for the transfer of SARS-CoV-2 by water. In this regard, the development of effective methods for the removal and inactivation of viruses at the treatment facilities is of special actuality. The presence of coronavirus infection in wastewater can pose a serious health hazard to people in contact with it. These include the personnel at the wastewater treatment facilities, as well as the general population, who may be directly exposed to raw or inadequately treated wastewater through defective water or sewer systems. In many countries wastewater epidemiology methods are used to obtain timely reliable information on the spread of coronavirus infection. Possible detection of RNA virus in wastewater even with a low prevalence rate of COVID-19 and the correlation between the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and official information indicate that monitoring wastewater can become a sensitive tool for monitoring the circulation of the virus in the population.

scholarly journals The History, Present and Future of Allergen Standardization in the United States and Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Zimmer ◽  
Jennifer Bridgewater ◽  
Fatima Ferreira ◽  
Ronald van Ree ◽  
Ronald L. Rabin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Product ◽  
Immunological Methods ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Product Standardization ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Allergen Standardization ◽  
Synthetic Medicinal

The topic of standardization in relation to allergen products has been discussed by allergists, regulators, and manufacturers for a long time. In contrast to synthetic medicinal products, the natural origin of allergen products makes the necessary comparability difficult to achieve. This holds true for both aspects of standardization: Batch-to-batch consistency (or product-specific standardization) and comparability among products from different manufacturers (or cross-product comparability). In this review, we focus on how the United States and the European Union have tackled the topic of allergen product standardization in the past, covering the early joint standardization efforts in the 1970s and 1980s as well as the different paths taken by the two players thereafter until today. So far, these two paths have been based on rather classical immunological methods, including the corresponding benefits like simple feasability. New technologies such as mass spectrometry present an opportunity to redefine the field of allergen standardization in the future.

Predictive Emissions Monitoring Using a Continuously Updating Neural Network

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert Vanderhaegen ◽  
Michae¨l Deneve ◽  
Hannes Laget ◽  
Nathalie Faniel ◽  
Jan Mertens
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gaseous Emissions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Actual Measurement ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Operational Data

In the European Union, power plants of more than 50 MW (thermal energy) need to comply with the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD, 2001) implying that flue gas emissions need to be measured continuously. Traditionally, emissions from power plants are measured using Automated Measuring Systems (AMS). The LCPD states that no more than 10 days of emission data may be lost within one year including days needed for maintenance. This is the reason why more and more power plants are currently installing a second, back-up AMS since they have problems with the availability of their AMS. Since early 1990’s, Predictive Emissions Monitoring Systems (PEMS) are being developed and accepted by some local authorities within Europe and the United States. PEMS are in contrast to AMS based on the prediction of gaseous emissions (most commonly NOx and CO) using plant operational data (eg. fuel properties, pressure, temperature, excess air, …) rather than the actual measurement of these emissions. The goal of this study is to develop a robust PEMS that can accurately predict the NOx and CO emissions across the entire normal working range of a gas turbine. Furthermore, the PEMS should require as little maintenance as possible. The study does not intend to replace the AMS by a PEMS but rather to use the PEMS as a backup for the AMS. Operational data of a gas turbine, acquired over a long period, was used to identify inputs with a high influence on the NOx and CO formation. Consequently, simulations were done testing different model structures and calibration methodologies. The study shows that a static model failed to predict the emissions accurately over long time periods. In contrast, a dynamic or self-adapting algorithm proved to be most efficient in predicting the emissions over a long time period with a minimum of required intervention and maintenance. The self-adapting algorithm uses measured AMS data to continuously update the neural network. Since the PEMS is developed as a backup for the AMS, these data are readily available. The study shows that in case of a failing AMS, the developed model could accurately predict the NOx emissions for a duration of several weeks. Although not discussed in detail in this study, a quality assurance system of the PEMS is also developed since the PEMS needs to comply to the EN14181 (as does any AMS). The PEMS as a backup of the AMS instead of a second AMS is cost and time saving. Not only is the purchase of a second AMS avoided (between 40 and 100 k€) but equally important and of the same order of magnitude are the cost and time savings with respect to the Quality Assurance of the second AMS.

scholarly journals RARE DISEASE REGISTRIES- PURPOSE, CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (01) ◽  
pp. 1074-1078
Author(s):  
Maria Aziz ◽  
◽  
Azma J. Khan ◽  
Sefia Khan ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rare Diseases ◽  
Correct Diagnosis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Underlying Disease ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Patient Registries ◽  
Clinical Endpoints ◽  
Data Registry ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge ◽  
Low Prevalence

Rare diseases are defined, as any condition or disease having a low prevalence in the United States and the European Union. There is a scarcity of relevant knowledge and experience with rare diseases due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms, relevant clinical endpoints, lack of correct diagnosis in the population. These challenges create a unique need for cooperation and infrastructure. Data registry is a critical tool in building a comprehensive knowledge base for these rare diseases. Our paper will provide the overview of patient registries for rare diseases, current use, limitations, challenges and proposed plan for improvement.

scholarly journals Trending Models of Solid Municipal Waste Management in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Vladislav M. Kozlov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Municipal Solid Waste ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
World Community ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Solid Municipal Waste ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Critical Components

The world community is increasingly concerned about environmental issues. Disposal of municipal solid waste is one of the critical components of the system for improving and maintaining the current level of the environmental situation both at the national and international levels. Foreign countries have been developing technologies and models for organizing the disposal of solid utility costs for a long time; in Russia, this trend has become popular only after the beginning of the 21st century. The paper discusses a model for the disposal of municipal solid waste in the European Union, the United States, developing countries in Asia and Africa. The research methodology consists in comparing Russian and foreign advanced trends in the management of fixed utility costs.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of the prerequisites and priorities of import substitution at various stages of development of the Russian economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 366-372
Author(s):  
A. V. Litvinova ◽  
N. S. Talalaeva ◽  
M. V. Parfenova
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Economic Sanctions ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Export Structure ◽  
The Past ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
Long Time

Import substitution is an integral part of the strategy to improve the competitiveness of the national agri-food complex. It should be a stimulus that will accelerate the economy and will contribute to the formation of a self-replicating mechanism of economic growth. The study analyzed the development of import substitution during the introduction of economic sanctions by Western countries and the United States. The study showed that the need for import substitution was brewing for a long time, however, the sanctions served as the impetus for its acceleration. The introduction by the President of the Russian Federation of special economic measures did not contradict the existing legislation and was aimed at restricting the importation of many types of products from abroad for the development of domestic production. The commodity structure of domestic exports and imports was also analyzed: the export of hydrocarbons has been prevailing for many years, but over the past two years their share in the total export structure has decreased. Most of the country imports machinery, equipment, vehicles, food and agricultural products, chemical products. For most indicators, there is a negative trend, due to which domestic imports decreased over the period of the sanctions by more than 100 billion US dollars. Despite economic sanctions, the European Union remains the main trading partner of Russia. Over the past 25 years, Russia has been a passive participant in international trade and, despite its high potential in the development of agriculture, was perceived by the world community as a country focused on the export of raw materials and hydrocarbons to a foreign market, rather than on the development of its own production, including agricultural production.

scholarly journals The Role of Reunified Germany in Poland’s Accession to NATO and the European Union

Politeja ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6(75)) ◽  
pp. 51-74
Author(s):  
Józef Fiszer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Eu

The study is devoted to Poland’s accession to NATO and the European Union (EU) and describes Germany’s stance on Poland’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations after 1989, which, despite various assessments, was not explicit and enthusiastic. However, it evolved gradually and was determined by a difficult internal situation after the reunification of Germany and its new geopolitics and geoeconomics. For Germany that reunified on 3 October 1990, an issue of greater importance than Polish accession to NATO and the EU was the presence of Soviet troops on the territory of the former GDR and normalization of relations with neighbors, particularly with France, Poland, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Both France and the United Kingdom, as well as the Soviet Union, and to a lesser extent, the United States initially were afraid of a reunified Germany and opposed Polish membership in Euro-Atlantic structures. At the time, hopes and fears were rife about the future of Europe. A common question was being asked in Paris, London, Moscow, Washington, and Warsaw – would reunified Germany remain a European state, or would Europe become German? Should Germany stay in NATO or leave after the reunification? There were questions also about Moscow’s policy towards reunified Germany and its position on Poland’s accession to Euro-Atlantic structures. Unfortunately, for a long time, it was negative. Today, thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, we can see that the black scenarios that were outlined in 1989-1990 did not actually come true. Despite the fears, those events opened the way for Poland to “return to Europe” and to gain membership in Euro-Atlantic structures, i.e., NATO and the European Union (EU). The path was not at all simple and it was not easy for Poland to make it through. In the study the author analyses subjective and objective difficulties related to Poland's accession to NATO and the EU and describes the evolution and role of Germany in this process.

Generalization and formalization of the USEPA procedure for design of treated wastewater aquifer recharge basins: I. Theoretical development

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamadi Kallali ◽  
Mitsuo Yoshida ◽  
Jamila Tarhouni ◽  
Naceur Jedidi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Method Of Calculation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Recharge Rates

Groundwater is vulnerable to overdraft and depletion, especially in relatively dry regions where natural recharge rates are very low and groundwater is the main source of water. Artificial recharge of groundwater with treated wastewater has been widely adopted as a technique to replenish the overdraft aquifers. Indeed, in the USA, the technique has been practised for a long time. In 1981, a design procedure manual was developed for practitioners by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It was updated in 1984 and lastly in 2006. However, the design procedure has not been fully generalized for the different situations and has not been fully formalized in order to allow its automated implementation on calculation software (i.e. spreadsheet). Therefore, in this paper we formalized and generalized the USEPA design procedure to achieve an automated iterative method of calculation which can be easily implemented in a spreadsheet.

scholarly journals Ireland’s “economic miracle” and globalisation

2005 ◽  
Vol 57 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon György
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Policy ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Annual Average ◽  
Economic Miracle ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Long Time

The paper gives a comprehensive picture of fundamental issues connected with the Irish ?economic miracle?, with especial regard to globalisation effect. The analysis of Ireland?s economic development in the period from 1960 to 2003 answers the question why it decelerated, instead of accelerating, for a long time: two decades after the accession to the European Community in 1973 and mainly the enigma, the ?economic miracle? why the rate of growth accelerated in the decade after 1993 to an extent (on annual average to almost 8 percent) similar to that previously observed only in East Asia. The country has not only caught up economically with the European Union, but has approximated the level of development of the United States. The analysis shows that all this can be attributed not only to Ireland?s favourable conditions, but also to an adequate economic policy and foreign direct investment. The author reveals the so-called globalisation effect that in Ireland after 1993 had a decisive role in the extraordinary acceleration of economic growth.

scholarly journals Latin American states cooperation with the United States of America and the European Union

2019 ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
E. R. Novitskiy
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Latin American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Role ◽  
Latin American Region ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Latin American Countries

Both the political and economic role of the Latin American region has increased significantly in the modern world. The largest Latin American countries have emerged as major regional players. In this regard, the analysis of the current foreign policy relations of the region is of particular interest and relevance for this research. Many key actors in the international arena are now paying increasing attention to the region. For a long time, the main partners of Latin American countries in various fields have been the USA and the European Union (EU), which have long historical ties with the region. However, against the backdrop of increased interest in the region on the part of other major international players, in particular China, the positions of both the US and the EU may have been weakened.

scholarly journals The Criteria to Qualify a Geographical Term as Generic: Are We Moving from a European to a US Perspective?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ribeiro de Almeida ◽  
Suelen Carls
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Industrial Property ◽  
Bilateral Agreements ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
European Court ◽  
Generic Term ◽  
Long Time ◽  
High Level

AbstractThis article discusses the transformation of a distinctive trade sign into a generic term. Any distinctive trade sign carries this risk, primarily if it benefits from a high level of reputation or prestige, and the product identified is unique in the market. This is probably the most critical danger for such signs, especially if they are industrial property rights. Several criteria have been developed to determine if a sign has been transformed into a generic term. These criteria have economic and political relevance, as genericness is not a trivial issue. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has taken a position in this matter, as have the European Union Regulations on trademarks and geographical indications. However, the bilateral and multilateral agreements are the critical arena for conflicts concerning geographical terms’ qualification as common terms. The European Union (EU) and the United States (US) have been in the spotlight for a long time, while China is also reaching a prominent place in this dispute. The most recent bilateral agreements have been twisting the criteria applied when assessing a geographical term’s genericness.

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