Physical, leaching, and toxicity characteristics of PG76 binder modified with Rediset

Asphalt binder, as one of pavement component is exposed to heat and rainfall. Polymer modified asphalt binder is a good alternative to withstand the weather in tropical countries. By utilizing warm mix asphalt additive, the high compacting and mixing temperature can be reduced. However, the impact to the environment and its characteristic towards high temperature need to be evaluated before putting it to use. In the study, the physical properties, thermal characteristics, and leaching and toxicity of PG76 incorporated with Rediset LQ were investigated. The Tank Leaching Test was carried out to mimic the worst scenario of flood event effect on the asphalt binder. The results of physical tests denote that the new material has relative consistency while the thermal analysis indicates that the materials are stable beyond their mixing and compaction temperature. The decomposition starts at temperature > 360°C and ends at temperature <500°C for all samples. The tank leaching test also found that the materials are safe to be used as pavement material because the heavy metal elements from the leachate are below the maximum allowable volume by the World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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A Quantitative Risk Assessment of Human Salmonellosis from Consumption of Walnuts in the United States

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-18-233 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

pp. 45-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

SOFIA M. SANTILLANA FARAKOS ◽

RÉGIS POUILLOT ◽

GORDON R. DAVIDSON ◽

RHOMA JOHNSON ◽

INSOOK SON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Rare Event ◽

The United States ◽

Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽

World Health ◽

Baseline Model ◽

Log Reduction ◽

Human Salmonellosis ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT We assessed the risk of human salmonellosis from consumption of shelled walnuts in the United States and the impact of 0- to 5-log reduction treatments for Salmonella during processing. We established a baseline model with Salmonella contamination data from 2010 to 2013 surveys of walnuts from California operations to estimate baseline prevalence and levels of Salmonella during preshelling storage and typical walnut processing stages, considered U.S. consumption data, and applied an adapted dose-response model from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization to evaluate risk of illness per serving and per year. Our baseline model predicted 1 case of salmonellosis per 100 million servings (95% confidence interval [CI], 1 case per 3 million to 1 case per 2 billion servings) of walnuts untreated during processing and uncooked by consumers, resulting in an estimated 6 cases of salmonellosis per year (95% CI, <1 to 278 cases) in the United States. A minimum 3-log reduction treatment for Salmonella during processing of walnuts eaten alone or as an uncooked ingredient resulted in a mean risk of <1 case per year. We modeled the impact on risk per serving of three atypical situations in which the Salmonella levels were increased by 0.5 to 1.5 log CFU per unit pretreatment during processing at the float tank or during preshelling storage or posttreatment during partitioning into consumer packages. No change in risk was associated with the small increase in levels of Salmonella at the float tank, whereas an increase in risk was estimated for each of the other two atypical events. In a fourth scenario, we estimated the risk per serving associated with consumption of walnuts with Salmonella prevalence and levels from a 2014 to 2015 U.S. retail survey. Risk per serving estimates were two orders of magnitude larger than those of the baseline model without treatment. Further research is needed to determine whether this finding reflects variability in Salmonella contamination across the supply or a rare event affecting a portion of the supply.

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The United Nations system under stress: financial pressures and their consequences

Review of International Studies ◽

10.1017/s0260210500112069 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 365-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paul Taylor

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Nations ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

The United Nations ◽

United Nations System ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact ◽

Nations System ◽

Financial Pressures

This essay is about the response by the United Nations system to financial pressures in the 1980s and early 1990s. These pressures resulted from two developments: the decision of the main contributing states to adopt a policy of zero growth in real terms in the budgets of the organizations; and the additional withholdings by the United States which resulted from the Kassebaum Amendment to the Senate Foreign Relations Act of August 1985. This required a 20 per cent underpayment by the United States of its assessed financial contributions until a range of reforms in budgetary procedures, judged acceptable by the US Administration, had been introduced. The impact of the resulting financial squeeze is considered with particular reference to three Specialized Agencies: the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

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Prevalence of anemia in persons 65 years and older in the United States: evidence for a high rate of unexplained anemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2004-05-1812 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 104 (8) ◽

pp. 2263-2268 ◽

Cited By ~ 779

Author(s):

Jack M. Guralnik ◽

Richard S. Eisenstaedt ◽

Luigi Ferrucci ◽

Harvey G. Klein ◽

Richard C. Woodman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Older Persons ◽

Chronic Renal Disease ◽

Nutrient Deficiency ◽

The United States ◽

High Rate ◽

World Health ◽

Anemia Of Chronic Disease ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Clinicians frequently identify anemia in their older patients, but national data on the prevalence and causes of anemia in this population in the United States have been unavailable. Data presented here are from the noninstitutionalized US population assessed in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994). Anemia was defined by World Health Organization criteria; causes of anemia included iron, folate, and B12 deficiencies, renal insufficiency, anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI), formerly termed anemia of chronic disease, and unexplained anemia (UA). ACI by definition required normal iron stores with low circulating iron (less than 60 μg/dL). After age 50 years, anemia prevalence rates rose rapidly, to a rate greater than 20% at age 85 and older. Overall, 11.0% of men and 10.2% of women 65 years and older were anemic. Of older persons with anemia, evidence of nutrient deficiency was present in one third, ACI or chronic renal disease or both was present in one third, and UA was present in one third. Most occurrences of anemia were mild; 2.8% of women and 1.6% of men had hemoglobin levels lower than 110 g/L (11 g/dL). Therefore, anemia is common, albeit not severe, in the older population, and a substantial proportion of anemia is of indeterminate cause. The impact of anemia on quality of life, recovery from illness, and functional abilities must be further investigated in older persons.

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Delay in assessing vitamin D supplements and live vaccines for tuberculosis, polio, and measles to protect people from Covid-19

10.31219/osf.io/swc7x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

David Gisselquist

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Live Vaccines ◽

The Us ◽

Us Government ◽

Vitamin D Supplements ◽

Health Organization ◽

Experimental Use ◽

The Impact

Introduction: In March 2020, less than three months after China reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, the United States (US) government budgeted money to support development of Covid-19 vaccines. By mid-December 2020, two had been developed, tested, and received the US government’s experimental use authorization. Given evidence that vitamin D supplements and live vaccines for tuberculosis, polio, and measles reduce risks for acute respiratory infection, many experts hypothesized they might reduce risks for Covid-19 infection. Expedited randomized controlled trials, as done for Covid-19 vaccines, could have assessed their protection against C19 no later than end-July 2020. Methods: On 21 April 2021, I searched trial registries maintained by the US National Institutes of Medicine and the World Health Organization for trials with ≥400 participants to assess vitamin D or live vaccines to prevent Covid-19 infections (all or symptomatic). On 10-13 November 2021, I searched PubMed and medRxiv for results reported from these trials.Results: In April 2021, I found 32 trials (9 for vitamin D and 23 for live vaccines) proposing to assess the impact of these interventions on rates of new Covid-19 infections (all or symptomatic). Only 10 trials proposed to begin by June 2020, and only one to end in 2020. My search on 10-13 November 2021, almost 11 months after the US approved the first two Covid-19 vaccines, found results reported from only one of the 32 trials (live measles vaccine significantly reduced new symptomatic infections). Conclusions: If health experts had demonstrated similar urgency in assessing vitamin D supplements and live vaccines for tuberculosis, polio, and measles as in developing Covid-19 vaccines, trials could have reported by end-July 2020. Depending on what trials reported, these interventions could have prevented a large percentage of more than 600,000 Covid-19 deaths reported in the US from August 2020 through November 2021. Delay in assessing vitamin D has racial implications as well, since vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19 deaths in the US have been far more common among Blacks and Hispanics compared to Whites. Going forward, depending on what trials report, these interventions could help people live with Covid-19 as an endemic virus.

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COVID-19 and its possible impact on the UN system

Law Review of Kyiv University of Law ◽

10.36695/2219-5521.2.2020.87 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 444-447

Author(s):

Yaryna Zhukorska

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Security Council ◽

Large Scale ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Collective Security ◽

National Interests ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

In the article, the author analyzes the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the activities of the UN system. Draws attention tothe ineffectiveness of the UN itself, WHO, as well as the activities of the Security Council and the General Assembly during this period.Draws a parallel with the Spanish flu of the early twentieth century and explores its impact on the development of international orga -nizations.The coronavirus pandemic has shown that the priority for any state is primarily national interests, not common ones. The existenceof international law and international mechanisms has simply been forgotten in the context of protecting national interests. Internationalorganizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization have proved ineffective and inflexible and tooslow to deal effectively with today’s threats.In fact, during the pandemic, the UN failed to reach a consensus on joint action in a critical international situation. The Secretary-General has openly stated that he expects the problem to be resolved and concrete measures to be taken by the G-20.As for WHO, its actions have been somewhat slow, but it has responded to information from Member States.According to the WHO, the main reason for such a rapid spread of the virus was the reluctance of states to heed the recommendationsof the WHO.There is currently no alternative to health cooperation other than WHO. Despite the shortcomings in its operation, which haveemerged in the face of such a large-scale and rapid threat, it is appropriate to improve decision-making in such situations, as well as toprovide additional leverage over Member States. Collective security must come first here, not the sovereign interests of an individualstate, be it China, the United States or Germany.The main problem for both the UN and WHO has been the imperfect decision-making mechanism. On the issue with the UN –the right of veto in the Security Council, WHO – the recommendatory nature of the decisions. Considers the possibility of grantingsupranational powers to the UN in key areas where the issue of collective security must clearly prevail over national interests. Jointaction must be the only right solution for the international community in combating today’s threats. And the national interest in suchcases must come after collective security.

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Why African Americans Are a Potential Target for COVID-19 Infection in the United States

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/19934 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. e19934 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alireza Hamidian Jahromi ◽

Anahid Hamidianjahromi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Risk Groups ◽

The Elderly ◽

The United States ◽

Exponential Phase ◽

World Health ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic, significant changes have occurred in the United States as the infection spread reached and passed its exponential phase. A stringent analysis of COVID-19 epidemiologic data requires time and would generally be expected to happen with significant delay after the exponential phase of the disease is over and when the focus of the health care system is diverted away from crisis management. Although much has been said about high-risk groups and the vulnerability of the elderly and patients with underlying comorbidities, the impact of race on the susceptibility of ethnic minorities living in indigent communities has not been discussed in detail worldwide and specifically in the United States. There are currently some data on disparities between African American and Caucasian populations for COVID-19 infection and mortality. While health care authorities are reorganizing resources and infrastructure to provide care for symptomatic COVID-19 patients, they should not shy away from protecting the general public as a whole and specifically the most vulnerable members of society, such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, and people with underlying comorbidities.

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Estudio de la calidad del agua en la región centro de la meseta p´urhépecha

South Florida Journal of Development ◽

10.46932/sfjdv2n5-092 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

pp. 7579-7589

Author(s):

Silvano Velázquez Roque ◽

Miguel Ángel Madrigal Cardiel ◽

Ulises Zurita Luna ◽

Juan Damián Hernández

Keyword(s):

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Research Work ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Health Organization ◽

A Site

In the present research work, a study was carried out on the quality of water for human consumption, in the central region of the P'urhépecha plateau of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, monitoring the variables of hardness, TDS, temperature, pH and concentration. of As and Pb in different sampling sites and in different seasons of the year, which were compared with parameters established by the Official Mexican Standard NOM-127-SSA1-1994, NOM-250-SSA1-2014, Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America (USEPA) and those established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results obtained show a pH that is 7 ± 0.5, the temperature oscillates between 18 and 22 ° C, the hardness between 60 and 200 ppm, unlike a site that shows 600 ppm. SDT between 40 and 220 ppm and a sample site of 400 ppm. On the other hand, the Pb concentration range was found between 0.15 and 0.5 ppm, while As concentrations ranged between 0.01 and 0.1 ppm, depending on the study site.

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Leading Intercultural Virtual Teams During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Research Results

Journal of Intercultural Management ◽

10.2478/joim-2021-0003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 69-87

Author(s):

Michał Chmielecki

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Value Added ◽

The United States ◽

Modern Technology ◽

World Health ◽

Cultural Leadership ◽

Work From Home ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective: The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been officially classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning the infection is progressing faster and faster in many countries simultaneously. The United States of America has announced a travel ban on 28 European countries, many countries have closed universities, schools and kindergartens, and large gatherings of people have been forbidden. Many companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft encourage or mandate employees to adopt a work-from-home policy. For companies in the modern technology industry, the infrastructure and policy necessary for remote working are undoubtedly already implemented. However, for many smaller companies and organizations the situation was very different. Remote working and virtual team management did not occur or were limited to only a few people. The aim of the article is to present the problems of leading virtual intercultural teams, with particular emphasis on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: Contemporary texts in the domain of cross-cultural leadership have been reviewed. Relevant existing research has been reviewed and primary research conducted. The latter consisted of 24 IDIs (Individual In-depth Interviews) with employees from various Polish organizations. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced thousands of enterprises to let their employees work remotely, but many of these companies were not as technologically prepared for the situation as they thought. We are faced with increasing international cooperation and coordination. The outbreak of COVID-19 has accelerated the need for clear standards in remote and virtual teamwork. The article analyzed the positive and negative aspects of the impact of COVID-19 on organizations and ways of virtual leadership. Value Added: This article answers the questions about the main problems faced by managers who had to lead teams in a virtual way. Recommendations: The author is aware of the fact that this is only an exploratory study. It is recommended that in order to gain a fuller picture of the issues underlying the findings, quantitative research with large number of respondents should be undertaken.

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Radiological Risk Assessment for Karstic Springs Used as Drinking Water in Rural Romania

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12091207 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 1207

Author(s):

Alexandra Laura Cucoș ◽

Mircea Claudiu Moldovan ◽

Bety Denissa Burghele ◽

Tiberius Dicu ◽

Oana Teodora Moldovan

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

The United States ◽

Water Sources ◽

World Health ◽

Radiological Risk ◽

Activity Concentrations ◽

Health Organization ◽

Radium Activity

Seasonal variations of the radon and radium activity concentrations in karstic water sources originating in karstic formations were investigated as part of a premiere systematic survey conducted in Romania. A database including a total of 228 drinking water samples collected from 30 distinct water sources adjacent to rural communities was compiled. The radon and radium activity concentrations for all seasons, assessed based on solid scintillation, ranged from 2.1 to 19.7 Bq/L and from 0.6 to 3.0 Bq/L, respectively. Overall, the detected radon and radium contents did not exceed the radioprotection standards recommended by national and European legislation. However, in at least one season, the measured values for 31% of the samples exceeded the 11.1 Bq/L maximum contaminant level for radon in drinking water recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States. The associated radiological risk, reported in terms of annual effective dose, was calculated to be between 9.8 × 10−6 and 6.0 × 10−5 mSv/y for radon and between 5.9 × 10−5 and 2.7 × 10−4 mSv/y for radium, which are considerably below the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines at a value of 0.1 mSv/y.

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Risk Assessment of Kumasi Metropolis Population in Ghana through Consumption of Fish Contaminated with Formaldehyde

Journal of Toxicology ◽

10.1155/2018/4785031 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Noah Kyame Asare-Donkor ◽

Raymond Akanwi Adaagoam ◽

Ray Bright Voegborlo ◽

Anthony Apeke Adimado

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Hazard Quotient ◽

Daily Intake ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Fish Ponds ◽

Protection Agency ◽

Adverse Health Effects ◽

Health Organization

This study evaluates the exposure of the Ghanaian population of the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana to formaldehyde through the consumption of fish using 3-Methyl-2-Benzothiazoline Hydrazone method, with trichloroacetic acid as an extracting agent. A total of sixty (60) fish species comprising both local and imported fish were bought from cold stores and fish ponds were analysed. Formaldehyde was found in all the species analysed with concentration ranging from 0.174 to 3.710 μgg−1. However, the levels were still lower than 5 mg/kg, which is the maximum limit established by the Malaysian Food Act and Regulation for formaldehyde in fish. The estimated daily intake values for formaldehyde in the fish species analysed ranged between 4.233 × 10−4 and 3.661 × 10−3 mg/kg BW/day and this was less than the acceptable daily intake of 0.15 and 0.2 mg/kg BW/day suggested by World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for formaldehyde intake, respectively. The results for the hazard quotient calculated for all the species were less than one suggesting that the amount of formaldehyde in the fish is not likely to pose any potential adverse health effects to consumers. Thus, wet fish from Kumasi may be considered safe for consumption because of low formaldehyde content.

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