Disturbances in coarse bedload transport in a formerly glaciated catchment

<p>Dynamics of bedload transport increases with an increase of hydrologic parameters, i.e. stream power, water velocity and discharge. In mountain stream channels, these parameters increase in the downstream direction, and therefore the dynamics of bedload transport increase down the channel. This pattern may become altered temporarily or over long periods of time due to local extreme events or human impact. Here, we identify disturbances in bedload transport in the formerly glaciated catchment located in the Western Tatras in Poland. We then determine the role of disturbances in system connectivity and sediment transfer. Bedload transport measurements in the Chochołowski catchment were performed in the period 1975 to 2018. The said process occurred as many as triggered up to several times a year. However bedload became activated along the entire length of the channel system (10.5 km) every 2 to 5 years when the stream discharge exceeded 10 m<sup>3</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>. The distance of bedload movement during such events was between 12 m in headwaters and over 100 m in the lower reach. In such situations, bedload dynamics increased downstream, and stream power was sufficient to overcome local barriers (i.e. boulder and log steps). Downstream increases in bedload dynamics was disturbed and inverted by sudden snowmelt and locally heavy rainfall. These types of events caused the dynamics of bedload transport to be up to 320% greater in the upper part of the studied catchment and to decline in the downstream direction over a distance of 7 km to yield an attenuation effect. The same pattern was observed in local tributaries where the dynamics of bedload transport were 200% higher in the upper part and attenuation was observed along a distance of 1.5 km in the downstream direction. All events of this type cause seasonal disturbances in bedload transport. However, the greatest effect on bedload dynamics was produced by natural deforestation. A 16% decrease in forest cover causes a fluvial system disequilibrium manifested in an intensification of hydro-geomorphologic processes and formation of new landforms.</p>

Did Granny know best? Evaluating the Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Efficacy of Acetic Acid for Home Care Procedures.

Background: Acetic acid has been used to clean and disinfect surfaces in the household for many decades. The antimicrobial efficacy of cleaning procedures can be considered particularly important for young, old, pregnant, immunocompromised people, but may also concern other groups, particularly with regards to the COVID-19 pandemics. This study aimed to show that acetic acid exhibit an antibacterial and antifungal activity when used for cleaning purposes and is able to destroy certain viruses. Furthermore, a disinfecting effect of laundry in a simulated washing cycle has been investigated.Results: At a concentration of 10% and in presence of 1.5% citric acid, acetic acid showed a reduction of >5-log steps according to the specifications of DIN EN 1040 and DIN EN 1275 for the following microorganisms: P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, K. pneumoniae, E. hirae and A. brasiliensis. For MRSA a logarithmic reduction of 3.19 was obtained. Tests on surfaces according to DIN EN 13697 showed a complete reduction (> 5-log steps) for P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus, E. hirae, A. brasiliensis and C. albicans at an acetic acid concentration of already 5%. Virucidal efficacy tests according to DIN EN 14476 and DIN EN 16777 showed a reduction of ≥ 4-log-steps against the Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) for acetic acid concentrations of 5% or higher.The results suggest that acetic acid does not have a disinfecting effect on microorganisms in a dosage that is commonly used for cleaning. However, this can be achieved by increasing the concentration of acetic acid used, especially when combined with citric acid.Conclusions: Our results show a disinfecting effect of acetic acid in a concentration of 10% and in presence of 1.5% citric acid against a variety of microorganisms. A virucidal effect against enveloped viruses could also be proven. Furthermore, the results showed a considerable antimicrobial effect of acetic acid when used in domestic laundry procedures.

Did Granny know best? Evaluating the Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Efficacy of Acetic Acid for Home Care Procedures.

Background: Acetic acid has been used to clean and disinfect surfaces in the household for many decades. The antimicrobial efficacy of cleaning procedures can be considered particularly important for young, old, pregnant, immunocompromised people, but may also concern other groups, particularly with regards to the COVID-19 pandemics. This study aimed to show that acetic acid exhibit an antibacterial and antifungal activity when used for cleaning purposes and is able to destroy certain viruses. Furthermore, a disinfecting effect of laundry in a simulated washing cycle has been investigated. Results: At a concentration of 10% and in presence of 1.5% citric acid, acetic acid showed a reduction of >5-log steps according to the specifications of DIN EN 1040 and DIN EN 1275 for the following microorganisms: P. aeruginosa , E. coli , S. aureus , L. monocytogenes , K. pneumoniae , E. hirae and A. brasiliensis . For MRSA a logarithmic reduction of 3.19 was obtained. Tests on surfaces according to DIN EN 13697 showed a complete reduction (> 5-log steps) for P. aeruginosa , E. coli , S. aureus , E. hirae , A. brasiliensis and C. albicans at an acetic acid concentration of already 5%. Virucidal efficacy tests according to DIN EN 14476 and DIN EN 16777 showed a reduction of ≥ 4-log-steps against the Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) for acetic acid concentrations of 5% or higher. The results suggest that acetic acid does not have a disinfecting effect on microorganisms in a dosage that is commonly used for cleaning. However, this can be achieved by increasing the concentration of acetic acid used, especially when combined with citric acid. Conclusions: Our results show a disinfecting effect of acetic acid in a concentration of 10% and in presence of 1.5% citric acid against a variety of microorganisms. A virucidal effect against enveloped viruses could also be proven. Furthermore, the results showed a considerable antimicrobial effect of acetic acid when used in domestic laundry procedures.

Pushing beyond specifications: Evaluation of linearity and clinical performance of a fully automated SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay for reliable quantification in blood and other materials outside recommendations

1AbstractBackgroundThe ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic presents a unique challenge to diagnostic laboratories. There are preliminary studies correlating qRT-PCR results from different materials to clinical outcomes, yet, comparability is limited due to the plethora of different assays used for diagnostics. In this study we evaluate clinical performance and linear range for the SARS-CoV-2 IVD (cobas6800/8800 system, a fully automated sample-to-result platform) in different clinically relevant matrix materials outside official specifications.MethodsAssay performance was assessed in human plasma, BAL/BL and transport medium following chemical inactivation. For analytical evaluation, respective matrix materials were spiked with SARS-CoV-2 RNA in ten-fold dilution series. The efficacy of chemical inactivation by guanidine hydrochloride solution was confirmed in cell culture infectivity experiments. For correlation, a total of 235 predetermined clinical samples including respiratory swabs, plasma and BAL/BL were subjected to the SARS-CoV-2 IVD test and results were compared.ResultsThe SARS-CoV-2 IVD showed excellent linearity over five to seven log steps depending on matrix material. Chemical inactivation resulted in a reduction in plaque forming units of at least 3.5 log steps, while having no significant impact on assay performance. Inter-run consistency from three different testing sites demonstrated excellent comparability of RT-PCR results (maximum deviation was 1.53 CT). Clinical evaluation for respiratory swabs showed very good agreement with the comparator assay (Positive agreement 95.7%, negative agreement 98.9%).ConclusionThe SARS-CoV-2 IVD test for the cobas6800/8800 systems offers excellent linear range and inter-run consistency for quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in different matrices outside official specifications.HighlightsEffective reduction of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by chemical inactivation without affecting assay performance.SARS-CoV-2 IVD for the cobas 6800/8800 is linear over up to seven log steps in different materials including human plasma.Minimal variance of CT values between testing sites indicates high comparability of quantification results.

Analysing the relationship between nutrition and the microbial composition of the oral biofilm - insights from the analysis of individual variability

Background: The influence of nutrition on the oral microbiota has been discussed in the literature, but usually only changes of the mean values are reported. This paper focuses on the variability of patients’ reactions. Methods: Two types of inter-individual variability in such studies and statistical models to estimate them are introduced. Through smart presentation of the estimates from the studies, a better understanding of the data can be obtained. Random effects meta-analyses are used to analyse the heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria. Results: For the nutrition individually chosen by the participants, we observed an inter-individual variability of the bacterial concentration of three log steps. Given that we found no evidence of heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria, the results can be used to offer recommendations for future studies and compute the number of cases needed. Conclusions: For studies measuring the concentration change of bacteria as a reaction to nutrition change, the use of replications and analysis of the variability is recommended.

Did Granny know best? Evaluating the Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Efficacy of Acetic Acid for Home Care Procedures.

Background: Acetic acid has been used for many decades to clean and disinfect surfaces in the household. Disinfection in the household is particularly important for the group of YOPI (young, old, pregnant, immunocompromised), as they represent a risk group. In addition to known pathogens, viruses are also becoming a major problem not only for this group, but due to the new Sars-CoV-2 virus all people are affected. The aim of this study is to show that acetic acid has a disinfecting effect against certain microorganisms and is able to destroy certain viruses. Furthermore, a disinfecting effect of laundry in a simulated washing cycle will be investigated. Results: At a concentration of 10% and an addition of 1.5% citric acid according to the specifications of DIN EN 1040 and DIN EN 1275, acetic acid showed a reduction of > 5-log steps in the following microorganisms: P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, K. pneumoniae, E. hirae and A. brasiliensis. For MRSA a logarithmic reduction of 3.19 was obtained. The results of the test according to DIN EN 13697 showed a complete reduction (> 5-log steps) for P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus, E. hirae, A. brasiliensis and C. albicans already from a acetic acid concentration of 5%. The results of the tests according to DIN EN 14476 and DIN EN 16777 showed a reduction of ≥ 4-log-steps against the Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) for the tested acetic acid concentrations of 5%, 7.5% and 10%. This means a virucidal effect of 5% acetic acid. Furthermore, the results showed that acetic acid does not have a sufficient disinfecting effect on microorganisms in a dosage that is commonly used for cleaning. However, this can be achieved by increasing the concentration of acetic acid used, especially when combined with citric acid. Conclusions: Our results show a disinfecting effect of acetic acid in a concentration of 10% and an addition of 1.5% citric acid against a variety of microorganisms. A virucidal effect against enveloped viruses could also be proven. Furthermore, the results showed a disinfecting effect of acetic acid in domestic laundry procedures.

Analysing the relationship between nutrition and the microbial composition of the oral biofilm - insights from the analysis of individual variability

Background : The influence of nutrition on the oral microbiota has been discussed in the literature, but usually only changes of the mean values are reported. This paper focuses on the variability of patients' reactions. Methods : Two types of inter-individual variability in such studies and statistical models to estimate them are introduced. Through smart presentation of the estimates from the studies, a better understanding of the data can be obtained. Random effects meta-analyses are used to analyse the heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria. Results : For the nutrition individually chosen by the participants, we observed an inter-individual variability of the bacterial concentration of three log steps. Given that we found no evidence of heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria, the results can be used to offer recommendations for future studies and compute the number of cases needed. Conclusions : For studies measuring the concentration change of bacteria as a reaction to nutrition change, the use of replications and analysis of the variability is recommended.

Hygienic quality of public natural swimming pools (NSP)

Natural swimming pools (NSP) have become more popular in the past 20 years, both for private and public use, but their hygienic status remains a matter of discussion. Elimination rates in NSP are well defined for Escherichia coli, enterococci and Pseudomonas but a lack of knowledge exists regarding elimination rates in NSP concerning the parasitic protozoans Giardia and Cryptosporidium. First studies indicate that in-situ zooplankton filtration proved to reduce these protozoans efficiently: the in-situ elimination of Cryptosporidium is dependent on the population of zooplankton. In the 50% percentile the elimination rate is four times faster than in the chlorinated pool. The ex-situ elimination of Cryptosporidium in an NSP is approximately 10% faster than in a chlorinated pool. In ex-situ treatment of NSP the elimination rate reached 2 log-steps versus 1 log-step in chlorinated pools. For the further development of NSP for the best possible hygiene and health status some elementary questions, stated in this paper, will have to be solved in the next years or decades. This work describes the in-situ (water treatment inside the pool) and ex-situ water treatment (water treatment via external water treatment plants) of NSP, and the influence of zooplankton in existing NSP on the elimination rate of Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Programmatically encrypting data linkage fields at a project level within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank

ABSTRACT Introduction/BackgroundThe ability to link datasets within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank provides researchers with a powerful tool to analyse multiple datasets. The ability to combine several datasets also has the adverse effect of potential identification of an individual. Further encrypting linkage fields at a project level limits the links to datasets specific to the project only. This presentation discusses the opensource web based administration tool that programmatically applies project encryption in a consistent and timely manner, logging administrator actions. Objectives1). Identify encryption methodology2). Programme encryption steps and log steps 3). Design and implement web based user administration tool ApproachUtilising existing Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank security, providing researchers with a view of their data, separating data linkage fields into a separate secure lookup table. Using Python programming language to automate the Structured Query Language (SQL) scripts required to accomplish this, as well as Python packages to interact with the databank and web based administration tool. ResultsProject encrypted views created for several projects and scores of datasets. Encrypted linkage fields unique to each project ensuring views across projects can not be linked either to each other or the original datasets. ConclusionEncryption process is programmable and administered through web tool.

Interventional Intensification of Chemotherapy Prior to Hematopietic Stem Cell Transplantation Reduces Residual Leukemia but Does Not Improve Survival in Children with Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Minimal residual disease (MRD) has been demonstrated to be of high and independent prognostic value prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by several studies. Within the ALL-REZ BFM 2002 trial, MRD of 10-3 has been identified as the best prognostic cut-off before HSCT in children with relapsed ALL. In this study we have investigated, whether interventional treatment intensification in patients with persisting MRD at a level of =/>10-3 is capable of reducing MRD prior to HSCT and improving survival. In the trial ALL-REZ BFM 2002 (recruitment of patients between 01'2002 and 09'2012) online MRD-monitoring has been performed in patients with ALL relapse and indication for allogeneic HSCT since 2010. MRD results obtained during the consolidation treatment phase and before HSCT have been disclosed to the treating centers. Treatment courses consisting of Clofarabine/Cyclophosphamide/Etoposide, Daunoxome or Idarubicine/Fludarabine/Cytarabine, or in case of T-ALL Nelarabine alone or with Cyclophosphamide/Etoposide were offered as interventional elements and administered to patients at the discretion of the treating physician aiming at reducing MRD and improving survival. A total of 30 patients with first ALL relapse and persisting MRD at a level of =/>10-3 at the end of consolidation treatment received an interventional intensification before HSCT (Intervention Group, IVG). Sixty patients with first relapse and persisting MRD at a level of 10-3 at the end of consolidation treatment did not receive an interventional intensification before proceeding to HSCT (non-IVG). MRD reduction of at least one log step was achieved in 78% and of two log steps in 59% of patients after interventional intensification. Relevant clinical characteristics as time to relapse, site of relapse, immunophenotype, consolidation treatment arm and type of HSCT were equally distributed between the IVG and the non-IVG. However, the proportion of patients with an MRD levels <10-3 and <10-4 was significantly higher in the IVG with 83% and 71% than in the non-IVG with 48% and 18%, respectively (p=0.005 and p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the probability of event-free survival at 5 years (60% +/-11% vs 45% +/-7%, Figure 1A), and the cumulative incidence of subsequent relapse (31% +/-9% vs 46% +/-7%, Figure 1B) or of therapy related death (0% +/-0% vs 8% +/-4%) between the IVG and non-IVG. Including only patients with MRD reduction of at least two log steps after interventional intensification (n=16), the probability was 59% +/-16% in the IVG compared to 45% +/-7% in the non-IVG (p=0.24). In conclusion, persisting MRD during consolidation treatment can be efficiently reduced by interventional intensified chemotherapy. However, this does not translate into a significant improvement of survival. MRD persistence after intensive conventional chemotherapy seems to identify particularly aggressive leukemias which are not successfully treated by further reduction of the MRD load. Therefore, targeted therapies need to be investigated and prospective controlled studies should be given preference to individualized interventions. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures von Stackelberg: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria.