Humic Acid and Trihalomethane Breakdown with Potential By-Product Formations for Atmospheric Air Plasma Water treatment

Over the past century chlorine has been widely used as an oxidant in water and wastewater treatment. Chlorine’s efficacy is demonstrated for microbial inactivation of a wide variety of pathogens along with oxidation of various chemical contaminants. However, the potential formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethane, is a concern [1]. DBPs, including trihalomethanes, can be formed as a consequence of the reaction of chlorine with natural organic matter (NOM) present in both surface and ground water [2]. NOM comprises of two fractions; humic substances (HS), which are composed of humic acids, fulvic acids, and non-humic substances (non-HS), which include carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids [3]. Furthermore, humic acids constitute a major fraction of NOM, of which the soluble portion (aromatic compounds) of humic substances may react with chlorine to form trihalomethanes [4]. It has been reported that these THMs are carcinogens [5]. Epidemiologic studies in humans suggest a weak association with bladder, rectal and colon cancer [6,7] along with reproductive and developmental effects [8,9]. Due to these health concerns, many jurisdictions specify maximum allowable concentrations. The United States Environ- mental Protection Agency [10] specifies maximum levels for trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) of 80 and 60 mg/L, respectively [11]. European Union regulations limit THMs to 100 mg/L. However, many national reports find frequent occurrence of THM exceedance [12]. It is important to limit THMs and THMs causing substances (humic acids) in water. Several approaches such as nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis coagulation [13], activated carbon adsorption [14], Fenton treatment [15], nano-TiO2 photocatalysis [16], membrane filtration [17], biological treatment [18], and ozonation [19] have been employed to remove humic substances and THM’s. Biological processes, including the use of bio-filters may lead to the accumulation of suspended solids and release of bacteria [20]. Separation technologies such as biofilms and membrane filtration may be limited due to fouling [21]. Ozone’s efficacy for humic substance breakdown in water has been demonstrated, however the process may result in the formation of brominated by-products [22]. In addition, the use of such advanced oxidation processes (AOP) which are capable of oxidizing some of the NOM present in raw water sources require an additional step for mineralization increasing the operational cost. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel approaches to remove humic substances and THMs in energy efficient manner

A Preliminary Descriptive Model of Expertise Related Competence in Child Sexual Offending

Child sexual offending is a great area of concern to the public and researchers alike. The damaging effects of Child Sexual Abuse are numerous and frequently enduring. Research in sexual offending has tended to focus on therapeutic interventions and effectiveness as well as the aetiological aspects of offending. Much of this research has focused on offender deficits associated with sexual crimes that are the target of intervention programs. There has been little attention paid to the view that sexual offenders appear to learn from their previous offending and in some cases acquire a considerable degree of offence related competency. In other words, some sexual offenders appear to develop high levels of expertise. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are 'expert' offenders within the child sexual offending arena who display greater competence in utilising grooming techniques, selecting targets, interpreting and evaluating social and environmental cues, and who possess extensive offence scripts. In this exploratory study, 47 male child sexual offenders were interviewed in New Zealand prison based Sexual Offender Rehabilitation Units about their offences as well as their lives prior to and post offending. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Grounded Theory to generate a model of offence specific decision making. Results indicated that child sex offenders vary on the above dimensions and effectively span the range from 'novice' to 'expert' offenders with respect to the quality of their decision making and their domain relevant knowledge structures. By using the general principles of expertise as a conceptual framework, a developmental model of expertise in child sex offenders in New Zealand was constructed. The implications of the constructed model for theory and treatment are discussed and suggestions are made for the direction of future research

Humic Acid and Trihalomethane Breakdown with Potential By-Product Formations for Atmospheric Air Plasma Water treatment

Over the past century chlorine has been widely used as an oxidant in water and wastewater treatment. Chlorine’s efficacy is demonstrated for microbial inactivation of a wide variety of pathogens along with oxidation of various chemical contaminants. However, the potential formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethane, is a concern [1]. DBPs, including trihalomethanes, can be formed as a consequence of the reaction of chlorine with natural organic matter (NOM) present in both surface and ground water [2]. NOM comprises of two fractions; humic substances (HS), which are composed of humic acids, fulvic acids, and non-humic substances (non-HS), which include carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids [3]. Furthermore, humic acids constitute a major fraction of NOM, of which the soluble portion (aromatic compounds) of humic substances may react with chlorine to form trihalomethanes [4]. It has been reported that these THMs are carcinogens [5]. Epidemiologic studies in humans suggest a weak association with bladder, rectal and colon cancer [6,7] along with reproductive and developmental effects [8,9]. Due to these health concerns, many jurisdictions specify maximum allowable concentrations. The United States Environ- mental Protection Agency [10] specifies maximum levels for trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) of 80 and 60 mg/L, respectively [11]. European Union regulations limit THMs to 100 mg/L. However, many national reports find frequent occurrence of THM exceedance [12]. It is important to limit THMs and THMs causing substances (humic acids) in water. Several approaches such as nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis coagulation [13], activated carbon adsorption [14], Fenton treatment [15], nano-TiO2 photocatalysis [16], membrane filtration [17], biological treatment [18], and ozonation [19] have been employed to remove humic substances and THM’s. Biological processes, including the use of bio-filters may lead to the accumulation of suspended solids and release of bacteria [20]. Separation technologies such as biofilms and membrane filtration may be limited due to fouling [21]. Ozone’s efficacy for humic substance breakdown in water has been demonstrated, however the process may result in the formation of brominated by-products [22]. In addition, the use of such advanced oxidation processes (AOP) which are capable of oxidizing some of the NOM present in raw water sources require an additional step for mineralization increasing the operational cost. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel approaches to remove humic substances and THMs in energy efficient manner

Degradation kinetics of cold plasma-treated antibiotics and their antimicrobial activity

Antibiotics, such as ofloxacin (OFX) and ciprofloxacin (CFX), are often detected in considerable concentrations in both wastewater effluents and surface water. This poses a risk to non-target organisms and to human health. The aim of this work was to study atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) degradation of antibiotics in water and meat effluent and to explore any residual antimicrobial activity of samples submitted to the plasma process. The results revealed that ACP successfully degraded the studied antibiotics and that the reaction mechanism is principally related to attack by hydroxyl radicals and ozone. According to the disk diffusion assay, the activity of both antibiotics was considerably reduced by the plasma treatment. However, a microdilution method demonstrated that CFX exhibited higher antimicrobial activity after ACP treatment than the corresponding control revealing a potentially new platform for future research to improve the efficiency of conventional antibiotic treatments. Importantly, short-term exposures to sub-lethal concentrations of the antibiotic equally reduced bacterial susceptibility to both ACP treated and untreated CFX. As a remediation process, ACP removal of antibiotics in complex wastewater effluents is possible. However, it is recommended that plasma encompass degradant structure activity relationships to ensure that biological activity is eliminated against non-target organisms and that life cycle safety of antibiotic compounds is achieved.Science Foundation Irelan

Degradation kinetics of cold plasma-treated antibiotics and their antimicrobial activity

Antibiotics, such as ofloxacin (OFX) and ciprofloxacin (CFX), are often detected in considerable concentrations in both wastewater effluents and surface water. This poses a risk to non-target organisms and to human health. The aim of this work was to study atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) degradation of antibiotics in water and meat effluent and to explore any residual antimicrobial activity of samples submitted to the plasma process. The results revealed that ACP successfully degraded the studied antibiotics and that the reaction mechanism is principally related to attack by hydroxyl radicals and ozone. According to the disk diffusion assay, the activity of both antibiotics was considerably reduced by the plasma treatment. However, a microdilution method demonstrated that CFX exhibited higher antimicrobial activity after ACP treatment than the corresponding control revealing a potentially new platform for future research to improve the efficiency of conventional antibiotic treatments. Importantly, short-term exposures to sub-lethal concentrations of the antibiotic equally reduced bacterial susceptibility to both ACP treated and untreated CFX. As a remediation process, ACP removal of antibiotics in complex wastewater effluents is possible. However, it is recommended that plasma encompass degradant structure activity relationships to ensure that biological activity is eliminated against non-target organisms and that life cycle safety of antibiotic compounds is achieved

Embedding collective leadership to foster collaborative inter-professional working in the care of older people (ECLECTIC): Study protocol [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: The National Integrated Care Programme for Older People (NICPOP), formerly NCPOP aims to support older people to live well in their homes by developing primary and secondary care services for older people, especially those with complex needs. The programme develops integrated intermediate care which traverses both hospital and community settings through multidisciplinary and interagency teams. This team-based approach to the integration of health services is a novel innovation in Irish health service delivery and will require, over time, a shift in cultures of care to allow for the development of competencies for inter-professional collaboration across the care continuum. The ECLECTIC project will develop an implementation framework for achieving, maintaining and monitoring competencies for interprofessional collaboration among multi-disciplinary teams charged with delivering care for older people across the continuum from acute to community settings.  Design: The ECLECTIC research design has been developed in collaboration with the NICPOP. In phase one of the project, a co-design team will collaborate to define and shape competencies for interprofessional collaboration. Phase two will involve the delivery of a collective leadership intervention over a 10-month period with multidisciplinary professionals working with older people across two geographical regions (Mullingar/Midlands and Beaumont/Dublin North). Each group will comprise of members of two multidisciplinary teams charged with coordinating and delivering care to older people across the continuum of acute to community care. Observations of collaborative inter-professional working will take place before, during, and after intervention. In phase three of the study, analysis of the interview and observation data will be presented to the co-design team in order to develop an implementation framework for future teams.  Discussion: The co-design process will develop core competencies and performance indicators for collaborative interprofessional working. The resulting implementation framework will be implemented nationally as part of the NICPOP.</p

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field