Assessing the constraints to recycling mill scale in a South African iron and steel industry

Abstract : The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA) (Act No. 59 of 2008) of South Africa regulates waste management in the country. NEMWA (Act No. 59 of 2008) focuses on the goal of zero waste to landfill, however, only 10% of the total waste generated annually is recycled (DEA, 2011). South African industries contribute to a significant percentage of the total waste volume, yet recycles only 4% of its waste (GDACE, 2007). The South African Iron and Steel industry generates high volumes of unique wastes such as mill scale which, although hazardous in nature (Zhang et al., 2016), has a high re-use potential. However, the Gauteng province alone has a backlog of 15000 tons of mill scale (GDACE, 2007). The aim of this study is to assess the constraints to recycling mill scale generated by the Iron and Steel industry in South Africa. This research begins with a case study which investigates the generation of mill scale at ABC Metals, an Iron and Steel industry in Gauteng. The composition of mill scale, volumes generated and its potential use in an alternative process provide an understanding of its recycling value. Secondly, a review of global waste legislation demonstrates how different regions regulate waste and waste recycling; the effect that waste legislation has on waste recycling in an industry and specifically how legislation influences the recycling of mill scale in South Africa. Lastly, the extent to which industry needs and practicalities are incorporated into the drafting of waste management strategies and waste legislation by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) (the South African custodian of the environment and legislating authority) is evaluated by reviewing the outcomes of the quarterly DEA-Industry Waste Management Forums (DEA-IWMF) which are documented in the minutes of the meetings. While alternative uses exist for mill scale, South Africa’s waste legislation has a strong focus on a controlling-type regulation which obstructs opportunities to recycle industrial waste streams, mainly due to the time and monetary constraints associated with obtaining a requisite recycling licence (Park, 2014). An industry seeking to use a waste stream in its process does not identify itself as a waste manager or waste service provider since its primary function is manufacturing. For this reason, the industry is reluctant to apply for a Waste Management Licence and may retreat to using raw materials in order to remain legally compliant. Drafting and promulgation of waste legislation should thus take into account the experience and needs of industries. A regular forum between the legislator and industrial stakeholders is an important channel for ensuring that waste management in an industry is sustainable and practical. Such forums should provide a correlation between the operational environment of industries and the lawmakers (Levänen, 2014a). However, analysis of the DEA-IWMF minutes indicates that the legislator does not adequately consider industries’ concerns on waste legal matters or provide sufficient feedback on waste management compliance issues.M.Sc. (Environmental Management

Alien Registration- Crocker, Mary L. (Gardiner, Kennebec County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/29125/thumbnail.jp

An Analysis of Differing Attitudes Toward the AICPA's Proposed Global Credential

This study investigates the opinions of accountancy, marketing, and management majors toward the "XYZ" Credential proposed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. This global credential, which is intended to encourage broad business knowledge among a variety of professionals, has resulted in extreme controversy among members of the accounting profession. The research discussed in this paper was conducted through a survey instrument distributed to students at Northern lllinois University. This study found that all three majors showed clear agreement with the statement, "The XYZ credential is a great idea." Furthermore, accountancy and management majors indicated that they would be interested in obtaining the XYZ credential. However, accountancy majors would be more interested in the current CPA designation, while management majors were more interested in the proposed XYZ credential. Also, results varied based on major for many of the questions presented. When ,r" _ asked which credential holder they would hire in a given situation, accountancy majors were more likely to select a specialist, while management and marketing majors were more favorable toward the broad knowledge of the XYZ credential holder. Finally, this study demonstrated that previous knowledge of the XYZ credential did not affect the opinions held by accountancy majors.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

Analysis of CXCR6-mediated signal transduction in T-lymphocytes

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Overwintering Seeds as Reservoirs for Seedling Pathogens of Wetland Plant Species

Seed germination and seedling establishment are central to the distribution and abundance of plant species in wetlands. While fungal and oomycete pathogens are known to affect seed viability and emergence, relatively little is known about which fungi and oomycetes are associated with seeds in the soil or how these species affect seeds and seedlings. We characterized the fungi and oomycetes associated with overwintering seeds in wetlands and determined their potential to influence seed germination and subsequent seedling mortality. Fungi and oomycetes did not affect seed germination, despite the isolation of high frequencies of known seed and seedling pathogens in the fungal genera Alternaria, Peyronellaea, Epicoccum, and Fusarium. However, many of the most frequently isolated fungal species from overwintering seeds were highly virulent to seedlings. While both native and nonnative plant species were tested, we did not observe consistent differences in either seed germination or seedling susceptibility based on the invasive status of plants tested, contrary to what we expected given several established hypotheses for invasive success. The high seedling virulence of fungi from overwintering seeds coupled with the differential abundance of some of the more pathogenic fungi among seeds of different plant species, led us to the conclusion that the fungal pathogens that colonize seeds in the seed bank over winter are likely to strongly impact subsequent seedling establishment in wetlands the following spring despite not reducing overwintering seed germination in the seed bank or differently effecting invasive plant species

The pesticide adjuvant, Toximul™, alters hepatic metabolism through effects on downstream targets of PPARα

AbstractPrevious studies demonstrated that chronic dermal exposure to the pesticide adjuvant (surfactant), Toximul™ (Tox), has significant detrimental effects on hepatic lipid metabolism. This study demonstrated that young mice dermally exposed to Tox for 12 days have significant increases in expression of peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase (mRNA and protein), bifunctional enzyme (mRNA) and thiolase (mRNA), as well as the P450 oxidizing enzymes Cyp4A10 and Cyp4A14 (mRNA and protein). Tox produced a similar pattern of increases in wild type adult female mice but did not induce these responses in PPARα-null mice. These data support the hypothesis that Tox, a heterogeneous blend of nonionic and anionic surfactants, modulates hepatic metabolism at least in part through activation of PPARα. Notably, all three groups of Tox-treated mice had increased relative liver weights due to significant accumulation of lipid. This could be endogenous in nature and/or a component(s) of Tox or a metabolite thereof. The ability of Tox and other hydrocarbon pollutants to induce fatty liver despite being PPARα agonists indicates a novel consequence of exposure to this class of chemicals, and may provide a new understanding of fatty liver in populations with industrial exposure

What is the cost of delivering routine vaccinations at GP practices in England? A comparative time-driven activity-based costing analysis.

Background: The expansion of available vaccines in recent years has increased the overall costs of the vaccine program and put pressure on providers responsible for vaccination. In England in 2016-17, GP practices responsible for vaccinating their local population were paid £227 million. However, the costs to general practice of delivering the program and the factors influencing these costs are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the costs of delivering the routine vaccination program at GP practices in England, to identify organizational factors impacting costs, and to compare these to the funding received.Methods: Time Driven Activity Based Costing was undertaken at a convenience sample of nine geographically and socio-economically diverse GP practices in 2017-2018. Cost data were gathered for the preceding year using a survey and clinical and administrative staff kept activity logs for a 2-week period.Results: The mean cost of delivering a childhood vaccination appointment was £18.20 (range £9.71-£25.97) and an adult appointment cost £14.05 (range £7.59-£20.88), of which 75% was for staff, 24% for facility costs and 1% for consumables. Organizational factors contributing to lower costs include: shorter length of allocated appointment; greater use of administrative and reception staff; lower working time for practice manager and practice nurse; and use of health-care assistants for adult vaccinations. The costs identified are lower than payments at all practices.Conclusions: Funding received for vaccination activities was higher than costs at included practices. Several organizational factors have been identified that impact on program delivery costs that could be modified

Cultural value orientations, internalized homophobia, and accommodation in romantic relationships

In the present study, we examined the impact of cultural value orientations (i.e., the personally oriented value of individualism, and the socially oriented values of collectivism, familism, romanticism, and spiritualism) on accommodation (i.e., voice and loyalty, rather than exit and neglect, responses to partners' anger or criticism) in heterosexual and gay relationships; and we examined the impact of internalized homophobia (i.e., attitudes toward self, other, and disclosure) on accommodation specifically in gay relationships. A total of 262 heterosexuals (102 men and 162 women) and 857 gays (474 men and 383 women) participated in the present study. Consistent with hypotheses, among heterosexuals and gays, socially oriented values were significantly and positively related to accommodation (whereas the personally oriented value of individualism was unrelated to accommodation); and among gays in particular, internalized homophobia was significantly and negatively related to accommodation. Implications for the study of heterosexual and gay relationships are discussed. © 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved

Resources and Geographic Access to Care for Severe Pediatric Pneumonia in Four Resource-limited Settings

Rationale: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children worldwide. Identifying and appropriately managing severe pneumonia in a timely manner improves outcomes. Little is known about the readiness of healthcare facilities to manage severe pediatric pneumonia in low-resource settings. Objectives: As part of the HAPIN (Household Air Pollution Intervention Network) trial, we sought to identify healthcare facilities that were adequately resourced to manage severe pediatric pneumonia in Jalapa, Guatemala (J-GUA); Puno, Peru (P-PER); Kayonza, Rwanda (K-RWA); and Tamil Nadu, India (T-IND). We conducted a facility-based survey of available infrastructure, staff, equipment, and medical consumables. Facilities were georeferenced, and a road network analysis was performed. Measurements and Main Results: Of the 350 healthcare facilities surveyed, 13% had adequate resources to manage severe pneumonia, 37% had pulse oximeters, and 44% had supplemental oxygen. Mean (±SD) travel time to an adequately resourced facility was 41 ± 19 minutes in J-GUA, 99 ± 64 minutes in P-PER, 40 ± 19 minutes in K-RWA, and 31 ± 19 minutes in T-IND. Expanding pulse oximetry coverage to all facilities reduced travel time by 44% in J-GUA, 29% in P-PER, 29% in K-RWA, and 11% in T-IND (all P < 0.001). Conclusions: Most healthcare facilities in low-resource settings of the HAPIN study area were inadequately resourced to care for severe pediatric pneumonia. Early identification of cases and timely referral is paramount. The provision of pulse oximeters to all health facilities may be an effective approach to identify cases earlier and refer them for care and in a timely manner

Decoration of T-independent antigen with ligands for CD22 and Siglec-G can suppress immunity and induce B cell tolerance in vivo

Autoreactive B lymphocytes first encountering self-antigens in peripheral tissues are normally regulated by induction of anergy or apoptosis. According to the “two-signal” model, antigen recognition alone should render B cells tolerant unless T cell help or inflammatory signals such as lipopolysaccharide are provided. However, no such signals seem necessary for responses to T-independent type 2 (TI-2) antigens, which are multimeric antigens lacking T cell epitopes and Toll-like receptor ligands. How then do mature B cells avoid making a TI-2–like response to multimeric self-antigens? We present evidence that TI-2 antigens decorated with ligands of inhibitory sialic acid–binding Ig-like lectins (siglecs) are poorly immunogenic and can induce tolerance to subsequent challenge with immunogenic antigen. Two siglecs, CD22 and Siglec-G, contributed to tolerance induction, preventing plasma cell differentiation or survival. Although mutations in CD22 and its signaling machinery have been associated with dysregulated B cell development and autoantibody production, previous analyses failed to identify a tolerance defect in antigen-specific mutant B cells. Our results support a role for siglecs in B cell self-/nonself-discrimination, namely suppressing responses to self-associated antigens while permitting rapid “missing self”–responses to unsialylated multimeric antigens. The results suggest use of siglec ligand antigen constructs as an approach for inducing tolerance