An Environmental Science and Engineering Framework for Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

On June 20, 2017, members of the environmental engineering and science (EES) community convened at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Biennial Conference for a workshop on antimicrobial resistance. With over 80 registered participants, discussion groups focused on the following topics: risk assessment, monitoring, wastewater treatment, agricultural systems, and synergies. In this study, we summarize the consensus among the workshop participants regarding the role of the EES community in understanding and mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance via environmental pathways. Environmental scientists and engineers offer a unique and interdisciplinary perspective and expertise needed for engaging with other disciplines such as medicine, agriculture, and public health to effectively address important knowledge gaps with respect to the linkages between human activities, impacts to the environment, and human health risks. Recommendations that propose priorities for research within the EES community, as well as areas where interdisciplinary perspectives are needed, are highlighted. In particular, risk modeling and assessment, monitoring, and mass balance modeling can aid in the identification of “hot spots” for antibiotic resistance evolution and dissemination, and can help identify effective targets for mitigation. Such information will be essential for the development of an informed and effective policy aimed at preserving and protecting the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations

Prospective study of daily low-dose nedaplatin and continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion combined with radiation for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protracted low-dose concurrent chemotherapy combined with radiation has been proposed for enhanced treatment results for esophageal cancer. We evaluated the efficacy and the toxicity of a novel regimen of daily low-dose nedaplatin (cis-diammine-glycolatoplatinum) and continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with radiation in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between January 2003 and June 2008, 33 patients with clinical stage I to IVB esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. Nedaplatin (10 mg/body/day) was administered daily and 5-FU (500 mg/body/day) was administered continuously for 20 days. Fractionated radiotherapy for a total dose of 50.4-66 Gy was administered together with chemotherapy. Additional chemotherapy with nedaplatin and 5-FU was optionally performed for a maximum of 5 courses after chemoradiotherapy. The primary end-point of this study was to evaluate the tumor response, and the secondary end-points were to evaluate the toxicity and the overall survival.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-two patients (72.7%) completed the regimen of chemoradiotherapy. Twenty patients (60.6%) achieved a complete response, 10 patients (30.3%) a partial response. One patient (3.0%) had a stable disease, and 2 (6.1%) a progressive disease. The overall response rate was 90.9% (95% confidence interval: 75.7%-98.1%). For grade 3-4 toxicity, leukopenia was observed in 75.8% of the cases, thrombocytopenia in 24.2%, anemia in 9.1%, and esophagitis in 36.4%, while late grade 3-4 cardiac toxicity occurred in 6.1%. Additional chemotherapy was performed for 26 patients (78.8%) and the median number of courses was 3 (range, 1-5). The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 83.9%, 76.0% and 58.8%, respectively. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 94.7% and 88.4% in patients with T1-3 M0 disease, and 66.2% and 55.2% in patients with T4/M1 disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The treatment used in our study may yield a high complete response rate and better survival for each stage of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00197444</p

Cerium neodymium oxide solid solution synthesis as a potential analogue for substoichiometric AmO 2 for radioisotope power systems

The European Space Agency (ESA) is sponsoring a research programme on the development of americium oxides for radioisotope generators and heater units. Cubic AmO2-(x/2) with an O/Am ratio between 1.65 and 1.75 is a potentially suitable compound for pellet sintering. C-type (Ia-3) Ce1-xNdxO2-(x/2) oxides with 0.5 &lt; x &lt; 0.7 could be used as a surrogate for some Ia-3 AmO2-(x/2). A new Ce1-xNdxO2-(x/2) production process has been investigated where a nominally selected x value of 0.6 was targeted: Ce and Nd nitrates and oxalic acid were added drop-wise into a vessel, where they continuously reacted to create oxalate precipitates. The effect of temperature (25 °C, 60 °C) of the reactants (mixed at 250 revolutions per minute) on oxalate particle shape and size were investigated. Oxalates were calcined at 900 °C to produce oxide particles. Oxalate particle properties were characterised as these are expected to influence oxides particle properties and fuel pellet sintering.</p

An Environmental Science and Engineering Framework for Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

On June 20, 2017, members of the environmental engineering and science (EES) community convened at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Biennial Conference for a workshop on antimicrobial resistance. With over 80 registered participants, discussion groups focused on the following topics: risk assessment, monitoring, wastewater treatment, agricultural systems, and synergies. In this study, we summarize the consensus among the workshop participants regarding the role of the EES community in understanding and mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance via environmental pathways. Environmental scientists and engineers offer a unique and interdisciplinary perspective and expertise needed for engaging with other disciplines such as medicine, agriculture, and public health to effectively address important knowledge gaps with respect to the linkages between human activities, impacts to the environment, and human health risks. Recommendations that propose priorities for research within the EES community, as well as areas where interdisciplinary perspectives are needed, are highlighted. In particular, risk modeling and assessment, monitoring, and mass balance modeling can aid in the identification of 'hot spots' for antibiotic resistance evolution and dissemination, and can help identify effective targets for mitigation. Such information will be essential for the development of an informed and effective policy aimed at preserving and protecting the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations

Photocatalytic splitting of water.

The use of photocatalysis for the photosplitting of water to generate hydrogen and oxygen has gained interest as a method for the conversion and storage of solar energy. The application of photocatalysis through catalyst engineering, mechanistic studies and photoreactor development has highlighted the potential of this technology, with the number of publications significantly increasing in the past few decades. In 1972 Fujishima and Honda described a photoelectrochemical system capable of generating H2 and O2 using thin-film TiO2. Since this publication, a diverse range of catalysts and platforms have been deployed, along with a varying range of photoreactors coupled with photoelectrochemical and photovoltaic technology. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of photocatalytic technology applied to overall H2O splitting. An insight into the electronic and geometric structure of catalysts is given based upon the one- and two-step photocatalyst systems. One-step photocatalysts are discussed based upon their d0 and d10 electron configuration and core metal ion including transition metal oxides, typical metal oxides and metal nitrides. The two-step approach, referred to as the Z-scheme, is discussed as an alternative approach to the traditional one-step mechanism, and the potential of the system to utilise visible and solar irradiation. In addition to this the mechanistic procedure of H2O splitting is reviewed to provide the reader with a detailed understanding of the process. Finally, the development of photoreactors and reactor properties are discussed with a view towards the photoelectrochemical splitting of H2O

Knowledge–Behavior Gap in Tap Water Consumption in Puerto Rico: Implications for Water Utilities

The impacts of climate-related hazards are becoming a major concern for many people worldwide, especially those in vulnerable areas such as Puerto Rico. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria caused severe disruption to the island’s drinking water supply due to power outages, causing major problems for utility companies. This led to water insecurity, particularly among residents, who could not access safe, reliable, adequate, and affordable drinking water. Disaster-related water insecurity challenges are coupled with widespread public mistrust of tap water, yet some residents still consume tap water despite the mistrust. Alternatively, a portion of those who trust the tap water quality choose not to consume it. This knowledge–behavior gap needs to be explored to understand tap water consumption behaviors in the context of mistrust and insecurity. This study’s main goal was to identify why residents mistrusted their tap water and their behaviors in response to or despite mistrust. Data collection included household surveys and interviews with residents (n = 154) from May 2022 to July 2022. Thematic qualitative analysis shows residents generally mistrust tap water because of its poor quality over the past decade based on its palatability properties (taste, color, and smell). In addition, people trust or mistrust tap water because of their lived personal positive or negative experiences with the water utility service in Puerto Rico. This study can be used to develop strategies to address water insecurity and understand public trust in the tap water supply provided by water utilities. Ultimately, this research emphasizes the need for more studies to explore the knowledge–behavior gap in order to understand why some people consume tap water despite the mistrust and vice versa.This article is published as Nelson, Toby NT, Cristina Poleacovschi, Kaoru Ikuma, Ivis García, Carl F. Weems, Chris R. Rehmann, and Kyle Estes. "Knowledge–Behavior Gap in Tap Water Consumption in Puerto Rico: Implications for Water Utilities." ASCE OPEN: Multidisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering 1 (2022): 04023001. doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/AOMJAH.AOENG-0005. Copyright 2023, American Society of Civil Engineers. This is an open access article available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/