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512 research outputs found

Violence Reduction

Author: Anais Loizillon
Joseph Tierney
Publication venue: Public/Private Ventures
Publication date: 03/03/1999
Field of study

The 1990s have seen a significant decline in the occurrence of violent crimes nationwide, especially in major metropolitan areas. Yet, the number of person-on-person crimes in which youth appear as either offenders or victims remains persistently high in Philadelphia. The homicide rate among young Philadelphians is five times higher than that for the U.S. population. Public, private and nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia are working together to set in motion a unique and promising partnership aimed at significantly reducing youth violence: Philadelphia's Youth Violence Reduction Project (YVRP). This report summarizes the acute need for public and private violence reduction partnerships, describes outstanding current efforts by city agencies and youth-serving organizations to help curb youth violence in Philadelphia and outlines the evolution of the YVRP project, its pilot program in the 24th Police District, and the larger potential it has for Philadelphia

IssueLab

Microbial Control in Domestic Kitchens and Laboratory Biofilms

Author: Tierney Joseph
Publication venue: Dublin Institute of Technology
Publication date: 01/01/2003
Field of study

It has been documented that a substantial number of food poisoning outbreaks originate from the domestic kitchen environment. Therefore, to ascertain public awareness of domestic hygiene, 335 participants were questioned on issues relating to their perceptions of risks associated with the kitchen environment, cleaning regimes and disinfection knowledge. The results revealed an unsatisfactory understanding of food safety awareness and practices. These findings were substantiated by a high level of microorganisms frequently enumerated from a number of household kitchen surfaces, as determined by a swabbing campaign in 35 homes. To demonstrate the impact environmental parameters can have on disinfectant activity, efficacy tests were carried out on Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium when in suspension, surface attached or when proliferated into a biofilm on stainless steel or glass in the presence of a range of soil materials. Viability was determined by image analysis of cells stained with acridine orange. Results showed that surface attachment enhanced resistance over their free cell counterparts, but biofilm cells exhibited greatest resistance. Presence of soiling material also greatly reduced the antimicrobial activity. Methodology can have an impact on viability results. To study this aspect three fluorochromes (acridine orange, BacLight Live/Dead Viability Kit and 5-cyano-2,3-di-4-tolyl-tetrazolium chloride (CTC) combined with Syto 9) were used in conjunction with fluorescent microscopy and image analysis to determine the antimicrobial activity of disinfectants. Similar results were generally recorded for the first two dyes however the use of the CTC system gave lower microbial reduction. To determine just how rapidly resistance in a bioflm can develop, a flowcell was set up and bacterial susceptibility monitored over time and upon the release of the biofilm. It was found that not only did resistance increase with time, but that it was retained by the cells upon release

Arrow@TUDublin