Characterization of Contamination Around the Largest Lead Smelter in Egypt Carried Out Through a Cooperation Program between USA and Egypt

The Government of Egypt together USAID aimed to reduce the impact of lead smelters on the environment. The major site was in Shoubra El-Kheima, where the Awadulla Secondary Lead Smelter is situated.  The Awadulla Family Company owns about 70% of the lead smelters in Egypt. This work presents the results and conclusions of a detailed on-site and off-site contaminant characterization of the Awadulla Secondary Lead Smelter.    As part of the characterization of the smelter site, soil and dust samples were collected within and near the smelter using two methods. The first consisted of collecting bulk dust and soil samples from the floor and ground in the direct vicinity of the smelter. The second involved using wet wipes to collect dust samples from walls, smooth floors, duct work, window and ledges.  The results indicate that the most contaminated soils can be found in industrial areas and on public streets in Shoubra El-Kheima. The highest lead concentrations of more than 780,000 mg.kg-1 were found inside the smelter site. Concentrations at the El-Mahy Smelter nearby reached 302,275 mg.kg-1. Residential areas had considerably lower lead levels in soil and dust.  Samples of surface water and groundwater were collected and tested for lead contamination.  Only three samples had lead concentrations above detection limits, indicating water contamination is not a problem. The maximum area affected by deposition of lead from the Awadulla smelter appears to be no more than 500 m all around the smelter. The plan calls for moving the smelters to a new industrial area called Abu Zaabal.  This move will leave behind existing structures that are highly contaminated with lead dust.  El Gobierno egipcio, junto con USAID (Agencia Estadounidense Para el Desarrollo Internacional), pretendía reducir el impacto de los hornos de fundición de plomo sobre el medio ambiente. El emplazamiento principal está en Shoubra El-Kheima, donde se encuentra el horno de fundición de plomo secundario de Awadulla. La empresa de la familia Awadulla posee aproximadamente el 70% de los hornos de fundición de plomo en Egipto. Este trabajo presenta los resultados y las conclusiones de un detallado estudio de caracterización de contaminantes en el emplazamiento y fuera del emplazamiento del horno de fundición de plomo secundario de Awadulla. Como parte de la caracterización del emplazamiento del horno de fundición, se recogieron muestras de terreno y de polvo dentro de y cerca del horno de fundición usando dos métodos. Por una parte, se recogieron muestras de polvo y de terreno a granel del suelo y la tierra en las inmediaciones directas del horno de fundición y por otra, se recogieron muestras de polvo de paredes, suelos lisos, canalizaciones, ventanas y repisas utilizando toallitas húmedas. Los resultados indican que los terrenos más contaminados se encuentran en zonas industriales y en calles públicas en Shoubra El-Kheima. Las concentraciones más elevadas, de más de 780.000 mg/kg, están dentro del emplazamiento del horno de fundición. Las concentraciones en el cercano horno de fundición de El-Mahy eran de 302.275 mg/kg. Las zonas residenciales mostraron niveles de plomo considerablemente inferiores en terreno y polvo. Se recogieron muestras de agua superficial y agua subterránea y se les realizaron pruebas para detectar contaminación por plomo. Solamente tres muestras presentaban concentraciones de plomo por encima de los límites de detección, indicando que la contaminación del agua no supone un problema. El área máxima afectada por deposición de plomo procedente del horno de fundición de Awadulla parece no ser superior a 500 metros alrededor del horno de fundición. El plan requiere trasladar los hornos de fundición a una nueva zona industrial llamada Abu Zaabal. Este traslado dejará atrás estructuras existentes que están altamente contaminadas con polvo de plomo.En collaboration avec l'USAID, le Gouvernement égyptien a élaboré un projet visant à réduire l'impact des fonderies de plomb sur l'environnement. La principale fonderie concernée était l'Awadulla Secondary Lead Smelter située à Shoubra El-Kheima. L'Awadulla Family Company détient environ 70 % des fonderies de plomb en Egypte. Cet article présente les résultats et les conclusions d'une étude de caractérisation de contaminants sur site et hors site menée sur le site de l'Awadulla Secondary Lead Smelter. Dans le cadre de cette étude, des échantillons de terre et de poussière ont été recueillis dans et à proximité de la fonderie selon deux méthodes. La première méthode a consisté à recueillir des échantillons en vrac de poussière et de terre sur le sol de la fonderie et à proximité immédiate de celle-ci. La seconde méthode a consisté à recueillir des échantillons de poussière sur les murs, les sols lisses, les conduites, les fenêtres et les rebords de celles-ci, à l'aide de chiffons humides. Les résultats ont indiqué que les sols les plus contaminés étaient localisés dans les zones industrielles et les rues de Shoubra El-Kheima. Les plus fortes concentrations, supérieures à 780 000 mg/kg, ont été relevées sur le site même de la fonderie. Des concentrations de 302 275 mg/kg ont été constatées à la fonderie voisine d'El-Mahy. Les zones résidentielles ont affiché des taux de plomb nettement plus faibles dans le sol et la poussière. Des échantillons des eaux de surface et des eaux souterraines ont été recueillis et analysés afin de déterminer la contamination au plomb. Seuls trois échantillons ont présenté des concentrations en plomb supérieures aux limites de détection, indiquant que la contamination de l'eau n'était pas inquiétante. Le périmètre touché par des dépôts de plomb de la fonderie Awadulla semble être de 500 mètres autour de la fonderie maximum. Le programme préconise le déplacement des fonderies dans une nouvelle zone industrielle dénommée Abu Zaabal. Cela implique l'abandon des structures existantes fortement contaminées par de la poussière de plomb

Robust Design of RF-MEMS Cantilever Switches Using Contact Physics Modeling

This paper presents the robust design optimization of an RF-MEMS direct contact cantilever switch for minimum actuation voltage and opening time, and maximum power handling capability. The design variables are the length and thickness of the entire cantilever, the widths of the sections of the cantilever, and the dimple size. The actuation voltage is obtained using a 3-D structural-electrostatic finite-element method (FEM) model, and the opening time is obtained using the same FEM model and the experimental model of adhesion at the contact surfaces developed in our previous work. The model accounts for an unpredictable variance in the contact resistance resulting from the micromachining process for the estimation of the power handling. This is achieved by taking the ratio of the root mean square power of the RF current (signal") passing through the switch to the contact temperature ("noise") resulting from the possible range of the contact resistance. The resulting robust optimization problem is solved using a Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm, to obtain design alternatives exhibiting different tradeoffs among the three objectives. The results show that there exists substantial room for improved designs of RF-MEMS direct-contact switches. It also provides a better understanding of the key factors contributing to the performances of RF-MEMS switches. Most importantly, it provides guidance for further improvements of RF-MEMS switches that exploit complex multiphysics phenomena.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87274/4/Saitou7.pd

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Robust Design of RF-MEMS Cantilever Switches Using Contact Physics Modeling

This paper presents the design optimization of a RF MEMS direct contact cantilever switch for minimum actuation voltage and opening time, and maximum power handling capability. The design variables are the length and thickness of the entire cantilever, the widths of the sections of the cantilever, and the dimple size. The actuation voltage is obtained using a 3D structural-electrostatic FEM model, and the opening time is obtained using the same FEM model and the experimental model of adhesion at the contact surfaces developed in our previous work. Since the precise control of the contact resistance during the micro machining process is practically impossible, the power handling capability is estimated as the ratio of the RMS power of the RF current (signal") passing through the switch to the contact temperature ("noise") resulting from the possible range of the contact resistance. The resulting robust optimization problem is solved using a Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm, to obtain design alternatives exhibiting different trade-offs among the three objectives. The results show that there exists substantial room for improved designs of RF MEMS direct-contact switches.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87228/4/Saitou67.pd

Cohort profile. the ESC-EORP chronic ischemic cardiovascular disease long-term (CICD LT) registry

The European Society of cardiology (ESC) EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) Chronic Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease registry Long Term (CICD) aims to study the clinical profile, treatment modalities and outcomes of patients diagnosed with CICD in a contemporary environment in order to assess whether these patients at high cardiovascular risk are treated according to ESC guidelines on prevention or on stable coronary disease and to determine mid and long term outcomes and their determinants in this population

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium report, data summary of 50 countries for 2010-2015: Device-associated module

•We report INICC device-associated module data of 50 countries from 2010-2015.•We collected prospective data from 861,284 patients in 703 ICUs for 3,506,562 days.•DA-HAI rates and bacterial resistance were higher in the INICC ICUs than in CDC-NHSN's.•Device utilization ratio in the INICC ICUs was similar to CDC-NHSN's. Background: We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2010-December 2015 in 703 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific. Methods: During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 3,506,562 days. Results: Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.1 per 1,000 central line-days, was nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days reported from comparable US ICUs, the overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher, 13.1 versus 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 5.07 versus 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days. From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (29.87% vs 10%) and to imipenem (44.3% vs 26.1%), and of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (73.2% vs 28.8%) and to imipenem (43.27% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC ICUs compared with CDC-NHSN ICUs. Conclusions: Although DA-HAIs in INICC ICU patients continue to be higher than the rates reported in CDC-NSHN ICUs representing the developed world, we have observed a significant trend toward the reduction of DA-HAI rates in INICC ICUs as shown in each international report. It is INICC's main goal to continue facilitating education, training, and basic and cost-effective tools and resources, such as standardized forms and an online platform, to tackle this problem effectively and systematically

Evolution over Time of Ventilatory Management and Outcome of Patients with Neurologic Disease∗

OBJECTIVES: To describe the changes in ventilator management over time in patients with neurologic disease at ICU admission and to estimate factors associated with 28-day hospital mortality. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of three prospective, observational, multicenter studies. SETTING: Cohort studies conducted in 2004, 2010, and 2016. PATIENTS: Adult patients who received mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 20,929 patients enrolled, we included 4,152 (20%) mechanically ventilated patients due to different neurologic diseases. Hemorrhagic stroke and brain trauma were the most common pathologies associated with the need for mechanical ventilation. Although volume-cycled ventilation remained the preferred ventilation mode, there was a significant (p < 0.001) increment in the use of pressure support ventilation. The proportion of patients receiving a protective lung ventilation strategy was increased over time: 47% in 2004, 63% in 2010, and 65% in 2016 (p < 0.001), as well as the duration of protective ventilation strategies: 406 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2004, 523 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2010, and 585 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2016 (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the length of stay in the ICU, mortality in the ICU, and mortality in hospital from 2004 to 2016. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were age greater than 75 years, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II greater than 50, the occurrence of organ dysfunction within first 48 hours after brain injury, and specific neurologic diseases such as hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, and brain trauma. CONCLUSIONS: More lung-protective ventilatory strategies have been implemented over years in neurologic patients with no effect on pulmonary complications or on survival. We found several prognostic factors on mortality such as advanced age, the severity of the disease, organ dysfunctions, and the etiology of neurologic disease