Alternative methods in tracking sources of microbial contamination in waters

A key factor in the management and remediation of impaired ground- and surface water is the ability to distinguish the sources of faecal contamination. Several approaches have been adopted as microbial source tracking methods (MST), which are generally classified as culturing, phenotypic, genetic, and chemical MST. None of the techniques used thus far can be considered a standard; important factors, such as the statistical correlation between the source and the faecal indicator and the understanding of the environmental fate of the faecal pollutants, still need attention. The most promising MST methods available today are based on the genetic fingerprinting of faecal micro-organisms. However, research is very active also in the investigation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products discharged in the environment together with faecal waste. An updated overview of MST methods to distinguish human from animal sources of faecal pollution is presented here, focusing particularly on the potentialities of new chemical tracers

The main concerns of European anaesthesiology postgraduate trainees: A European survey

This is the first study intended to identify the European anaesthesiology trainees' main concerns, to initiate a process of improvement of the training in anaesthesiology by the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA). The authors developed an electronic survey which addressed seven different concerns: autonomy transition, technical skills, exchange programs, residency costs, residency workload, employment prospects and educational contents/preparation for the European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EDAIC). The survey was disseminated by email to all anaesthesiology trainees registered in ESA and all European National Societies were asked to distribute the survey to their graduating trainees. 665 trainees initiated the survey with a completion rate of 54.6%. The trainees' main concerns were in descending order: educational contents, residency costs, employment prospects, residency workload, exchange programs, technical skills and autonomy transition. This report analyzes the three main concerns in more detail. 68% of respondents were unaware of the existence of the ESA e-learning platform. Other means to improve the preparation for the EDAIC such as a multiple-choice questions book should be developed. The main reason for not becoming an ESA Trainee member was the associated cost and 68% of respondents gave up activities or opportunities during their residency due to economic constraints; 56% of respondents considered emigrating for economic reasons and 28% elected Northern/Central Europe. The results of the present survey may provide additional background information for the development of specific improvements in strategies for training in anaesthesiology. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Along the Ring's Conditions: Intervening on the Infrastructural Edge of Charleroi

The thesis has been developed within and upon the context of the ‘Dorsal Wallonne’, which is an urbanized spine located in the southern side of Belgium. This spine spans from Mons to Liege and it can be described as a territorial artifact of great diversity, where urbanization has followed the vicissitudes of the machine-age. The region not only represent many challenges in a post-industrial realty, but as well an opportunity to inscribe a series of architectural projects into this territory and in its splendid tradition of man-made modification of the landscape. Framing the problem statement of architecturally reconsider a postindustrial city-region: the aim of the thesis is, to go beyond a project of preservation, leisure landscapes and brown-field reclamation. In order to achieve that, the thesis intention has been to bridge a possible economical re-development and social rehabilitation by means of a strategic decentralization of the interventions, which are three large scale and typologically diverse projects situated along the Ring R3 of Charleroi. The three interventions are a critical attempt to establish new attractor sites in Charleroi, being aware that the downtown is no longer able to provide a public domain that can satisfy the unstable, variegate and complex social condition of the city. Each one of the three interventions embeds three themes (program, site specificities, itinerary); these articulate and characterize the project as a whole.Territory in TransitPublic BuildingArchitectur

Direct Utilization of Liquid Fuels in SOFC for Portable Applications: Challenges for the Selection of Alternative Anodes

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) have the advantage of being able to operate with fuels other than hydrogen. In particular, liquid fuels are especially attractive for powering portable applications such as small power generators or auxiliary power units, in which case the direct utilization of the fuel would be convenient. Although liquid fuels are easier to handle and transport than hydrogen, their direct use in SOFC can lead to anode deactivation due to carbon formation, especially on traditional nickel/yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) anodes. Significant advances have been made in anodic materials that are resistant to carbon formation but often these materials are less electrochemically active than Ni/YSZ. In this review the challenges of using liquid fuels directly in SOFC, in terms of gas-phase and catalytic reactions within the anode chamber, will be discussed and the alternative anode materials so far investigated will be compared

Alternative methods in tracking sources of microbial contamination in waters

A key factor in the management and remediation of impaired ground- and surface water is the ability to distinguish the sources of faecal contamination. Several approaches have been adopted as microbial source tracking methods (MST), which are generally classified as culturing, phenotypic, genetic, and chemical MST. None of the techniques used thus far can be considered a standard; important factors, such as the statistical correlation between the source and the faecal indicator and the understanding of the environmental fate of the faecal pollutants, still need attention. The most promising MST methods available today are based on the genetic fingerprinting of faecal micro-organisms. However, research is very active also in the investigation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products discharged in the environment together with faecal waste.An updated overview of MST methods to distinguish human from animal sources of faecal pollution is presented here, focusing particularly on the potentialities of new chemical tracers

Evaluation of microbial indicators for the determination of bacterial groundwater contamination sources

Several different Microbial source tracking methods (MSTs) can be used to distinguish human from animal fecal contamination in water; In this study, experiments were carried out to test the effectiveness and reliability of three bacteria based approaches (the fecal coliforms to fecal streptococci ratio, antibiotic-resistant Clostridium perfringens, and human bifidobacteria) in a simulated groundwater micro-environment.The methods were evaluated in three phases: initially, the specificity of each indicator was validated on groundwater samples affected by known pollution source; then the variation of performance with time of each method was determined, and finally, the die-off coefficients for pure species of Clostridium perfringens and Bifidobacterium adolescentis were measured.The results indicate that only the determination of human bifidobacteria concentration can be considered reliable in distinguishing human from animal pollution in groundwater at the conditions applied. Nevertheless, human bifidobacteria were detectable only for two weeks after the contamination event. This study also shows that antibiotic resistant Clostridium perfringens detected using the Shahidi-Ferguson medium is not source specific, whereas it confirms that this species can be useful for timing general fecal contamination events