Firefighter hood contamination: Efficiency of laundering to remove PAHs and FRs

Firefighters are occupationally exposed to products of combustion containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and flame retardants (FRs), potentially contributing to their increased risk for certain cancers. Personal protective equipment (PPE), including firefighter hoods, helps to reduce firefighters’exposure to toxic substances during fire responses by providing a layer of material on which contaminants deposit prior to reaching the firefighters skin.However, over time hoods that retain some contamination may actually contribute to fire-fighters’systemic dose. We investigated the effectiveness of laundering to reduce or remove contamination on the hoods, specifically PAHs and three classes of FRs: polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), non-PBDE flame retardants (NPBFRs), and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Participants in the study were grouped into crews of 12 firefighters who worked in pairs by job assignment while responding to controlled fires in a single-family resi-dential structure. For each pair of firefighters, one hood was laundered after every scenario and one was not. Bulk samples of the routinely laundered and unlaundered hoods from five pairs of firefighters were collected and analyzed. Residual levels of OPFRs, NPBFRs, and PAHs were lower in the routinely laundered hoods, with total levels of each class of chemicals being 56–81% lower, on average, than the unlaundered hoods. PBDEs, on average, were 43% higherin the laundered hoods, most likely from cross contamination. After this initial testing, four of the five unlaundered exposed hoods were subsequently laundered with other heavily exposed (unlaundered) and unexposed (new) hoods. Post-laundering evaluation of these hoods revealed increased levels of PBDEs, NPBFRs, and OPFRs in both previously exposed and unexposed hoods, indicating cross contamination. For PAHs, there was little evidence of cross contamination and the exposed hoods were significantly less contaminated after laundering (76%reduction; p¼0.011). Further research is needed to understand how residual contamination on hoods could contribute to firefighters’systemic exposures

Hypertensive emergency and type 2 myocardial infarction resulting from pheochromocytoma and concurrent capnocytophaga canimorsus infection

A diagnosis of myocardial infarction is made using a combination of clinical presentation, electrocardiogram and cardiac biomarkers. However, myocardial infarction can be caused by factors other than coronary artery plaque rupture and thrombosis. We describe an interesting case presenting with hypertensive emergency and type 2 myocardial infarction resulting from Pheochromocytoma associated with Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection from a dog bite. We also review current literature on the management of hypertensive emergency and Pheochromocytoma

On the Common Support of Workflow Type and Instance Changes under Correctness Constraints

The capability to rapidly adapt in-progress workflows (WF) is an essential requirement for any workflow system. Adaptations may concern single WF instances or a WF type as a whole. Especially for long-running business processes it is indispensable to propagate WF type changes to in-progress WF instances as well. Very challenging in this context is to correctly adapt a (potentially large) collection of WF instances, which may be in different states and to which various ad-hoc changes may have been previously applied. This paper presents a generic framework for the common support of both WF type and WF instance changes. We establish fundamental correctness principles, position formal theorems, and show how WF instances can be automatically and efficiently migrated to a modified WF schema. The adequate treatment of conflicting WF type and WF instance changes adds to the overall completeness of our approach. By offering more flexibility and adaptability the so promising WF technology will finally deliver

Removal processes for tributyltin during municipal wastewater treatment

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Springer.The fate and behaviour of tributyltin (TBT) at two wastewater treatment works was examined. Both sites had two inlet streams, and each utilised high rate biological filters (biofilters) on one the streams, before treatment of the combined flows on trickling filters, with one having additional tertiary processes, installed to remove ammonia and solids. The study was designed to determine if these processes enhanced the removal of TBT. Degradation of TBT was observed in one of the biofilters, possibly as a result of temperature and hydraulic loading. At the treatment works with tertiary processes, the mass flux showed the overall removal of TBT was 68 %, predominantly due to removal with solids in the primary settlement processes. However, overall removal of 95 % was observed in the conventional trickling filter works with 94 % of this due to biodegradation in the trickling filter. The two works both removed TBT, but at different treatment stages and by different processes. Differences in the form (solubility) of TBT in the influent may have attributed to this, although further understanding of factors controlling degradation would allow for a more complete assessment of the potential of biological processes to remove hazardous compounds from wastewaters.United Utilities PL

Toxic metal enrichment and boating intensity: sediment records of antifoulant copper in shallow lakes of eastern England

Tributyltin (TBT), an aqueous biocide derived from antifouling paint pollution, is known to have impacted coastal marine ecosystems, and has been reported in the sediment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a network of rivers and shallow lakes in eastern England. In the marine environment, the 1987 TBT ban has resulted in expanded use of alternative biocides, raising the question of whether these products too have impacted the Broads ecosystem and freshwaters in general. Here we examine the lake sediment record in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads for contamination by copper (Cu) (as an active biocide agent) and zinc (Zn) (as a component of booster biocides), to assess their occurrence and potential for causing environmental harm in freshwater ecosystems. We find that, after the introduction of leisure boating, there is a statistically significant difference in Cu enrichment between heavily and lightly boated sites, while no such difference exists prior to this time. At the heavily boated sites the onset of Cu enrichment coincides with a period of rapid increase in leisure boating. Such enrichment is maintained to the present day, with some evidence of continued increase. We conclude that Cu-based antifouling has measurably contaminated lakes exposed to boating, at concentrations high enough to cause ecological harm. Similar findings can be expected at other boated freshwater ecosystems elsewhere in the world

Presence of the protruding oncus is affected by developmental stage and acetolysis technique

Abstract: A protruding oncus is a projection of the intine in the aperture region. The ubiquitous use of acetolysis in palynological research has led to the presence of a protruding oncus being underreported. Controlled experiments with pollen samples collected from undehisced and dehisced anthers demonstrate that the presence of a protruding oncus is affected by the state of the anther at maturity: dehisced or undehisced and by the preparation technique. In investigating the occurrence of onci, particular attention should be paid both to the dehiscence state of the anthers and the effect of the preparation technique on the intine. Although it has been suggested that protruding onci and pollen buds can be distinguished based on three criteria (size, presence of a large vacuole, separation of the protrusion from the grain), most of these distinctions break down when information is included from more recent studies. Additional study of protruding intinous structures may help clarifing the difference between pollen buds and protruding onci. pollen grain | intine | acetolysis | anther | oncus | pollen bud | Rubiaceae | biology | Keywords: botany | plant evolution Article: The oncus (pl. onci) is an intinous structure occurring beneath the apertures of many types of pollen grains The term 'protruding oncus' was proposed by As intinous structures, onci are not resistant to acetolysis In this paper, we draw attention to the presence of protruding onci in the Rubiaceae and other angiosperms, investigate factors that may have caused the presence of protruding onci to be underreported and discuss the distinctions between pollen buds and protruding onci based on our current knowledge of these structures. Material and methods Unopened flowers of Uncaria hirsuta Havil. with polliniferous anthers were collected from living plants growing in the South China Botanical Garden, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Uncaria hirsuta was chosen for study because of its possession of pollen with obvious protruding onci and because sufficient living material was available for developmental study. Collected anthers were air-dried at room temperature for 24 h, then wrapped in absorbent filter paper, sealed in a clear Ziploc bag, and stored at -4 °C. Although the flowers had not opened, they contained both dehisced and undehisced anthers. A voucher specimen (KuangYan-Feng 1002) is preserved at South China Botanical Garden Herbarium IBSC. To prepare unacetolysed samples, dehisced and undehisced anthers were dissected out of unopened flowers, separated and put into separate plastic vials in 70% ethanol. The anthers were then squeezed with forceps to release the pollen. The separation of the pollen grains from the remaining anther material was accomplished with a steel sieve (mesh diameter 100 μm). The separated pollen was rinsed in 70% ethanol with ultrasonic vibration for 30 min and centrifuged (4000-5000 RPM, 5 min) to create a pellet. The ethanol was decanted and fresh 70% ethanol was added. The samples were stored in 70% ethanol prior to decanting onto stubs, air drying and observation with a scanning electron microscope. For acetolysis, undehisced anthers were placed in plastic vials, covered with glacial acetic acid, squeezed to release the pollen and filtered as described earlier. The pollen was subdivided into four subsamples, all of which were centrifuged separately to create pellets. The glacial acetic acid was decanted and a mixture (9:1) of acetic anhydride and concentrated sulphuric acid was added to each subsample. The four subsamples were acetolysed in a hot water bath at c. 90 °C for 1.5 min, 3 min, 5 min and 10 min, respectively. After acetolysis, the samples were cooled at room temperature, and centrifuged again at 4000-5000 RPM for 5 min. The residue of the chemical mixture was decanted and the pollen samples were rinsed in an ultrasonic bath with two changes of 70% ethanol, for 30 min each. The treated samples were stored in 70% ethanol prior to decanting onto stubs, air drying, and observation. For scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the acetolysed and unacetolysed grains were mounted on small pieces of cover slip that were attached to SEM stubs with a strip of double-stick conductive tape. The pollen suspension was removed from the bottom of the plastic vials with a Pasteur pipette, placed on the cover glass and air-dried. Colloidal silver paint (#12630, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Fort Washington, PA, USA) was used to paint strips from the edges of the cover slip to the side of the stub. These strips conduct electrons from the top of the cover slip to the stub. Each sample was then sputter-coated with gold for 4 min (two coatings of 2 min each) in a PELCO Model 3 Sputter Coater 9100. A tilted stub holder was used for the second coating. Digital images were captured with a Hitachi S-4800 scanning electron microscope. For light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fresh flowers of Uncaria hirsuta at different stages were collected from living plants growing in the South China Botanical Garden and the Dinghushan National Natural Reserve (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, China). Plants at both sites are cultivated. Voucher specimens (Kuang Yan-Feng 1002 from South China Botanical Garden, Kuang Yan-Feng 002 from Dinghushan) are deposited at IBSC. The fresh flowers were immediately fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 mol/l phosphate buffer, pH 7.2, in the field. When back in the laboratory, the materials were placed under vacuum for 2 h and stored at 4 °C for several days. After removal from storage, the anthers were extracted, placed in the same fixation fluid under vacuum for 2 h, rinsed in 0.1 mol/l phosphate buffer for 2 h and postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide overnight. Following postfixation, the anthers were washed in phosphate buffer, dehydrated in an acetone series, embedded in Spurr's resin and cured at 70 °C. Semi-thin sections (1-2 μm) were cut with glass knives on a LKB-11800 microtome, stained with 0.1% toluidine blue and observed and photographed with an Olympus-AX70 light microscope equipped with an Olympus-DP50 digital camera. Ultrathin sections (80 nm) were cut using a Leica-Ultracut S ultramicrotome with a diamond knife and stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. Transmission electron micrographs were taken with a JEM-1010 transmission electron microscope at 100 KV. Results Morphology of pollen and protruding onci at different developmental stages Pollen grains of Uncaria hirsuta are oblate spheroidal in equatorial view, semi-circular in polar view, tricolporate with of long ectocolpi and lolongate to (sub)circular mesopori. The exine ornamentation might either be described as striate-reticulate with interwoven muri or as rugulate with slender, long striae ( The number of grains with protruding onci is much lower in dehisced ( In undehisced anthers, the protruding onci are usually irregularly hemispherical, with a varying number of contortions on their surface ( Acetolysis effects on protruding onci Protruding onci are destroyed and the mesopori become conspicuous, following acetolysis treatments of 1.5 min or more ( Microspore and protruding oncus development At the tetrad stage, the microspores are enclosed by callose walls ( At the early microspore stage, the callose wall dissolves and the free microspores are released into the anther locule. As the pollen grain increases in size, the electron-lucent areas broaden and become lens-shaped ( At the middle microspore stage, the electron-lucent areas flatten even more and the endexine thickens into costae around the aperture region ( During the vacuolated microspore stage, the electron-lucent area disappears and intine deposition starts ( In pollen grains from dehisced anthers, the intine beneath the aperture is thinner and the core of the protruding oncus is more electron-lucent ( Discussion Development of the protruding oncus In this paper, we have elucidated the main stages of the formation of protruding onci in Uncaria hirsuta. At the tetrad stage, a lens-shaped area forms beneath the future aperture and determines the site of the protruding oncus. During the vacuolated microspore stage, the intine forms, the lens-shaped area flattens and the initine thickens beneath the aperture and protrudes outwards, forming the protruding oncus. At anther anthesis, the aperture intine is much thinner than at earlier stages and the protruding onci may hardly be visible. These changes are likely due to the harmomegathic effect, which occurs after anther anthesis. The time of the onci formation is dependent on the taxon. The onci of Mitriostigma axillare Hochst. form at the tetrad stage, protrude through the aperture when the grains separate, contain only minimal cytoplasmic contents and are not shed from the grain The effects of acetolysis and anther dehiscence on the protruding oncus The acetolysis method introduced by Erdtman (1943) is a widely employed, successful technique in palynology. However, acetolysis destroys all pollen contents with the exception of the sporopollenin The presence of protruding onci is also affected by the stage of anther dehiscence. Before anther dehiscence, protruding onci are almost universally present and conspicuously visible in the grains. At anther dehiscence, protruding onci are usually absent, and when present, are small and undistinguished. Hence, it is important to identify the developmental status of anthers (whether dehisced or undehisced) from which pollen grains are collected in order to verify the presence or absence of protruding onci. Pollen buds versus protruding onci The term 'pollen buds' was introduced to describe the spherical buds occurring outside of the germ pores of developing pollen grains in Ophiorrhiza mungos L. Weber and Igersheim (1994) suggested (in a footnote) that the term 'pollen buds' is inappropriate, but did not suggest an alternative. In Weber's (1996) following paper, she referred to the apertural intine protrusions of Geranium (Geraniaceae) as 'apertural chambers', but this term has not been used extensively in the later literature. The term 'protruding oncus' was initially proposed to replace the term 'pollen bud' In the Rubiaceae, The most comprehensive investigation of protruding intinous structures in the Rubiaceae is in the Naucleea

A novel and practical screening tool for the detection of silent myocardial infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes

Silent myocardial infarction (MI) is a prevalent finding in patients with type 2 diabetes and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the most validated technique for detection of silent MI but is time consuming, costly and requires administration of intravenous contrast. We therefore planned to develop a simple and low cost population screening tool to identify those at highest risk of silent MI validated against the CMR reference standard.100 asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes underwent electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, biomarker assessment and CMR at 3.0T including assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction and LGE. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) from 2 and 4 chamber cines was measured using feature tracking.17/100 patients with no history of cardiovascular disease had silent MI defined by LGE in an infarct pattern on CMR. Only 4 silent MI patients had Q waves on ECG. Patients with silent MI were older (65 vs 60, p=0.05), had lower E/A ratio (0.75 vs 0.89, p=0.004), lower GLS (-15.2% vs -17.7%, p=0.004) and higher NT-proBNP (106ng/L vs 52ng/L, p=0.003). A combined risk score derived from these 4 factors had an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.823 (0.734-0.892), P<0.0001. A score of ?3/5 had 82% sensitivity and 72% specificity for silent MI.Using measures that can be derived in an outpatient clinic setting, we have developed a novel screening tool for the detection of silent MI in type 2 diabetes. The screening tool had significantly superior diagnostic accuracy than current ECG criteria for the detection of silent MI in asymptomatic patients

Cooperation, Norms, and Revolutions: A Unified Game-Theoretical Approach

Cooperation is of utmost importance to society as a whole, but is often challenged by individual self-interests. While game theory has studied this problem extensively, there is little work on interactions within and across groups with different preferences or beliefs. Yet, people from different social or cultural backgrounds often meet and interact. This can yield conflict, since behavior that is considered cooperative by one population might be perceived as non-cooperative from the viewpoint of another. To understand the dynamics and outcome of the competitive interactions within and between groups, we study game-dynamical replicator equations for multiple populations with incompatible interests and different power (be this due to different population sizes, material resources, social capital, or other factors). These equations allow us to address various important questions: For example, can cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma be promoted, when two interacting groups have different preferences? Under what conditions can costly punishment, or other mechanisms, foster the evolution of norms? When does cooperation fail, leading to antagonistic behavior, conflict, or even revolutions? And what incentives are needed to reach peaceful agreements between groups with conflicting interests? Our detailed quantitative analysis reveals a large variety of interesting results, which are relevant for society, law and economics, and have implications for the evolution of language and culture as well

The read-across hypothesis and environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 American Chemical Society.Pharmaceuticals in the environment have received increased attention over the past decade, as they are ubiquitous in rivers and waterways. Concentrations are in sub-ng to low μg/L, well below acute toxic levels, but there are uncertainties regarding the effects of chronic exposures and there is a need to prioritise which pharmaceuticals may be of concern. The read-across hypothesis stipulates that a drug will have an effect in non-target organisms only if the molecular targets such as receptors and enzymes have been conserved, resulting in a (specific) pharmacological effect only if plasma concentrations are similar to human therapeutic concentrations. If this holds true for different classes of pharmaceuticals, it should be possible to predict the potential environmental impact from information obtained during the drug development process. This paper critically reviews the evidence for read-across, and finds that few studies include plasma concentrations and mode of action based effects. Thus, despite a large number of apparently relevant papers and a general acceptance of the hypothesis, there is an absence of documented evidence. There is a need for large-scale studies to generate robust data for testing the read-across hypothesis and developing predictive models, the only feasible approach to protecting the environment.BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award BB/ I00646X/1 and BBSRC Industrial CASE Partnership Studentship BB/I53257X/1 with AstraZeneca Safety Health and Environment Research Programme

Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects

Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science. Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises, global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to, and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on models employing both peer interaction and external information, and emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure