Different definitions of risk too easily lead to differences in the type and level of risk accepted by varying stakeholders involved in the remediation process and redevelopment of contaminated sites as a whole. This can be rooted in the way risk information is interpreted and evaluated: technical risk definitions are largely evidential and based on engineering or technical contents, whereas so...

Alkylphenol polyethoxylate (APEO) derivatives, such as nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO), nonylphenol diethoxylate (NP2EO), nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP), have been detected in the surface water, sediment, food and groundwater of numerous countries. Because groundwater is the main source of water for pig herds, the aim of this study was to measure the concentrations of APEO derivatives...

Due to inaccessibility of potable water, rural communities drill boreholes within their homesteads despite vulnerability to groundwater contamination and associated health risks. This study assessed the quality of groundwater, identified potential sources of contamination and potential human health risks in Siloam Village, South Africa. Statistical difference between similar water quality param...

BACKGROUND Nuts are one of the main consumed snacks worldwide and a significant component of Iranian's diet. Natural contamination of nuts with fungus is unavoidable and is a major challenge to nuts safety and quality. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this research was to study fungal contamination in commercially available nuts (pistachios, walnuts and peanuts) in the markets of Tabriz, Iran. MAT...

One hundred and eighteen oyster samples collected from local markets and oyster farms in southern Thailand were examined for noroviruses (NoVs) and bacterial indicators of fecal contamination (fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli). Using a virus concentration procedure followed by RT-nested PCR, NoVs were detected in 38% of the samples. Oysters collected from oyster farms were found with NoVs a...

Accidental or intentional drinking water contamination has long been and remains a major threat to water security throughout the world. An inverse problem can be constructed, given sensor measurements in a water distribution system (WDS), to identify the contaminant source characteristics by integrating a WDS simulation model with an optimization method. However, this approach requires numerous...

Surface and groundwater contamination with fecal pathogens is a public health concern especially in low-income settings where these sources are used untreated. We modeled observed Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination in community ponds (n = 94; 79% contaminated), deep tubewells (DTWs) (n = 107; 17%), and shallow tubewells (STWs) (n = 96; 19%) during the 2012 and 2013 monsoon seasons (June-...

The wave function usually employed in quantum Monte Carlo ~QMC! electronic structure calculations is the product of a Jastrow factor and a sum of products of up-spin and down-spin determinants. Typically, a different Jastrow factor is used for paralleland antiparallel-spin electrons in order to satisfy the cusp conditions and thereby ensure that the local energy at electron– electron coincidenc...

Infectious complications of open fractures continue to be a significant factor contributing to non-osseous union and extremity amputation. The persistence of bacteria within biofilms despite meticulous debridement and antibiotic therapy is believed to be a major cause of chronic infection. Considering the difficulties in treating biofilm-associated infections, the use of biofilm dispersal agent...

BACKGROUND The explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was one of the greatest known nuclear disasters of the 20th century. To reduce individual exposure to ionizing radiation the Soviet Union government introduced a number of counter-measures. This article presents a description of how historical events conspired to disrupt these efforts and affect residents in exposed areas. METHODS ...