Biofilm-associated infections in wounds or on implants are difficult to treat. Eradication of the bacteria is nearly always impossible, despite the use of specific antibiotics. The bactericidal effects of high-energy extracorporeal shock waves on Staphylococcus aureus have been reported, but the effect of low-energy shock waves on staphylococci and staphylococcal biofilms has not been investiga...

new units are shipped every year. The impact of this new rule would effectively double the price of purchasing a new washer and eliminate consumer choice through a defacto mandate of side-loading washers. Many have argued that the proposed standards for clothes washers could be met with conventional toploading designs, but the reality is that a sideloading washer design is the only means of ach...

detailed in Table 1. The washers are used to center and space lenses inside the eyepiece body. The washers provide a useful range of dimensions for accommodating different size lenses. The elastic rings are slightly oversized, and are used to snugly hold the optics inside the eyepiece body. The elastic rings (which can be inserted and removed) allow for fast design changes and quick experiments...

This investigation was undertaken primarily to examine the possibility of hearing damage from industrial ultrasonic equipment. In the factory concerned, ultrasonic washers and drills were used at a number of different locations, and girls working 12 ft (3.6 m.) away from one bank of three small washers complained of unpleasant subjective effects which included fatigue, persistent headaches, nau...

The Energy Star program is the most prominent energy efficiency policy in the United States. Using data on residential clothes washers, we examine the price premium for the Energy Star label. A standard hedonic analysis reveals a number of confounding factors, including a large price premium for front loading washers. A regression discontinuity design reveals no significant price premium. Addit...

This paper describes a household production model in which energy efficient durable goods cost less to operate so households may use them more. The model is estimated using householdlevel data from a field trial in which participants received high-efficiency clothes washers free of charge. The estimation strategy exploits this quasi-random replacement of washers to derive precise estimates of t...

The purpose of this Technology Profile is to provide summary information about enclosed spray gun washers that use alternative cleaners in order to raise awareness of their potential to reduce hazardous chemical use and the generation of hazardous waste and air emissions. This profile focuses on the potential benefits of enclosed spray gun washers using alternative cleaners when compared to tra...

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest that humans can acquire immunity to reinfection with schistosomes, most probably due to immunologic mechanisms acquired after exposure to dying schistosome worms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We followed longitudinally two cohorts of adult males occupationally exposed to Schistosoma mansoni by washing cars (120 men) or harvesting sand (53 men) in Lake Vic...