12851840
Flood management: prediction of microbial contamination in large-scale floods in urban environments.
With a changing climate and increased urbanisation, the occurrence and the impact of flooding is expected to increase significantly. Floods can bring pathogens into homes and cause lingering damp and microbial growth in buildings, with the level of growth and persistence dependent on the volume and chemical and biological content of the flood water, the properties of the contaminating microbes, and the surrounding environmental conditions, including the restoration time and methods, the heat and moisture transport properties of the envelope design, and the ability of the construction material to sustain the microbial growth. The public health risk will depend on the interaction of these complex processes and the vulnerability and susceptibility of occupants in the affected areas. After the 2007 floods in the UK, the Pitt review noted that there is lack of relevant scientific evidence and consistency with regard to the management and treatment of flooded homes, which not only put the local population at risk but also caused unnecessary delays in the restoration effort. Understanding the drying behaviour of flooded buildings in the UK building stock under different scenarios, and the ability of microbial contaminants to grow, persist, and produce toxins within these buildings can help inform recovery efforts. To contribute to future flood management, this paper proposes the use of building simulations and biological models to predict the risk of microbial contamination in typical UK buildings. We review the state of the art with regard to biological contamination following flooding, relevant building simulation, simulation-linked microbial modelling, and current practical considerations in flood remediation. Using the city of London as an example, a methodology is proposed that uses GIS as a platform to integrate drying models and microbial risk models with the local building stock and flood models. The integrated tool will help local governments, health authorities, insurance companies and residents to better understand, prepare for and manage a large-scale flood in urban environments.
16183837
The modifying effect of the building envelope on population exposure to PM2.5 from outdoor sources
A number of studies have estimated population exposure to PM2.5 by examining modeled or measured outdoor PM2.5 levels. However, few have taken into account the mediating effects of building characteristics on the ingress of PM2.5 from outdoor sources and its impact on population exposure in the indoor domestic environment. This study describes how building simulation can be used to determine the indoor concentration of outdoor-sourced pollution for different housing typologies and how the results can be mapped using building stock models and Geographical Information Systems software to demonstrate the modifying effect of dwellings on occupant exposure to PM2.5 across London. Building archetypes broadly representative of those in the Greater London Authority were simulated for pollution infiltration using EnergyPlus. In addition, the influence of occupant behavior on indoor levels of PM2.5 from outdoor sources was examined using a temperature-dependent window-opening scenario. Results demonstrate a range of I/O ratios of PM2.5, with detached and semi-detached dwellings most vulnerable to high levels of infiltration. When the results are mapped, central London shows lower I/O ratios of PM2.5 compared with outer London, an apparent inversion of exposure most likely caused by the prevalence of flats rather than detached or semi-detached properties.
46164621
The rhetoric vs. the reality in child care and protection: ideology and practice in working with fathers.
Within child care and protection, practitioners can be paralysed by a fundamental gap between the rhetoric and the reality in engaging fathers in their children's care. In an earlier paper we argued that there is a lack of an effective framework to guide practice with fathers in child care and protection work. We examined how health visitors and social workers could begin to assess how fathers could be categorized as either (or both) a risk or an asset to the child. Based on a review of the literature we now explore the limitations of current models of practice and trace the theoretical strands that influence them, drawing from the legal framework, attachment theory and models for anti-oppressive practice. We then highlight messages for practice with fathers for health care professionals involved in child protection. The working context for this paper is Scotland, although we believe that the ideas may be extrapolated to other geographical areas.
205914062
Chapter 3. Replication of the hepatitis delta virus RNA genome.
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a subviral agent dependent upon hepatitis B virus (HBV). HDV uses the envelope proteins of HBV to achieve assembly and infection of target cells. Otherwise, the replication of the RNA genome of HDV is totally different from that of its helper virus, and involves redirection of host polymerase activity. This chapter is concerned with recent developments in our understanding of the genome replication process.
25074678
Towards evidence-based general practice in rural and remote Australia: an overview of key issues and a model for practice.
There is an extensive global move towards evidence-based practice intended to increase the quality and effectiveness of health care. However there are barriers and issues when rural general practitioners attempt to incorporate evidence-based medicine in their practice. Key issues affecting the uptake of evidence-based medicine by rural general practitioners include the gaps in the scientific evidence relevant to general practice, time limitations, and the cost of Internet access, geographical isolation from centres of evidence-based practice and limited training opportunities. General practitioner consultations may involve multiple, ill-defined problems and the patients' views about their treatment may conflict with an evidence-based treatment approach. Rural general practitioners may require additional supports to access information from research through Internet-based resources, accessible summaries of evidence or clinical practice guidelines. In addition a model to assist rural general practitioners use evidence-based medicine is suggested. This model may enable the clinical decision-making process to integrate clinical experience, patient preferences and an understanding of the rural context of practice with the best available evidence, to in turn produce best practice.
31432346
Hepatitis delta virus: Cis and Trans functions required for replication
36044044
What does the Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS) measure?
Driving anxiety can have a significant impact on everyday functioning and usually results in some kind of avoidance behaviour. The Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS; Stewart, A. E., & St. Peter, C. C. (2004). Driving and riding avoidance following motor vehicle crashes in a non-clinical sample: psychometric properties of a new measure. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 859-879) shows promise in the self-report assessment of the degree of such avoidance. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the DRAS in a sample of 301 university students. Internal consistency for the DRAS was 0.89 and temporal stability over two months was 0.71. The factor structure of the DRAS supported the use of the general and traffic avoidance subscales but not the weather and riding avoidance subscales in the present non-clinical sample. However, a significant limitation of the DRAS is that it does not assess the reasons for driving avoidance, and is therefore not a measure of avoidance that is due to driving anxiety. Some items may be rated highly for practical reasons, such as avoidance because of increasing fuel and other costs associated with driving. Modified instructions for the DRAS should ensure that it measures anxiety-related avoidance behaviour.