Definitive Source Research Articles

Unusual Legionnaires' outbreak in cool, dry Western Canada: an investigation using genomic epidemiology.

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease occurred in an inner city district in Calgary, Canada. This outbreak spanned a 3-week period in November-December 2012, and a total of eight cases were identified. Four of these cases were critically ill requiring intensive care admission but there was no associated mortality. All cases tested positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1) by urinary antigen testing. Five of the eight patients were culture positive for LP1 from respiratory specimens. These isolates were further identified as Knoxville monoclonal subtype and sequence subtype ST222. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the isolates differed by no more than a single vertically acquired single nucleotide variant, supporting a single point-source outbreak. Hypothesis-based environmental investigation and sampling was conducted; however, a definitive source was not identified. Geomapping of case movements within the affected urban sector revealed a 1·0 km common area of potential exposure, which coincided with multiple active construction sites that used water spray to minimize transient dust. This community point-source Legionnaires' disease outbreak is unique due to its ST222 subtype and occurrence in a relatively dry and cold weather setting in Western Canada. This report suggests community outbreaks of Legionella should not be overlooked as a possibility during late autumn and winter months in the Northern Hemisphere.

Differences in reported sepsis incidence according to study design: a literature review.

BackgroundSepsis and severe sepsis are common conditions in hospital settings, and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, but reported incidences vary considerably. In this literature review, we describe the variation in reported population-based incidences of sepsis and severe sepsis. We also examine methodological and demographic differences between studies that may explain this variation.MethodsWe carried out a literature review searching three major databases and reference lists of relevant articles, to identify all original studies reporting the incidence of sepsis or severe sepsis in the general population. Two authors independently assessed all articles, and the final decision to exclude an article was reached by consensus. We extracted data according to predetermined variables, including study country, sepsis definition, and data source. We then calculated descriptive statistics for the reported incidences of sepsis and severe sepsis. The studies were classified according to the method used to identify cases of sepsis or severe sepsis: chart-based (i.e. review of patient charts) or code-based (i.e. predetermined International Classification of Diseases [ICD] codes).ResultsAmong 482 articles initially screened, we identified 23 primary publications reporting incidence of sepsis and/or severe sepsis in the general population. The reported incidences ranged from 74 to 1180 per 100,000 person-years and 3 to 1074 per 100,000 person-years for sepsis and severe sepsis, respectively. Most chart-based studies used the Bone criteria (or a modification hereof) and Protein C Worldwide Evaluation in Severe Sepsis (PROWESS) study criteria to identify cases of sepsis and severe sepsis. Most code-based studies used ICD-9 codes, but the number of codes used ranged from 1 to more than 1200. We found that the incidence varied according to how sepsis was identified (chart-based vs. code-based), calendar year, data source, and world region.ConclusionThe reported incidences of sepsis and severe sepsis in the general population varied greatly between studies. Such differences may be attributable to differences in the methods used to collect the data, the study period, or the world region where the study was undertaken. This finding highlights the importance of standardised definitions and acquisition of data regarding sepsis and severe sepsis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12874-016-0237-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

'Everyone here wants everyone else to get better': The role of social identity in eating disorder recovery.

Retention of a positively valued illness identity contributes to poor outcomes for individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Consequently, dis-identification from the illness identity and the adoption of a recovery identity are vital for successful recovery. While social identity processes have been shown to influence ED maintenance, their role in recovery is rarely considered. This study explores how a sense of shared identity helps individuals with EDs manage their condition and promotes recovery. Transcripts from 18 online support sessions involving 75 participants were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that the illness identity initially operates as a social identity that forms the basis for connections with similar others. For those wishing to recover, identity-based support is then perceived to be more effective than that found outside the group. Online interactions also facilitate construction of a new shared recovery identity which promotes a shift from the illness identity as a primary source of definition and endorses group norms of illness disclosure and treatment engagement. While in the clinical literature, ED identity is seen as problematic and interventions are targeted at challenging an individual's self-concept, we suggest that interventions could instead harness identity resources to support a transition to a recovery identity.

Definitive superparamagnetic source identification through spatial, temporal, and amplitude analysis of airborne electromagnetic data

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to add confidence to existing methods using decay shape analysis to detect superparamagnetic responses in airborne electromagnetic data. While expensive to acquire, vertical spatial gradient measurements of the electromagnetic signals can discriminate near‐surface superparamagnetic sources. This research investigated the use of horizontal spatial gradients and amplitude information as further indicators of superparamagnetic. High horizontal gradients were shown both theoretically and in field data to help discriminate superparamagnetic from deep mineral targets. Further, superparamagnetic responses have characteristically small amplitudes inconsistent with realistic mineral exploration targets at shallow depths.

Authority and the production of archaeological knowledge

The discipline of archaeology is founded upon the interaction of various practices, in the network of individuals and institutions, jointly shaping and formulating the explanations of the past. The registered sites and material remains represent the places where undefined layers and physical structures are converted from heaps of dirt and discarded material into the knowledge of the past. From the perspective of production of knowledge and construction of facts about the times past, the archaeological excavations are not only a process of research. The production of archaeological knowledge, in the field and beyond, always takes place under specific circumstances, including not only the relations among professionals and institutions, but also the relations between material remains and the individuals “discovering” them and translating them into interpretations. Metaphorically speaking, in the complex relationship between archaeologists and material culture, an individual in the process of creating the knowledge of an object creates his/her own professional identity, while an object creates an archaeologist in the process of identification. The final outcome presents a chosen and formulated explanation about the past, stemming from a specific logic of disciplinary practice. However, the question arises: what or who decides which interpretations are more valid than the others, and who is in the position to declare an authentic interpretation of the excavated material. Thus the discussion enters the field of problematizing the concept of authority and its role in the production of archaeological knowledge. The analyses show that authority should not be understood as a definite source, periodically appearing and disappearing, but rather as an achievement of social and cultural interactions and changes. The theoretical grounds for the research of authority is formulated based upon Foucault's interpretation of relation between power and knowledge. The axis for identification of authority in disciplinary practices is determined by the chosen categories of executive, epistemic, and intellectual authority, coupled with archaeological ethnography. The suggested development of the theoretical framework is aimed to secure the tools for considering the shapes and sources of authority in archaeology and its role in the production of archaeological knowledge of the past.

The epidemiology, healthcare and societal burden and costs of asthma in the UK and its member nations: analyses of standalone and linked national databases.

BackgroundThere are a lack of reliable data on the epidemiology and associated burden and costs of asthma. We sought to provide the first UK-wide estimates of the epidemiology, healthcare utilisation and costs of asthma.MethodsWe obtained and analysed asthma-relevant data from 27 datasets: these comprised national health surveys for 2010–11, and routine administrative, health and social care datasets for 2011–12; 2011–12 costs were estimated in pounds sterling using economic modelling.ResultsThe prevalence of asthma depended on the definition and data source used. The UK lifetime prevalence of patient-reported symptoms suggestive of asthma was 29.5 % (95 % CI, 27.7–31.3; n = 18.5 million (m) people) and 15.6 % (14.3–16.9, n = 9.8 m) for patient-reported clinician-diagnosed asthma. The annual prevalence of patient-reported clinician-diagnosed-and-treated asthma was 9.6 % (8.9–10.3, n = 6.0 m) and of clinician-reported, diagnosed-and-treated asthma 5.7 % (5.7–5.7; n = 3.6 m). Asthma resulted in at least 6.3 m primary care consultations, 93,000 hospital in-patient episodes, 1800 intensive-care unit episodes and 36,800 disability living allowance claims. The costs of asthma were estimated at least £1.1 billion: 74 % of these costs were for provision of primary care services (60 % prescribing, 14 % consultations), 13 % for disability claims, and 12 % for hospital care. There were 1160 asthma deaths.ConclusionsAsthma is very common and is responsible for considerable morbidity, healthcare utilisation and financial costs to the UK public sector. Greater policy focus on primary care provision is needed to reduce the risk of asthma exacerbations, hospitalisations and deaths, and reduce costs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-016-0657-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Rewriting the body: A critique of current readings of gender and identity in Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body

Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body ([1992] 2001. London:Vintage) attempts to liberate identity and sexuality from binary imposition and essentialist categorizations through its use of a narrator who is not gender-bound. However, there is a tendency in some of the critical responses to the novel to interpret the narrator as a masculine force dominating and objectifying his/her submissive and powerless lover, Louise. This imposes essentialist distinctions on a text that seeks precisely to reject such classification. Against such reductive readings, I will argue for a reconsideration of the power dynamics at play in the relationship between Louise and the narrator, one which will seek to undermine critically the too easy imposition of a dominance/ submission binary. The article will consider how the way in which the narrator’s identity is constructed renders him/her inherently dependent on external sources for definition – it is arguably the dependency and uncertainty characterizing this identity that makes him/her vulnerable to the kind of reductive essentialist classification that the article opposes. I will also reinterpret the narrator’s depiction of Louise’s body in an attempt to counter the discourse that presents this depiction in terms of objectification and domination. Rather than the more common interpretive images of colonization and invasion, my alternative interpretation of the construction of Louise’s body will be conducted according to two sustained motifs: the lover as nourishment, and Louise’s body as a yonic vessel or shelter.

Definition sources of error prediction for unauthorized access to information networks of the state

This article examines and identifies the sources of error prediction of unauthorized access to the information networks of the state. It is proved that one of the sources of errors in terms of monitored parameters is the error’s value change interval of the observed realization of a random process along with the changes in the state within network time. This source of error can be determined if a solution to prediction problem is found in general. Assuming that the length of the implementation is quite accurate and its extrapolation is carried out without errors, the method of solving the equation is considered as the only source of error. Sources of errors arising in the first stage (the extrapolation step), in turn, can be divided into two groups. The first group is connected with the functional value, namely the imperfection of the object model, the incompleteness or inaccuracy of the quantitative characteristics describing the objective relations within the researched process. The second group of errors arises at the extrapolation step, and occurs even when the functional extrapolation is quite accurate as well as the output section of realization is observed without errors. Thus, a stochastic nature of the problem is the cause of these errors. The analysis identifies the key potential problems that should be solved in order to ensure the high reliability of the forecast that in turn, can be used to enhance prediction of unauthorized access to the information networks of the state.

The Conceptual mind: new directions in the study of concepts

The study of concepts has advanced dramatically in recent years, with exciting new findings and theoretical developments. Core concepts have been investigated in greater depth and new lines of inquiry have blossomed, with researchers from an ever broader range of disciplines making important contributions. In this volume, leading philosophers and cognitive scientists offer original essays that present the state-of-the-art in the study of concepts. These essays, all commissioned for this book, do not merely present the usual surveys and overviews; rather, they offer the latest work on concepts by a diverse group of theorists as well as discussions of the ideas that should guide research over the next decade. The book is an essential companion volume to the earlier Concepts: Core Readings, the definitive source for classic texts on the nature of concepts. The essays cover concepts as they relate to animal cognition, the brain, evolution, perception, and language, concepts across cultures, concept acquisition and conceptual change, concepts and normativity, concepts in context, and conceptual individuation. The contributors include such prominent scholars as Susan Carey, Nicola Clayton, Jerry Fodor, Douglas Medin, Joshua Tenenbaum, and Anna Wierzbicka. ContributorsAurore Avargues-Weber, Eef Ameel, Megan Bang, H. Clark Barrett, Pascal Boyer, Elisabeth Camp, Susan Carey, Daniel Casasanto, Nicola S. Clayton, Dorothy L. Cheney, Vyvyan Evans, Jerry A. Fodor, Silvia Gennari, Tobias Gerstenberg, Martin Giurfa, Noah D. Goodman, J. Kiley Hamlin, James A. Hampton, Mutsumi Imai, Charles W. Kalish, Frank Keil, Jonathan Kominsky, Stephen Laurence, Gary Lupyan, Edouard Machery, Bradford Z. Mahon, Asifa Majid, Barbara C. Malt, Eric Margolis, Douglas Medin, Nancy J. Nersessian, bethany ojalehto, Anna Papafragou, Joshua M. Plotnik, Noburo Saji, Robert M. Seyfarth, Joshua B. Tenenbaum, Sandra Waxman, Daniel A. Weiskopf, Anna Wierzbicka

Child Prodigy, Pioneer Scientist, and Women and Civil Rights Advocate: Dr. Margaret James Strickland Collins (1922–1996)

Abstract Often legends go unrecognized for their achievements in science and the betterment of society. In the case of Margaret Collins, it has been almost 20 years since her passing, and except for appreciation by a small cadre of termite experts, her contributions to entomology have received scant notice. However, her work and legacy have stood the test of time, and even today, she is considered, and often cited as, the definitive source for differences in toleration and resistance to drying among species of termites. At her core, Margaret was a field biologist, and she demonstrated it through her travels and termite collection trips to a dozen countries. Her long and illustrious career included publishing of scientific papers, tenured faculty positions, and service as a curator of the termite collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, District of Columbia. Margaret achieved many firsts during her life. She was the first African American female to be aw...

Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Useful in Insulin Production - Another Opportunity in Cell Therapy.

Background and ObjectivesType 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disorder resulting out of T cell mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells. Immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells may help to regenerate beta cells and/or prevent further destruction of remnant, unaffected beta cells in diabetes. We have assessed the ability of umbilical cord derived MSCs (UCMSCs) to differentiate into functional islet cells in vitro.Methods and ResultsWe have isolated UCMSCs and allowed sequential exposure of various inducing agents and growth factors. We characterized these cells for confirmation of the presence of islet cell markers and their functionality. The spindle shaped undifferentiated UCMSCs, change their morphology to become triangular in shape. These cells then come together to form the islet like structures which then grow in size and mature over time. These cells express pancreatic and duodenal homeobox −1 (PDX-1), neurogenin 3 (Ngn-3), glucose transporter 2 (Glut 2) and other pancreatic cell markers like glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide and lose expression of MSC markers like CD73 and CD105. They were functionally active as demonstrated by release of physiological insulin and C-peptide in response to elevated glucose concentrations.ConclusionsPancreatic islet like cells with desired functionality can thus be obtained in reasonable numbers from undifferentiated UCMSCs invitro. This could help in establishing a “very definitive source” of islet like cells for cell therapy. UCMSCs could thus be a game changer in treatment of diabetes.

Varying Estimates of Sepsis Mortality Using Death Certificates and Administrative Codes--United States, 1999-2014.

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome caused by a dysregulated host response to infection (1). Because there is no confirmatory diagnostic test, the diagnosis of sepsis is based on evidence of infection and clinical judgement. Both death certificates and health services utilization data (administrative claims) have been used to assess sepsis incidence and mortality, but estimates vary depending on the surveillance definition and data source. To highlight the challenges and variability associated with estimating sepsis mortality, CDC compared national estimates of sepsis-related mortality based on death certificates using the CDC WONDER database with published sepsis mortality estimates generated using administrative claims data from hospital discharges reported in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2). During 2004-2009, using data rounded to thousands, the annual range of published sepsis-related mortality estimates based on administrative claims data was 15% to 140% higher (range=168,000-381,000) than annual estimates generated using death certificate data (multiple causes) (range=146,000-159,000). Differences in sepsis-related mortality reported using death certificates and administrative claims data might be explained by limitations inherent in each data source. These findings underscore the need for a reliable sepsis surveillance definition based on objective clinical data to more accurately track national sepsis trends and enable objective assessment of the impact of efforts to increase sepsis awareness and prevention.

Antibacterial activity of marine bacteria associated with sponges from Phu Quoc island in Vietnam

Sponge associated marine microbes recognised as potential candidate for screening and isolation of bioactive compounds. In this work, thirty-one marine bacterial strains associated with seven species of sponges collected from Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam were isolated and screened for antimicrobial activity against selected human and animal pathogens including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio harveyi, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae using agar well diffusion assay. Twenty-six percent of bacterial strains were found to be antibacterial producers and their activities ranged from broad spectral to species specific (P. aeruginosa, E. coli, P. mirabilis, B. cereus, and L. monocytogenes). Out of the 31 marine bacterial strains subjected to preliminary screening for antibacterial activity, 8 isolates exhibited antibacterial activity against at least two tested pathogens, that 55% against P. mirabilis, 22% against P. aeruginosa, 10% against E. coli and 6% against K. pneumoniae, B. cereus and L. monocytogenes. A strain coded 045-203-4 was found to be highly potent and was cultured for further study. The strain produced metabolites with good activity in medium contained yeast extract (0.8% w/v), glucose (0.5%) at pH 7.0 and after incubated shaking for 30 h at 150 rpm. In addition, strain 045-203-4 was analyzed for morphological and physiological characteristics. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of 16s rRNA gene of strain 045-203-4 showed a strong similarity (99%) with that of the 16s rRNA gene of Bacillus subtilis. The present investigation reveals that the marine bacteria isolated from sponges at Phu Quoc Island can be a definite source for novel antibiotics.

An investigation into potential causes of the anomalistic feature observed by the Rosetta Alice spectrograph around 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

The Alice far-ultraviolet spectrograph in operation around the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on the Rosetta spacecraft experiences an anomalistic feature (AF) that is ubiquitous at comet separations less than 450km. This feature is highly temporally variable and displays no relation to any studied parameters with the exception of comet separation. This paper tests several possible causes with simulations and finds that positive ions produce a partial explanation for the anomaly, but still finds no definitive source of the AF.

Technogenic Fallout of Uranium and Thorium in the Vicinity of Novosibirsk (Russia, West Siberia)

Evaluation of the contribution of definite pollution sources among many others is rather complicated scientific challenge, but its solution may become decisive for the realization of measures aimed at ecological remediation of the territories. Element composition of aerosol particles accumulated during winter in the snow cover of Novosibirsk was determined by means of X-ray fluorescence measurements with synchrotron radiation at the “Siberian Synchrotron and Terahertz Radiation Center” based on VEPP-3 of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS. Means of ICP-MS and scanning electron microscopy were used additionally. These studies allowed revealing the contribution of separate industrial enterprises into the general technogenic pollution of the megapolis with uranium and thorium.

Paediatric Urinary Tract Infection: A Hospital Based Experience.

Paediatric Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the commonly encountered entities by paediatricians. Studies have shown easy vulnerability of paediatric urinary tract in any acute febrile illness and a miss in diagnosis could have long term consequences like renal scaring with its adverse effects. Bearing these evidence based preludes in view we designed our study to know the prevalence of UTI in Kashmir province. Aim of the present study was to know the prevalence of UTI in febrile children and to know the sensitivity of different imaging modalities like Renal and Urinary Bladder Ultrasonography (RUS), Voiding Cystourethrography (VCUG) and Dimercaptosuccinic Acid (DMSA) scan in diagnosing UTI. A total of 304 patients, between 2 months to 10 years, with axillary temperature of ≥ 100.4oF (38oC), who did not have a definite source for their fever and who were not on antibiotics were included in the study. Detailed history and through clinical examination was done to rule out any potential or definite focus of infection as per the predesigned proforma. Routine urine examination with culture and sensitivity, followed by RUS and VCUG was done in all patients where routine urine examination was suggestive of UTI. DMSA was done in only culture proven cases after 6 months to document the renal scarring. Out of 304 children, 140 were males and 164 were females, UTI was present in 40 patients who had fever without any apparent cause giving a prevalence of 13.2%. Escherichia coli (E. coli) were the commonest isolated organism, followed by Klebsiella and Citrobacter species. Renal and Urinary Bladder Ultrasonography (RUS) detected Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) in 25% (10/40) while VCUG showed VUR in 55% (22/40) giving a RUS sensitivity of 45% for detecting VUR. DMSA done only after 6 months in UTI diagnosed patients showed a renal scarring in 25% (10/40) patients. Missing a febrile paediatric UTI, can prove a future catastrophe if not timely diagnosed and treated.

Producing Country: The Inside Story of the Great Recordings by Michael Jarrett (review)

Reviewed by: Producing Country: The Inside Story of the Great Recordings by Michael Jarrett Ted Olson PRODUCING COUNTRY: The Inside Story of the Great Recordings. By Michael Jarrett. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. 2014. In the world of country music, past or present, attention has been directed toward the “stars”—the main performers. Relatively few country music fans have ever been able to recount the names and abilities of studio musicians, arrangers, and songwriters, despite the fact that all the latter are essential ingredients in the creation of country music recordings. Even more overlooked have been the producers—those people whose exact contributions to the sound of country recordings are, from the public’s perspective, hard to gauge. Of course, producers have been central to the realization of country music recordings (though their precise roles have changed over the decades). In recent years, producers have not only served as intermediaries between record companies and musicians but have also worked to ensure the financial and aesthetic success of recording endeavors. Yet, unlike in pop music where certain producers are household names (George Martin, Jerry Wexler, Rick Hall, Rick Rubin, among others), few producers in country music have been widely acknowledged for their success in that role (Owen Bradley and Billy Sherrill, for instance, have never gotten broad public recognition for revolutionizing the sound of country music in the 1960s and 1970s, while Chet Atkins is primarily remembered today not for his production leadership, but for his own studio work on guitar). Michael Jarrett’s book Producing Country goes a long way toward correcting such oversight. Taking a fascinating approach to illustrating the thinking and actions undertaken by people assigned to produce country music recordings, the author presents transcribed texts of numerous interviews he conducted with various producers. These producers’ reflections—the interviews as presented in this book are too fragmentary to be considered oral histories—are generally insightful and are occasionally revelatory (such as producer William McEuen’s setting the record straight about the process of recording the groundbreaking 1972 multi-artist album Will The Circle Be Unbroken). Jarrett clearly knows how to talk with (and listen to) people who are at the same time powerful within their industry and yet misunderstood. (While Jarrett earned the cooperation of many of the bigger names in country music production, perhaps inevitably some significant still-living country music producers, such as the elusive Sherrill, were not interviewed for the book.) Unfortunately, despite being an engaging read, Jarrett’s book does not provide sufficient context or analysis to fully encompass this rich, rarely explored terrain. To be sure, the author provided a few short “interludes” that attempt to define and outline the complexities of production work, but the reader longs for a broader, more balanced perspective. Confusingly, Producing Country includes interviews of talented producers whose work is hardly central to understanding country music as that genre has been defined historically (for instance, the text discusses the making of recordings by bluesman Robert Johnson, soulmen Joe Tex, Otis Redding, and Al Green, pop crooner Jennifer Warnes, and alternative rockers Blue Mountain). In another problematical editorial decision the book features—adjacent to discussions about specific recordings—thumbnail images of album covers where readers can locate the recordings under discussion. However, in several cases those albums do not represent the definitive source of the recordings discussed in the book (as one example from Chapter 1, Jarrett illustrates interview snippets about producer Ralph Peer’s 1927 recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee, with an image of a cherry-picked single CD overview of those sessions, ignoring the definitive scholarly edition from Bear Family Records that contains the complete Bristol sessions). For its part, Jarrett’s book features an inspired, subtly striking cover image based on a 1978 black-and-white photograph of Tompall Glaser (in which the “outlaw country” [End Page 161] artist and producer is reaching across a studio mixing board to adjust a sound knob). As if to dramatize the producer’s role as a mysterious crafter of sound, the book’s designer has colorized Glaser’s body, which is thrusting forward out from the gray-toned background. Despite some shortcomings, Jarrett’s book is valuable because it...

Global Food Safety: Challenges and Recommended Public Health Strategies.

DEAR EDITOR, The contribution of food in human survival and promotion of optimal health is vital, as it not only enables an individual to thrive, but can even be a definitive source of pleasure.[1] From a broader perspective, safe food plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainable development of a nation by augmenting the activities of trade and tourism.[1,2] This can be directly attributed to the globalization which has eventually resulted in the development of a complex and long global food chain.[1,3] The recent estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that in excess of 200 diseases can be caused by consumption of contaminated food or water, which accounts for 2 million deaths every year.[3,4] Even though, it is a very well-known fact that any compromise in food security can result in morbidity, mortality, and even hamper the growth of a nation, yet we have not been successful in ensuring food safety at all possible levels.[1,2] This is because of the existence of multiple challenges, like rapid population growth, lack of comprehensive estimates, absence of integration of food safety with other national policies, climate deterioration, various potential levels for contamination of food, and emergence of antimicrobial resistance.[1,2,3,4] Acknowledging the magnitude of foodborne illnesses, associated mortality, and the importance of food safety, it is high time that policy makers should develop adequate food systems and infrastructures to counter any food safety risks along the entire food chain; facilitate coordination between different sectors for better communication and joint action; plan measures to enable integration of food safety with other food policies and programs; and ensure that the food items that are produced on the domestic scale continue to remain safe on the international scale.[1,3] In fact, everyone involved in the food chain should stick to their role to keep food safe as recommended by WHO.[1,2,3] The WHO aims to not only encourage global prevention of foodborne illnesses but even ensure its prompt detection and development of an effective public health response to counter the public health threats associated with consumption of unsafe food.[1,3] In an attempt to achieve the aim, WHO has decided “Food safety: From farm to plate, make food safe” as the theme for World Health Day 2015.[5] Subsequently, the organization has devised five keys to safer food at home/hotels/markets, and five keys to growing safer fruits and vegetables for those who usually do not have access to food safety education.[5] Furthermore, the WHO is working to release the global burden of foodborne disease so that the overall burden of the problem can be ascertained and at the same time this will allow nations to estimate their own burden of foodborne disease so that resources can be mobilized.[1] To conclude, as food supply chain is not restricted to national borders, it is high time that all the stakeholders should work in collaboration, and thus plan and implement effective steps to ensure the provision of a safe and healthy diet for all.

Design as a Condition for Prosperity in Czech Businesses - A Comparative Study

The purpose of the paper is to comprehensively review the sources of design management, business prosperity and competitiveness. The study shows the current situation in Czech businesses. Furthermore, this paper also attempts to analyze and identify the awareness of companies concerning the relation to design as a condition for business prosperity. The primary aim of the research is to investigate design as a condition of prosperity in Czech businesses. A comprehensive review of the extant literature and journals identified several sources of design approach and various definitions of business prosperity. The research consists of two main parts. Firstly, a method of smart internet questionnaires designed by the author was used. After that, the data were analyzed using mosaic plot and elementary statistics calculations, and seeking mutual dependence, followed by a comparative method. Finally, the findings were processed by comparative study that aims to compare the years 2012 and 2014. The results of the research offer interesting findings. This paper identifies several interesting aspects regarding design within Czech companies, including the mindset of management (the insight gap of Czech businesses regarding design in their business).

Minewater Treatment - Technology, Application and Policy

Minewater Treatment - Technology, Application and Policy, was produced based on the findings of the research to aid in the selection, design and implementation of the most appropriate treatment techniques for particular minewater discharges. Much work has been carried out in recent decades concerning minewater treatment, both in the UK and worldwide. Many different bodies and organizations are involved in developing minewater treatment processes and schemes. Minewater Treatment addresses the need for a single source of state-of-the-art information that draws all the latest research material together. Relevant scientific subject matter is presented in a concise, easily accessible manner to assist with the objective assessment of the progress made to date. Heavily illustrated with many colour photographs, the book allows best use to be made of the collective experience of minewater treatment practitioners throughout the UK, whilst at the same time placing the UK experience within a global context. An invaluable reference work for mining companies, consultants, planning officers, environmental research scientists, environmental agencies, water utilities and regulatory bodies, Minewater Treatment is a definitive source of information on minewater treatment technologies and will help facilitate the selection of the most appropriate technique required to tackle particular minewater discharge problems. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series ISBN: 9781843390046 (Print) ISBN: 9781780402185 (eBook)