Main Safety Problems Research Articles

Evaluation of shelf life and technological properties of bread elaborated with lactic acid bacteria fermented whey as a bio-preservation ingredient

Nowadays, food lost by fungal contamination is one of the main safety problems for the bakery industry. As the consumer is rejecting the use of regular food additives new methods are being investigated. One of the more promising alternatives is the use of microorganism in the preservation of food, bio-preservation. In this article the ability of a lactic acid bacteria fermented whey was assessed as bio-preservative ingredient to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. in bread. The rheological, mechanical and antifungal properties of 3 different concentrations of this ingredient were studied. Results evidence that the addition lactic acid bacteria fermented whey in a of a 5% concentration did not modify drastically the quality of the bread, increased the occurrence of antifungal metabolites such as lactic acid and phenyllactic acid and managed to extend the shelf life from bread contaminated with Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium verrucosum and significantly reduced the fungal population of Penicillium verrucosum in the bread after 7 days in comparation to a regular bread.

Detoxification of cardiotoxic traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine for prevention of cardiotoxicity: a review

Cardiotoxicity is smong the main safety problems of drugs in clinical application. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine has been gradually emphasized and studies on the evaluation of cardiac safety and prevention of cardiotoxicity of Chinese medicine have been on the rise, particularly the cardiotoxic Chinese medicine or the Chinese medicine components targeting cardiotoxicity. As for the research methods for cardiac safety evaluation of Chinese medicine, this review introduces the related clinical indexes and cell and animal models. As to the improvement of heart safety, this study reviews the material basis and mechanism of cardiotoxic Chinese medicines as well as the alleviation of cardiotoxicity by controlling the content of toxic compounds and changing dosage form, processing method, and compatibility of Chinese medicine. In addition, the effective components and mechanisms of prescriptions and active compounds in Chinese medicine for preventing and treating cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic drugs in recent years were summarized. This review is expected to serve as a reference for cardiac safety evaluation and clinical rational application of Chinese medicine.

Health Workers Compliance Towards Infection Prevention and Control in Indonesia

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are main safety problems for health care providersand patients.Objectives: To identifyfactors related to the compliance of health workers in implementing infectionprevention and control in the district general hospital.Study Method: This study is quantitative research using a correlational design with a cross sectionalapproach study. All included people in this study are all health workers who provide direct healthcareservices to patients and work in the district general hospital, which amounts to a total of 148 people,consisting of 93 nurses, 41 midwives and 14 doctors, the sample is the entire population of healthworkers working in the district general hospital.Result: There is no significant relationship between age and gender with compliance by health workersin implementing infection prevention and control (p>0,05), there is a significant relationship betweeneducation, employee status, training, years of experience, training, knowledge, attitude, and rewardwith compliance by health workers in implementing prevention and control on infections in the ward,emergency room, ICU, NICU and delivery room at the district general hospital in 2021 (p≤0,05).Conclusion: The most dominant factors that influence compliance by health workers in implementinginfection prevention and control are reward variables.

Investigation on the suppression characteristic of deoxidization gel foam on coal spontaneous combustion

SummaryMine fire caused by coal spontaneous combustion is one of the main safety problems in mining. For the purpose of developing a more effective inhibitor to suppress the coal spontaneous combustion, a compound deoxidization gel foam inhibitor was proposed by combining sodium dithionite deoxidizer with gel foam. An experimental platform was self‐built to evaluate the suppression characteristic of deoxidization gel foam. Experimental results showed that the deoxidization gel foam reduced the oxygen concentration to below 14% within 180 minutes. STA‐FTIR test indicated that the deoxidization gel foam raised the active temperature from 250.57°C to 275.18°C and reduced CO2 absorption peak from 0.2926 to 0.2201 at the reaction temperature 20°C. The activation energy was also increased from 85.69 to 95.59 kJ·mol−1 in thermal decomposition combustion that exhibited an excellent flame‐retardant efficacy on the coal, especially at the low temperature stage. CH3 and CH2 were reduced by 56.86% and 47.17% processed by deoxidization gel foam. Meanwhile, the significant reduction in the content of reductive functional groups indicated that the new inhibitor had a strong suppression capacity for coal spontaneous combustion. Based on above research, it is believed that this study will lay an important foundation in the widespread application of deoxidization gel foam technology for coal spontaneous combustion prevention in underground mines.

Thermal and kinetic analyzing of pyrolysis and combustion of self-heating biomass particles

As a renewable fuel, the application of biomass fuel gets more and more attention. Fire and explosion are the main safety problems in the biomass fuel storage process. The characteristic parameters and kinetic analysis of pyrolysis and combustion are significant to guide the safe storage of biomass fuel. In this work, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to obtain the pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of corn straw powder, poplar wood chip and rice husk in nitrogen and air, respectively. The Thermogravimetry-Differential Thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) profile shows that the pyrolysis process of these biomass includes three stages of drying, pyrolysis and carbonization, while the combustion process includes three stages of drying, devolatilization and coke combustion. The main reaction stage of biomass pyrolysis and combustion are roughly between 170∼400 °C and 180∼530 °C, respectively. With the increase of the heating rate, TG and DTG profiles shifts to the high temperature side. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis was performed by using Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Friedman, and Coats-Redfern (CR) methods, based on the thermogravimetric experimental data. The activation energy of biomass pyrolysis is shown to be between 70∼100 kJ/mol. For the activation energy of biomass combustion, the calculated value from isoconversional methods is between 140∼180 kJ/mol. The calculated value from CR method is between 80∼150 kJ/mol, and the activation energy of the coke combustion stage is greater than that of the devolatilization stage. Finally, the auto-ignition experiment of biomass particles was designed and conducted, indicating that the corn straw powder is more prone to spontaneous combustion, followed by rice husk and poplar wood chip, which corresponds to the results of activation energy. And the fire hazard of the biomass particles was analyzed according to the characteristic parameters. This work provides fundamental data to promote the development of storage techniques and facilitate the safe production of biomass particles.

Оценка безопасности металлизации деталей машин CVD-методом с применением теории риска

The use of wear-resistant coatings for strengthening parts under conditions of abrasive and corrosion-mechanical wear is one of the important areas of research on increasing the service life of the machines. Recently, CVD-method of organometallic carbonyl compounds is of great interest, the use of which allows to obtain high-quality coatings and films on the parts with various configurations and chemical composition. CVD-method consists in the evaporation (sublimation) of an organometallic compound in the reaction chamber, and metal deposition on the parts heated to the decomposition temperature of the initial reagent. The main safety problems in the implementation of CVD-method in the industrial conditions are associated with the potential risk of air pollution in the working area with toxic chemicals (starting reagents, auxiliary substances, products of chemical vapor deposition of the organometallic compounds). Toxic compounds can enter the air of the working area during depressurization of the reaction chamber when the faulty equipment is in operation. This can be attributed to the category of emergency situations at the facility, which determines the need for an emergency risk analysis procedure: identifying the conditions for the occurrence and development of a hazardous situation, assessing the risk of emergencies at the metallization site. The results of the application of the method of hazard analysis and the operability of the installation for applying wear-resistant chromium coatings on the precision parts of hydraulic systems by CVD-method of chromium hexacarbonyl are presented. Based on these results, the influence of deviations of the technological parameters metallization from the standard conditions on the possibility of a hazard is assessed in the article. When developing a metallization technology and introducing it at the enterprises, it is required to substantiate safety of all the elements of the production system (raw materials, auxiliary materials, equipment, commercial product) for human health and the environment. Increase of industrial safety in the metallization process is achieved through the automation, equipping the installation for applying metal coatings with the interlock and alarm systems.

Multiplex Ventilation: Solutions for Four Main Safety Problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for mechanical ventilators and concerns of a ventilator shortage. Several groups have advocated for 1 ventilator to ventilate 2 or more patients in the event of such a shortage. However, differences in patient lung mechanics could make sharing a ventilator detrimental to both patients. Our previous study indicated failure to ventilate in 67% of simulations. The safety problems that must be solved include individual control of tidal volume (VT), individual measurement of VT, individualization of PEEP settings, and individual PEEP measurement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential solutions developed at our institution. Two separate lung simulators were ventilated with a modified multiplex circuit using pressure control ventilation. Parameters of the lung models used for simulations (resistance and compliance) were evidence-based from published studies. Individual circuit-modification devices were first evaluated for accuracy. Devices were an adjustable flow diverter valve, a prototype dual volume display, a PEEP valve, and a disposable PEEP display. Then the full modified multiplex circuit was assessed by ventilating 6 pairs of simulated patients with different lung models and attempting to equalize ventilation. Ventilation was considered equalized when VT and end-expiratory lung volume were within 10% for each simulation. The adjustable flow diverter valve allowed volume adjustment to 1 patient without affecting the other. The average error of the dual volume display was -17%. The PEEP valves individualized PEEP, but the PEEP gauge error ranged from 17% to 41%. Using the multiplex circuit, ventilation was equalized regardless of differences in resistance or compliance, reversing the "failure modes" of our previous study. The results of this simulation-based study indicate that devices for individual control and display of VT and PEEP are effective in extending the usability and potential patient safety of multiplex ventilation.

Validity and Reliability of the Emergency Severity Index in a Spanish Hospital.

Saturation in hospital emergency departments is one of the main safety problems for the patient, which can generate negative consequences for their health. In response to this issue, triage systems are developed to organize the flow of patients in order to allow the most urgent ones to be treated first. The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is the most used triage system in the USA and it has been implemented in the General Hospital of La Palma since 2010. The objective of this study is the validation of the ESI adapted to our hospital through the study of its degree of reliability, as well as the criterion validity. The sample consisted of 240 randomly selected cases, with proportional representation of emergencies attended in 2015 and their fraction of urgent ones (Levels 1 and 2). Criterion validity was estimated by sensitivity, specificity, and predictive result values. For reliability, the degree of agreement among the nurses was studied by means of the adapted kappa index kc2. Criterion validity showed a sensitivity of 89% (85–93%) and a specificity of 97% (94–99%), with a positive predictive value of 68% (62–74%) and a negative predictive value of 99% (98–100%) for the discrimination of urgent cases. The reliability analysis showed a kc2 = 0.94 (0.84–0.99) index, a very good agreement according to Landis-Koch criteria. The results of our study have shown adequate validity and reliability in the adaptation and implementation of an ESI triage system suited to the specific conditions of a hospital emergency service in Spain.

A Comparative Study of LSTM and Phased LSTM for Gait Prediction

With an aging population that continues to grow, the protection and assistance of the older persons has become a very important issue. Fallsare the main safety problems of the elderly people, so it is very important to predict the falls. In this paper, a gait prediction method is proposed based on two kinds of LSTM. Firstly, the lumbar posture of the human body is measured by the acceleration gyroscope as the gait feature, and then the gait is predicted by the LSTM network. The experimental results show that the RMSE between the gait trend predicted by the method and the actual gait trend can be reached a level of 0.06 ± 0.01. And the Phased LSTM has a shorter training time. The proposed method can predict the gait trend well.

Assessment of Influence of Meteorological Parameters on the Risk of Accidents on Roads Outside Settlements

Road traffic accidents, especially occurring on road sections outside of populated areas, are characterized by high severity of consequences and, therefore, are one of the main safety problems of the technosphere. Studies of many authors confirm the importance of the influence of meteorological parameters on the accident rate. However, most results don’t contain quantitative data demonstrating how risk of occurring a car accident depends on weather conditions. Research of this article assesses the impact of five main meteorological parameters on the accident rate using as example one of the Russian Federal roads. Nonlinear dependences of weather conditions and road accident risk were obtained by means of calculation of frequencies. The results are presented in the form of graphical dependencies. As a result of approximation there were found formulas that describe the relationship between values of meteorological parameters and the variation of a car accident risk. According to probability theory, the mathematical model can be based on the multiplication of risks caused by each meteorological parameter.

Experimental Investigation on Influence Factors of Acoustic Emission Activity in Coal Failure Process

Stress-dominated coal and gas outburst disaster has become one of the main safety problems in deep coal mines. Acoustic emission (AE) or microseismic technology has been viewed as a promising method that can effectively reflect the stress and stability status of rock mass. The AE activity precursor of coal failure is the theoretical basis of this technology. In this study, AE experiments in failure process of coal specimens with different properties and under different stress conditions were performed in laboratory to explore influence factors and their effect of AE activity, and AE activity pattern classification was proposed based on the failure type of coal. The results indicate that the AE activity of different coals under loading are associated with the failure phase, and the evolution pattern of AE activity depends on the failure type of stressed coal. Both the mechanical property and the external stress condition have an important influential effect on the failure type and AE activity pattern in coal failure process. The internal mechanical property decides the inherent tendency of stressed coals to perform brittle or ductile behavior, and the responded AE activity pattern. The contrast of fissure distribution of specimens suggested that fissure structure in coal significantly affects the fracturing mode of coal in uniaxial compression and the AE activity pattern. The external stress condition has a transition effect on AE event energy distribution and AE activity pattern. Under the effect of external stress condition, the energy distribution of AE events was transforming between relative disperse and relative concentration, the failure type and AE activity evolution pattern of coal could appear the brittle-ductile transition. Based on the view of failure type, the pattern of AE activity of coal failure can be classified into three types, i.e., ductile, brittle, and semi-brittle pattern. It is suggested that the high-level AE activity can be viewed as the precursor of brittle instability of coal, and relative quiet phenomenon of AE activity as the precursor of ductile or semi-brittle instability. The research achievement can provide a theoretical base for the prewarning criteria establishment of coal and rock dynamic disasters at depth and improve the insight of AE activity in the coal failure process.

Research on Risk Perception and the Influence Factors Analysis of Freshwater Edible Fish

This paper studied 192 consumers' risk perception of freshwater fish and its influencing factors with Probit regression method based on the survey of Yangzhou city in Jiangsu province. Results showed that nearly 40% of consumers have a higher risk perception for the quality safety of freshwater fish and think that environmental hormone residues and antibiotic residues are main safety problems of freshwater fish. According to the influencing degree, the factors influencing consumer's risk perception of freshwater fish are food safety concern, food safety situation, consumers' gender, knowledge of freshwater fish, the concept of healthy diet, the purchase experience, kids under the age of 18, education and price of freshwater fish in sequence.

An examination of the national road-safety programs in the ten world’s leading countries in road safety

This study examined the national road safety programs carried out by the ten world’s leading countries in road safety, aiming to identify the most effective interventions that contributed to safety progress in those countries and to consider the possibilities of their application in Israel. The best-performing countries were selected from European and other developed countries, using general safety indicators and the rate of road safety improvement achieved recently. The program documents and related reports published in the countries were screened aiming to sum up safety problems in the countries examined, safety interventions recommended for implementation by the countries’ programs and evidence of the efficiency of those interventions. Detailed classifications of safety problems and measures/interventions implemented by the countries’ programs were produced. Evidence of the efficiency of safety interventions was collected in terms of associated accident reductions and the scope of measures’ implementation during the program’s performance. The study demonstrated a high similarity of main safety problems characteristic for the majority of leading countries, and for Israel. Thus, the summaries of safety interventions adopted by those countries were applicable for addressing similar problems in local conditions. Most safety interventions associated with the countries’ safety progress over the last decade came from the well-recognized areas of infrastructure and enforcement, whereas for some common safety problems, e.g. motorcyclist injury, driving fatigue, elderly vulnerability, prominent solutions are lacking. The research findings can serve as a basis for developing a new national program for promoting road safety in a country.

Safety Evaluation and Countermeasure Research on Fringe Area

Noting that road structure and traffic condition in urban and rural area are clearly different from urban roads and highways, this article points out the main safety problems existing in fringe area through analysis of road traffic conditions, transportation characteristics and characteristics of different accidents in urban and rural existence, and as well puts forward the countermeasures from two aspects, namely traffic planning and management, to solve the problems of Chongqing fringe traffic.