Offensive Smell Research Articles

Cooking Up an Interactive Olfactory Game Display

It's long been possible to give users outside an actual environment that environment's visual and auditory information and thus contribute to establishing presence. However, we've yet to establish much presence when users require olfactory information - such as in environments focused on foods, flowers, perfumes, or, in some cases, more offensive smells. Recently, several VR researchers have become interested in olfaction and olfactory displays that present smells in virtual environments (VEs). In this article, we describe our interactive olfactory display. One of our development goals is to confirm the assumption that users' interactions with the system increases presence. Thus, we used our interactive olfactory display to develop a cooking game in collaboration with electronic engineers and artists.

An Improved and Green Preparation of 3-(Alkylthio)propionic Acids

An efficient, facile microwave-assisted synthesis has been developed for the preparation of unsymmetrical sulfide derivatives from 3-mercaptopropionic acid and a wide variety of alkyl, allyl or aryl chlorides or bromides. The synthesis performed in ethanol at 80 or 120 °C using sodium hydroxide as a base, selectively without an offensive smell, generates 3-(alkylthio)propionic acids in good yields. Effects of reaction components, temperature, and the heating technique on the formation of the product and side-products were studied.

Effect of dilution with beverages on the smell and taste of oral acetylcysteine

The effect of dilution with beverages on the smell and taste of oral acetylcysteine was studied. A 5% solution of acetylcysteine was prepared from a 20% solution using water, Fresca, Coca-Cola, cranberry juice, or chocolate milk. Adult pharmacy students blinded to the diluent used a visual analogue scale (VAS) to rate the smell and taste for each 5% solution. For the taste evaluation, approximately 10 mL of each 5% solution was placed in a cup with a lid and straw. The difference in VAS scores for taste and smell was measured using the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. Comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Bonferroni adjustment, with the level of significance set at <0.005. A total of 42 adult students participated in the study. Fresca was rated as the least offensive diluent with respect to smell by 22 students (52%) and taste by 33 students (79%). The chocolate milk-acetylcysteine solution was rated as the most offensive smelling by 22 students (52%) and most the offensive tasting by 11 students (26%). Cranberry juice was rated the most offensive tasting by 12 students (29%). The VAS score for Fresca was significantly lower than for all other beverages with respect to both smell and taste (p < 0.005). Acetylcysteine 20% oral solution diluted with Fresca to a 5% solution was reported to have the least offensive odor and taste and should be considered as an option when attempting to improve the palatability of oral acetylcysteine to adults.

Analysis of extracted and volatile components in blackstrap molasses feed as candidate house fly attractants

House flies are a ubiquitous insect that have the potential to spread many diseases to humans and livestock. Managing house fly populations is accomplished by having desirable baits, traps, and killing agents. Most house fly baits are designed for outdoor use or limited indoor use, and have a foul odor that is not conducive to food preparatory and dining areas. Blackstrap molasses has long been used as a house fly bait, but it is sticky and viscous, making it difficult to handle. This study sought to identify compounds present in blackstrap molasses that might be attractive to house flies, and therefore, provide the public with an indoor bait that does not have an offensive smell and is easy to handle. Indoor bioassays with house flies using 50% blackstrap molasses diluted in deionized water, a hexane extract of blackstrap molasses, and deionized water, elicited 86.2%, 70.6%, and 13.8% responses, respectively. Hexane and diethyl ether extracts of blackstrap molasses produced a large number of compounds with widely differing organic structures including substituted phenols, nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles, carboxylic acids, and many other organic compounds.

In situ continuous monitoring of chloride, nitrate and ammonium in a temporary stream : Comparison with standard methods

A multi-parameter probe was used for in situ chloride, nitrate and ammonium measurements in a temporary stream (Ribeira da Pardiela, in the South of Portugal). Comparison with standard analytical methods was performed for all elements. For chloride, the results of the probe depicted the same behaviour as that obtained with the standard method, although it is clear that the matrix effects were present. For nitrate, the results obtained with the probe were in agreement with the other standard methods used, except for samples collected during drought, when the stream water became brownish and exhaled an offensive smell, due to the decomposition of organic matter. For ammonium, surprisingly the probe show to be the best option, the phenate method being affected by matrix effects. The results still suggest an interference of the bicarbonate ion on nitrate determination, but standard additions approach was shown to minimize most of the matrix effects. Recoveries were reasonable to good for all the three anions under scrutiny.

Incensed: Food Smells and Ethnic Tension

Smell, often characterized as our least evolved or most "base" sense, is often invoked in ethnocentrist and racist discourse intended to create barriers between groups. The offensive smells of a given group's foods are often cited as a reason why they must be kept out of a pre-existing community. This essay argues that the reasons for this phenomenon are rooted in our anxiety about smell itself: it represents a pathway through which the particles of food literally penetrate us: a point of vulnerability. By examining a range of cases, from that of the medieval "Jewish odor" to the modern smells of Indian cooking in middle American kitchens, this essay explores the persistent connection between food smells and inter-ethnic tension.

Perceptions of school toilets as a cause for irregular toilet habits among schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years

ABSTRACT: Irregular bladder and bowel habits can contribute to urinary and bowel problems. Schoolchildren undergoing treatment for these problems often do not follow the recommendation of regular toilet visits at school, claiming negative perceptions of school toilets. This study examined 6- to 16-year-old schoolchildren's perceptions of school toilets and whether the perceptions affect bladder and bowel habits at school. Some 385 Swedish schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years were surveyed using a semistructured questionnaire. Children aged 13 to 16 years had the most negative perceptions. Twenty-five percent (overall 16%) of older children reported never using the school toilet to urinate, and 80% (overall 63%) never used it to defecate. Perceptions of sight and smell and emotional constraints hindered children from using the school toilets. Children generally based their perceptions of school toilets on physical appearance, offensive smell, and feelings of insecurity. Children's perceptions affected their toilet habits and would rather endure physical discomfort than the psychological and social discomfort of using the school toilet. Children already suffering from urinary tract or intestinal problems face particular difficulties without regular toilet visits during the day.

Perceptions of School Toilets as a Cause for Irregular Toilet Habits Among Schoolchildren Aged 6 to 16 Years

Irregular bladder and bowel habits can contribute to urinary and bowel problems. Schoolchildren undergoing treatment for these problems often do not follow the recommendation of regular toilet visits at school, claiming negative perceptions of school toilets. This study examined 6- to 16-year-old schoolchildren's perceptions of school toilets and whether the perceptions affect bladder and bowel habits at school Some 385 Swedish schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years were surveyed using a semistructured questionnaire. Children aged 13 to 16 years had the most negative perceptions. Twenty-five percent (overall 16%) of older children reported never using the school toilet to urinate, and 80% (overall 63%) never used it to defecate. Perceptions of sight and smell and emotional constraints hindered children from using the school toilets. Children generally based their perceptions of school toilets on physical appearance, offensive smell, and feelings of insecurity. Children's perceptions affected their toilet habits and would rather endure physical discomfort than the psychological and social discomfort of using the school toilet. Children already suffering from urinary tract or intestinal problems face particular difficulties without regular toilet visits during the day.

Treatment of Skim Latex Serum Using Gas Sparged Ultrafiltration

AbstractThe major pollutants from a natural rubber processing factory have high organic content and emit an offensive smell due to the biodegradation of the organic matter. In latex concentrate factories, the main sources of effluent are the skim latex serum and washings from all process equipment. This paper presents an application of membrane technology that involves gas sparging for the treatment of skim latex serum. A semi‐pilot‐scale system using a PVDF vertical tubular membrane (MWCO 100,000) was installed as the experimental setup. Nitrogen gas was bubbled vertically upwards at flowrates ranging from 300 to 500 ml/min. Results obtained thus far show that gas sparging has increased the permeate flux between 1.37% and 146.34% compared to non‐gas sparged conditions. In terms of permeate quality, the reductions achieved for suspended solids, total solids, COD, BOD, total nitrogen and ammoniacal nitrogen were 83%, 95%, 67%, 77%, 51%, 74%, respectively, for the gas‐sparged condition. Under non gas‐sparging conditions, reductions achieved for suspended solids, total solids, COD, BOD, total nitrogen and ammoniacal nitrogen were 92%, 96%, 67%, 72%, 60%, 75%, respectively.

A Case of Foul Genital Odor Treated with Botulinum Toxin A

BACKGROUND Genital odor is an uncommon condition characterized by an offensive and malodorous smell in the genital area. Although the etiology of foul genital odor is multifactorial, an important cause is sweat secretion and decomposition of sweat components by bacteria. Different methods are effective in reducing body odor secondary to bromhidrosis. Conservative methods only act for a short period of time, and more invasive surgical methods carry risk of complications or are inapplicable for the genital region. METHODS A patient with localized foul odor in the genital hair bearing area was treated with botulinum toxin A. RESULTS Botulinum toxin A was effective in creating an odorless and anhydrous response in the genital region, and no major adverse effects were noted during a follow-up of 9 months after injection. CONCLUSION Local injection of botulinum toxin A appears to be a useful treatment for foul genital odor related to sweat glands activity.

P0468 QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH CONSTIPATION

Introduction: Constipation is common childhood problem, a majority of children respond to treatment with laxatives. However, almost 20% of children have chronic symptoms which can last beyond puberty. Adult studies in patients with chronic constipation have suggested significant reduction in quality of life (QoL), but there are no paediatric studies. The aim of this on going study is to develop an instrument to assess QoL in children with chronic constipation. Methods: A Dutch reduction list with 102 items was translated into English and reviewed by 2 Gastroenterologist, a Paediatrician and 3 Community nurses. The modified questionnaire was sent to 33 children with constipation, completed questionnaire was returned by 16 children (mean age 10.52 years, 13 boys). The answers on a Likert scale were assigned a score and mean scores calculated for each question. Results: Five patients had chronic constipation and 11 chronic constipation with soiling. Children with soiling scored social and accident category of questions significantly higher (p<0.01) compared to children with constipation without soiling. All 11 children who soiled were concerned about having an accident at school, 73% (n=8) felt ‘sad’ after an accident. Interestingly 81% (n=9) of children denied offensive smell during soiling accidents. Ten patients had been treated with enemas/suppositories and 90% did not like this form of treatment. Thirteen patients disliked digital rectal examination and 77% found it ‘scary’.Table 1: Comparison of mean scores for each category of children with soiling compared toConclusion: Children with chronic constipation have significant concerns regarding the symptoms, clinical care and treatment modalities. Clinical approach taking into account these concerns may improve the quality of life of these patients.

Eating Meat: Evolution, Patterns, and Consequences

Carnivorousness is a part of human evolutionary heritage, but typical meat intakes were limited in virtually all preindustrial societies. Rising meat consumption has been a key marker of the universal dietary transition that has accompanied economic modernization. Meat is now the largest source of high‐quality animal proteins, and in some countries its annual supply is as high as 100 kg or more per capita. At the same time, high average intakes of red meat and poultry have had a number of undesirable agronomic, economic, nutritional, and environmental consequences. Fortunately, most of these negative effects can be alleviated by reducing excessively high meat consumption and by managing better both the production of feeds and the feeding of animals.

Modeling of recycling oxic and anoxic treatment system for swine wastewater using neural networks

A recycling reactor system operated under sequential anoxic and oxic conditions for the treatment of swine wastewater has been developed, in which piggery slurry is fermentatively and aerobically treated and then part of the effluent is recycled to the pigsty. This system significantly removes offensive smells (at both the pigsty and the treatment plant), BOD and others, and may be cost effective for small-scale farms. The most dominant heterotrophic were, in order,Alcaligenes faecalis, Brevundimonas diminuta andStreptococcus sp., while lactic acid bacteria were dominantly observed in the anoxic tank. We propose a novel monitoring system for a recycling piggery slurry treatment system through the use of neural networks. In this study, we tried to model the treatment process for each tank in the system (influent, fermentation, aeration, first sedimentation and fourth sedimentation tanks) based upon the population densities of the heterotrophic and lactic acid bacteria. Principal component analysis (PCA) was first applied to identify a relationship between input and output. The input would be microbial densities and the treatment parameters, such as population densities of heterotrophic and lactic acid bacteria, suspended solids (SS), COD, NH4+-N, or-tho-phosphorus (o-P), and total-phosphorus (T-P). Then multi-layer neural networks were employed to model the treatment process for each tank. PCA filtration of the input data as microbial densities was found to facilitate the modeling procedure for the system monitoring even with a relatively lower number of input. Neural networks independently trained for each treatment tank and their subsequent combined data analysis allowed a successful prediction of the treatment system for at least two days.

Volatile organic compounds associated with microbial growth in automobile air conditioning systems.

Volatile organic compounds from Penicillium viridicatum and Methylobacterium mesophilicum growing on laboratory media and on component materials of automobile air conditioners were analyzed with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. P. viridicatum produced compounds such as 4-methyl thiazole, terpenes and alcohols, whereas M. mesophilicum produced dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, and chlorophenol with growth on laboratory media. In comparison with laboratory media, fewer volatiles were detected from colonized foam insulation materials. Biofilms of M. mesophilicum on aluminum evaporator components produced mainly dimethyl disulfide. These biofilms, after inoculation with P. viridicatum, produced offensive smelling alcohols and esters such as 2-methyl propanol, 3-penten-2-ol, and the ethyl ester of butanoic acid. The moisture and substrates innate to the automobile air conditioning systems provided an environment suitable for microbial biofilm development and odor production. Reduction of retained moisture in the air conditioning system coupled with use of less susceptible or antimicrobial substrates are advised for remediation of the noxious odors.

What's that smell?: Modern science puts its mark on a rare but ancient body‐odor disease

S hakespeare's description of the socially rejected island dweller, Caliban, aptly demonstrates that people have long been aware of a particularly offensive smell. Today, body odors are among the most sensitive of topics and figure into some of the deadliest insults. Inspired by advertising, most people avoid having a socially unacceptable smell thanks to frequent showers and deodorants, perfumes, or colognes. However, for people with a rare genetic disorder known as fish odor syndrome, none of these is enough. Since few health professionals are aware of this disease, also called trimethylaminuria, people experiencing its characteristic body odor may spend years seeking relief. They often acquire a long list of inaccurate diagnoses, ranging from poor hygiene to psychiatric problems. These people may withdraw from the outside world to avoid ridicule or try to mask their odor with strong perfumes and cigarettes. Many of those with the disorder also report symptoms of depression. People think this disease is a laughing matter, but for the people who have it, it is not. This syndrome can be highly destructive to a person's personal and social life and to their work and career, says Robert L. Smith, a molecular toxicologist at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London who recently cochaired the first-ever scientific meeting on trimethylaminuria. Held in late March at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., the conference gathered from around the globe about 30 researchers studying trimethylaminuriamany of them without funding-and a few of the people who have been diagnosed with the disorder.

RECURRENT BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition causing an offensive fishy smelling vaginal discharge. Some women have frequent symptomatic recurrences. Our lack of understanding of the trigger factors for the onset and resolution of BV limits our ability to manage these women effectively. Current approaches involve repeated treatment with antibiotics, with or without antifungal agents. Current studies are investigating the value of replacing the vaginal flora with cultured Lactobacillus strains. Control of BV may reduce the incidence of complications including preterm birth and possibly the acquisition of HIV infection.

Subsurface Drainage System, A Temporary Solution to Control the Groundwater Table in Urban Areas

The phenomenal growth of the water use and the absence of a comprehensive sewerage system in Jeddah city has resulted in the rise of the groundwater table. This groundwater table rise caused several environmental, economical and social problems such as, inundation of low-lying areas, flooding of basements of houses, deterioration of roads and highways and foundations of buildings, contamination of soils, offensive smells, and breeding of mosquitoes. This paper suggests a subsurface drainage system to control the groundwater table as a temporary solution till the sewerage system is completed. The basic steps of the design of subsurface drainage system are discussed. A knowledge-based computer program which was developed to design the system, is explained in the paper.

Varieties of disgust faces and the structure of disgust.

In 3 facial expression identification studies, college students matched a variety of disgust faces to verbally described eliciting situations. The faces depicted specific muscle action movements in accordance with P. Ekman and W. V. Friesen's (1978) Facial Action Coding System. The nose wrinkle is associated with either irritating or offensive smells and, to some extent, bad tastes. Gape and tongue extrusion are associated primarily with what we call core or food-offense disgust and also oral irritation. The broader range of disgust elicitors, including stimuli that remind humans of their animal origins (e.g., body boundary violations, inappropriate sex, poor hygiene, and death), a variety of aversive interpersonal contacts, and certain moral offenses are associated primarily with the raised upper lip. The results support a theory of disgust that posits its origin as a response to bad tastes and maps its evolution onto a moral emotion.

Fate of municipal refuse deposited in sanitary landfills and leachate treatability

Abstract Landfilling has been used for many years as the most common and economical means of domestic refuse disposal generated by society. Municipal refuse being deposited in a sanitary landfill will be subjected to an array of complex interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes involving partitioning of waste constituents among the vapor, solid or the aqueous phases. Initially, decomposition of a load of wastes deposited in a sanitary landfill will proceed aerobically. However, limited supply of oxygen trapped in the interstices of the compacted wastes becomes quickly denuded by rapid consumption of aerobic organisms. It follows that anoxic conditions become largely dominant giving rise to biogas production consisting principally of methane, carbon dioxide, and minute quantities of hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen and gaseous hydrocarbons. Depending upon the philosophy on which the landfill is managed, biogas production can be considered as a dangerous hazard because of flammability or asphyxiating properties or as a desirable asset. In the latter case, a gas recovery system may be used to extract the biogas from the landfill for energy purposes. Considerable concern has been expressed about leachate production from sanitary landfills and public health considerations by virtue of the consequent offensive smells and breeding ground for disease carrying animals. This means that landfills must be properly managed so that public health and water supplies are not adversely affected. The characteristics of leachates at a landfill site will be expected to vary widely because of the great variance in the waste constituents contributing to their formation and the complex interactions between the waste matrix with infiltrated water percolating through the waste while dissolving in it an array of organic and inorganic substances; climatic conditions; variation in the operation; and management of the landfill. Leachates produced from a landfill may be high in minerals, hardness, COD, BOD, turbidity, and color. Furthermore, leachates may contain other hazardous materials of various sources and illegally disposed toxic wastes. Therefore, leachates leaving the fill boundaries represent a serious problem that can have long term environmental, economical, and health impact by entering ground and surface waters. To correct or avoid such problems, leachates must be collected and adequately treated before ultimate disposal. Since the variability and strength of a landfill leachate have important implications on determining treatment efficiency, several options for their partial or total treatment have been developed. Those treatment processes essentially encompass three main classes: biological treatment, chemical/physical treatment, and Leachate channeling. This paper addresses the dynamic changes occuring in municipal waste deposited in sanitary landfills and alternative options with regard to their treatment.

A Newly Designed Deodorant Pad for Urinary Incontinence

The authors designed a new pad for urinary incontinence. It is composed of a cloth of acrylonitrile copper sulfide and another cloth of iron-phthalocyanine. In vitro experiments showed that acrylonitrile copper sulfide cloth inhibited the growth of most bacteria causing urinary tract infection, and that iron-phthalocyanine cloth effectively eliminated bad-smelling gases. The use of this pad relieved diaper-dermatitis and diminished offensive smells from feces and urine. This pad was well received by nurses and helpers taking care of incontinent elderly people.