Data For Risk Assessment Research Articles

Combustion Toxicity of Fire Retardant Paint Based on the Fire Toxicity Index

Combustion products generated from combustible materials during a fire can cause harm to evacuating occupants in a building. To reduce the negative effects caused by combustion products, fire retardant paint should be applied on combustible materials in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. Although fire retardant paint is an effective inhibitor of combustion, there have been concerns regarding the harmful effects of the chemicals in the paint such as phosphorus and boron. Therefore, in this study, combustion experiments and quantitative analyses were conducted using three types of fire retardant paint to predict the hazards of combustion and obtain basic data from analytical techniques such as cone calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. As a result, it was confirmed that these techniques can be used to obtain basic data for fire risk assessment and for determining the LC50 of three kinds of fire retardant paint.

The effect of anesthesia management on mortality and morbidity in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Objectives: We aimed at investigating the effects of two different anesthesia techniques in our patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Material and methods: The effects of two different anesthetic methods were retrospectively evaluated in 100 patients who underwent TAVI between January 2010 and October 2020. Patients were divided into a general anesthesia (GA) group and a sedation-local anesthesia (S-LA) group according to the anesthetic methods used. Results: Of 100 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation, 20 (20%) received GA, and 80 (80%) received S-LA. The mean ages of the patient groups undergoing GA and S-LA were 76.20±7.22 and 75±8.44 years, respectively. The duration of the procedure and anesthesia was significantly longer in the GA patient group than in the S-LA patient group. With the exception of the logistic European Society of Cardiac Operative Risk Assessment, the demographic and preoperative data of the two groups were similar. The most common comorbidity in both groups was hypertension. When comparing complications between groups, the incidence of intraoperative hemodynamic instability, ephedrine use, inotropic drug use, intra-aortic balloon pump placement, postoperative infection and cardiac tamponade was significantly higher in the GA group. The length of intensive care and hospital stay was similar between the groups, but the 30-day and 3-month mortality rates were significantly higher in the GA group than in the S-LA group. Conclusion: S-LA provided more stable hemodynamics, shorter operative and anesthetic times, fewer intraoperative and postoperative complications, and reduced mortality. S-LA application during the TAVI procedure is a more reliable alternative to GA.

The Impact of Visual Defects and Neighboring Trees on Wind-Related Tree Failures

Urban trees are often more sun- and wind-exposed than their forest-grown counterparts. These environmental differences can impact how many species grow–impacting trunk taper, crown spread, branch architecture, and other aspects of tree form. Given these differences, windthrow models derived from traditional forest production data sources may not be appropriate for urban forest management. Additionally, visual abnormalities historically labeled as “defects” in timber production, may not have a significant impact on tree failure potential. In this study, we look at urban tree failures associated with Hurricane Irma in Tampa, Florida, USA. We used spatial analysis to determine if patterns of failure existed among our inventoried trees. We also looked at risk assessment data to determine which visual defects were the most common and the most likely to be associated with branch or whole-tree failure. Results indicate that there was no spatial pattern associated with the observed tree failures–trees failed or withstood the storm as individuals. While some defects like decay and dead wood were associated with increased tree failure, other defects such as weak branch unions and poor branch architecture were less problematic.

Infection Control Risk Assessment Incidence of Infection at PKU Muhammadiyah Gamping Hospital

Background: The risk of infection in hospitals is a significant problem worldwide because it can prolong the length of patient care days and can cause patient death. Indonesia is one of the countries that have a high prevalence of infection, regarding several factors that influence the incidence of infection, and risk management to maintain the stability of the incidence of HAIs so that it does not increase by using ICRA tools which can later occur in every hospital unit. Methods: This research uses exploratory descriptive studies with quantitative and qualitative approaches. The number of informants was as many as 9 people consisting of leaders and employees, and a sample of 78 patients with purposive sampling technique. The research instrument is infection risk assessment data, interview guidelines and document review. Data analysis is descriptive analysis related to the incidence of infection and qualitative analysis. Results: The incidence of infection at PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Hospital in 2020 was phlebitis cases with a prevalence of 3.19% and a prevalence of SSI cases of 0.93%. The risk factors for the infection that occur in its application are the incidence of infection, namely service procedure factors, nursing factors and patient factors. Conclusion: The incidence of infection is relatively high, the workforce can increase awareness, knowledge, and competence of the workforce in carrying out service actions, management can carry out regular monitoring and evaluation, provide adequate tools, and provide regular training.

Cadmium impairs zebrafish swim bladder development via ROS mediated inhibition of the Wnt / Hedgehog pathway.

The posterior swim bladder is an important organ in teleost fishes, that primarily maintains buoyancy and motility for swimming and survival. In this study, we examined the molecular mechanisms of the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) on the early development of the swim bladder in zebrafish. Embryonic Cd exposure resulted in the non-inflation of the swim bladder when the ambient Cd concentration was greater than or equal to 0.25mg/L. Cd disturbed surfactant lipid distribution and inhibited the formation of all three tissue layers in the swim bladder. Additionally, excessive Cd down-regulated Wnt (fzd3, nkd1, fzd7 and axin2) and Hedgehog (ihh, shh, ptc1 and ptc2) signaling pathways. Conversely, Wnt signaling activation partially neutralized Cd-induced swim bladder developmental defects. Moreover, ROS scavenger reduced Glutathione (GSH) effectively recovered Cd induced defects in swim bladder and Wnt/Hedgehog signaling. Taken together, our results first revealed that Cd caused swim bladder developmental defects via ROS-mediated inhibition of the Wnt and Hedgehog pathways. These results herein provide important data for future toxicological studies and risk assessments of Cd.

Applying Existing Particle Paradigms to Inhaled Microplastic Particles.

Ambient particulate pollution originating from plastic contaminates air, including indoor and urban environments. The recent discovery of ambient microplastic (MP) particles of a size capable of depositing in the thoracic region of the airway, if inhaled, has raised concern for public exposure and health impacts following lessons learned from other particle domains. Current microplastic exposure estimates are relatively low compared to total ambient particulate matter, but optimal analytical techniques and therefore data for risk and health impact assessments are lacking. In the absence of such an evidence base, this paper explores paradigms, metrics and dose-response curves developed in other particle domains as a starting point for predicting whether microplastic are of concern. Bio-persistence, presence of reactive sites and soluble toxicants are likely key properties in microplastic toxicity, but these are not measured in environmental studies and hence are challenging to interpret in exposure. Data from a MP inhalation study in rats is available but the study was conducted using conditions that do not replicate the known human health effects of PM2.5 or surrogate exposures: compromised, aged animal models are recommended to investigate potential parallels between MPs and PM2.5. One of these parallels is provided by tire wear particles (TWP), which form part of current ambient PM and are sometimes regarded as microplastic. A connection to epidemiological studies where PM filters are still available is recommended and consequently analytical advances are required. In summary, established particle domains and existing paradigms provide valuable insight and data that can be used to predict MP toxicity, and direct study design and key properties to consider in this emerging field.

Natural Disaster Risk Inequalities in Central America

Central America is affected by geological and hydrometeorological hazards that, together with its high exposure and vulnerability, comprise risky scenarios for disasters. This region presents a significant number of casualties and economic losses due to disasters every year. We present an analysis of the origin of extensive risks (high-frequency-low-magnitude hazards occurrences) and intensive (low-frequency-high magnitude hazard occurrences) in Central America from 1990 to 2015 using the disaster databases EM-DAT and DesInventar. Findings reveal that Costa Rica reported the greatest number of both intensive and extensive risks (disaster occurrences) whereas El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras experienced the highest number of casualties in terms of injuries and lost, as well as highest number of damaged or destroyed houses by extensive and intensive risks. Disaster databases, like the ones employed in this research, provide useful data for risk assessment, land use planning, and risk management in developing countries. This study stresses the need for exhaustive risk assessment at the local, regional, and national scales.

Onset Crime Typology of Sexual Offenders and Their Differences on Specialization and Risk Factors.

In those theories or empirical-evident model of sexual offending, they all recognized which major life event would cause the sex offense in some conditions, therefore the onset crime of sexual offenders were not only a mark of personal history, but also could reflect the heterogeneity of sexual offenders. Our purpose is to study the onset crime typology of sexual offender and their difference in specialization, problem of psychology marks, and negative developmental experiences. We analyzed the pre-conviction data from 3,750 sexual offenders and their risk assessment data. The research results found that onset typology of sex crime would persist their criminal career into sexual offending, and through the group comparisons, the study pointed out differences in risk factors domain and adverse development experiences. We also discussed those research results and their meaning of risk management.

A comprehensive review of domestic-open waste burning: recent trends, methodology comparison, and factors assessment.

Open burning is a waste management practice performed by many people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Lack of detailed data of open burning practices may lead to a misinterpretation during data analysis, especially when estimating global/local emissions and assessing risks. This study presents a comprehensive review of current research trends, methodological assessments, and factors behind open waste burning practices from published literature. This review used systematic methods such as PRISMA 2020 methodology, a bibliometric approach, and qualitative content analysis to determine and assess 84 articles related to open burning. The results show that environmental risks and emission factors related to open burning incidents at the landfill or residential level are preferable topics that will be rising in the years to come. Coupling methods such as a transect-based approach with a questionnaire survey and mobile-static plume sampling to determine the activities and incidents as baseline data for risk assessment will help researchers gain a robust dataset of open burning emission inventory. In addition, it was found that environmental knowledge and awareness levels influence open burning practices, thereby opening up opportunities for future research.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-022-01430-9.

Bio-effects of bio-based and fossil-based microplastics: Case study with lettuce-soil system

Bio-based plastics have been developed as alternative materials to solve the energy crisis brought by plastic production, but their impacts on soil ecosystems (e.g. plant and microorganisms) remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted study on the impacts of polyethylene 2,5-furan-dicarboxylate (PEF), a new bio-based plastic, on the plant-soil ecosystem, with comparison of fossil-based plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Our investigation showed that, after 21 days exposure to microplastics (MPs) at doses of 0.5%, 1% and 2%, both PEF and PET MPs inhibited the growth of lettuce, where chlorophyll was found to be the most sensitive index. According to the comprehensive stress resistance indicators, PET MPs showed more severe phytotoxicity than PEF MPs. Although both PEF and PET MPs could inhibit soil enzyme activities, PET MPs exhibited significantly reduction on the diversity of rhizosphere soil bacterial community and changed the relative abundance of dominant species. Our study gave insights into the effects of PEF and PET MPs on the plant-soil system, where bio-based PEF MPs showed more friendly interaction with plant and soil than fossil-based PET MPs. Our results provided scientific data for risk assessment and useful information for the prospective application of bio-based plastics.

Distribution, antimicrobial resistance and genomic characterization of Salmonella along the pork production chain in Jiangsu, China

Salmonella is an important foodborne pathogen that is widely distributed in foods of animal origin. Salmonella strains (n = 246) were identified from 1178 pork samples collected in Jiangsu, China. The most predominant Salmonella serovars in pork and slaughterhouse environment were S. London (49.13%, 85/173) and S. Rissen (53.42%, 39/73), respectively. A total of 13 STs were detected with ST469 dominant (33.33%, 82/246) in these isolates. Most strains were resistant to multiple drugs such as aminoglycosides (88.21%, 217/246), tetracycline (90.24%, 222/246) and florfenicol (91.87%, 226/246). Multiple antimicrobial resistance genes were identified, including that conferring resistance to aminoglycosides (strA, 64/246; strB, 60/246), β-lactam (blaTEM-1, 177/246), phenicols (floR, 115/246) and tetracyclines [tet(A), 216/246; tet(B), 13/246; tet(M), 51/246]. Notably, a novel IncFII(pCoo) blaNDM-1-positive plasmid was characterized. It is worth mentioning that this blaNDM-1-positive Salmonella could be successfully transferred into other Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, phylogenetic analysis indicated a high similarity between blaNDM-1-positive YT2-4-4 and blaNDM-1-positive Salmonella from human sources. To the best of our knowledge, blaNDM-1-carrying Salmonella of pig slaughterhouse origin was first detected. In the present study, we elaborated the distribution, drug resistance, as well as genomic characteristics of Salmonella in the pork production chain, providing valuable baseline data for food safety risk assessment.

IVIVE: Facilitating the Use of In Vitro Toxicity Data in Risk Assessment and Decision Making.

During the past few decades, the science of toxicology has been undergoing a transformation from observational to predictive science. New approach methodologies (NAMs), including in vitro assays, in silico models, read-across, and in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE), are being developed to reduce, refine, or replace whole animal testing, encouraging the judicious use of time and resources. Some of these methods have advanced past the exploratory research stage and are beginning to gain acceptance for the risk assessment of chemicals. A review of the recent literature reveals a burst of IVIVE publications over the past decade. In this review, we propose operational definitions for IVIVE, present literature examples for several common toxicity endpoints, and highlight their implications in decision-making processes across various federal agencies, as well as international organizations, including those in the European Union (EU). The current challenges and future needs are also summarized for IVIVE. In addition to refining and reducing the number of animals in traditional toxicity testing protocols and being used for prioritizing chemical testing, the goal to use IVIVE to facilitate the replacement of animal models can be achieved through their continued evolution and development, including a strategic plan to qualify IVIVE methods for regulatory acceptance.

Monitoring of pesticide amount in fruit and vegetables by a fluorescence-based sensor.

Faster, sensitive and real‐time methods for detecting organophosphate (OP) pesticides are urged for in situ monitoring of these widely spread contaminants. For this reason, several efforts have been addressed for the development of performant biosensors. The thermostable enzyme esterase‐2 from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius (EST2), with a lipase‐like Ser‐His‐Asp catalytic triad with a high affinity to OPs, is a promising candidate as a bioreceptor for biosensor development. Within this EU‐FORA fellowship project, two different components of the biosensor were evaluated: (i) the use of the enzymatic bioreceptor in solution or immobilised in a solid membrane; (ii) the measurement of fluorescence quenching by direct measurement of the fluorescence probe intensity signal or by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the tryptophans located in the catalytic site of the enzyme to a binded fluorescence probe. Fluorescence spectroscopy is among the most used techniques in analytical chemistry laboratories, mainly due to its high sensitivity and simplicity. To this aim, the developed IAEDANS‐labelled EST2‐S35C mutant has been used. Fluorometric measurements with both methods showed linearity with increased EST2‐S35C concentrations. No significant interference on FRET measurements was observed due to changes in medium pH or due to the addition of other organic components (glucose, ascorbic acid, yeast extract). Both methods presented similar sensitivity towards detecting OPs, with fluorescence quenching due to the presence of paraoxon at environmentally relevant concentrations from 0.09 µM. The obtained results are of high relevance to further development of biosensors for the pesticide monitoring that: (i) decrease the expenses of the analysis; (ii) simplify the procedures for pesticide detection; (iii) reduce the time of response. Furthermore, the use of biosensors for pesticides real‐time and in situ detection of pesticides promises to increase the number of samples analysed, providing a larger amount of data for food safety risk assessment.

PO-663-03 THE MISSING LINQ: USING INSERTABLE CARDIAC MONITOR SIGNAL PROCESSING AS A SURROGATE MARKER FOR QT INTERVAL

An insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) device is capable of longitudinal cardiac ECG monitoring (up to 3 years). We have developed an ICM automated QT detection algorithm. Quantitative assessment of QT interval via ICM may provide actionable clinical data for arrhythmia risk assessment.

An in vitro approach to determine the human relevance of anti-spermatogenic effects of 4-methylmorpholine 4-oxide, monohydrate (NMMO) in rat reproductive toxicity studies

Reduced sperm counts have been observed in male rats in an extended one generation reproductive toxicity study (EOGRTS, OECD 443) following repeated administration of 300 mg/kg/day N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO). However, no adverse effects on reproductive organs have been reported in studies conducted with NMMO, and the mode of action (MOA) for the effects of NMMO on spermatogenesis is unknown, which complicates the interpretation of these data for human risk assessment. Here, a New Approach Method (NAM) strategy was used to evaluate NMMO MOA and compare interspecies susceptibility for anti-spermatogenic effects using organotypic in vitro assays combined with in vitro metabolism and in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) biokinetic modeling to compare predicted oral equivalent doses (OEDs) in human and rat. Dose-response data were collected in isolated germ cells and in an ex vivo seminiferous tubule model that recapitulates the interaction between the somatic environment and differentiating germ cells to account for potential direct and indirect effects on germ cells. With regard to direct spermatogenic effects, the human isolated germ cell model showed no toxicity at doses ≤300 μM (OED ≤ 86 mg/kg/day). With regard to indirect effects, the rat ex vivo model demonstrated dose-dependent decreases in secondary spermatocyte populations at OEDs ≥89 mg/kg/day, and reduced expression of RNAs specific to several stages of spermatogenesis (spermatogonia, pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids) at OED = 267 mg/kg/day, consistent with in vivo observations. In contrast, the monkey ex vivo model did not show dose-dependent decreases in these same RNAs, and often demonstrated increased trends instead. These studies demonstrate clear quantitative and qualitative differences in the rat and primate response to NMMO. Furthermore, effects observed in the rat in vitro culture were not observed in the monkey at concentrations equivalent to in vivo doses of up to 1376 mg/kg/day, which is higher than the in vivo dose limit in the EOGRT study, indicating that the isolated findings on spermatogenesis in the rat studies are not likely to be relevant to humans.

Comprehensive interpretation of in vitro micronucleus test results for 292 chemicals: from hazard identification to risk assessment application

Risk assessments are increasingly reliant on information from in vitro assays. The in vitro micronucleus test (MNvit) is a genotoxicity test that detects chromosomal abnormalities, including chromosome breakage (clastogenicity) and/or whole chromosome loss (aneugenicity). In this study, MNvit datasets for 292 chemicals, generated by the US EPA’s ToxCast program, were evaluated using a decision tree-based pipeline for hazard identification. Chemicals were tested with 19 concentrations (n = 1) up to 200 µM, in the presence and absence of Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver S9. To identify clastogenic chemicals, %MN values at each concentration were compared to a distribution of batch-specific solvent controls; this was followed by cytotoxicity assessment and benchmark concentration (BMC) analyses. The approach classified 157 substances as positives, 25 as negatives, and 110 as inconclusive. Using the approach described in Bryce et al. (Environ Mol Mutagen 52:280–286, 2011), we identified 15 (5%) aneugens. IVIVE (in vitro to in vivo extrapolation) was employed to convert BMCs into administered equivalent doses (AEDs). Where possible, AEDs were compared to points of departure (PODs) for traditional genotoxicity endpoints; AEDs were generally lower than PODs based on in vivo endpoints. To facilitate interpretation of in vitro MN assay concentration–response data for risk assessment, exposure estimates were utilized to calculate bioactivity exposure ratio (BER) values. BERs for 50 clastogens and two aneugens had AEDs that approached exposure estimates (i.e., BER < 100); these chemicals might be considered priorities for additional testing. This work provides a framework for the use of high-throughput in vitro genotoxicity testing for priority setting and chemical risk assessment.

Cohort Profile: The Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study

In this profile, we describe how the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study (ISVYOS) leveraged detailed administrative data to create a prospective longitudinal study. We also discuss the research and policy context at the time the ISVYOS was initiated, its methodology, and what has been learned so far. The ISVYOS includes 1,719 participants who were incarcerated in adolescence and followed through adulthood. Between 1998-2002 (Cohort I) and 2005-2011 (Cohort II), male and female youth were recruited for interviews that measured various risk and protective factors, experiences in custody, and attitudes towards the justice system. Follow-up data include measures of justice system involvement, risk assessment data, and social network data. Participants were an average age of 30.57 (SD = 4.65) as of December 2019. Over 90% of the sample was involved in the adult justice system. So far, research using ISVYOS data have addressed the reliability and validity of measures of psychopathy in adolescence, justice system criminal careers, risk factors for chronic and persistent offending, and the adult offending outcomes of youth involved in serious offenses (e.g., sexual offenses, homicide offense). Inquiries regarding data access should be sent to the first author.

Enantioselective hydrolysis and photolysis of mandipropamid in different aquatic environments - evaluation of influencing factors.

The hydrolysis and photolysis of the chiral fungicide mandipropamid were investigated, and the potential enantioselectivity of mandipropamid in solutions was further assessed. The aqueous solutions were filtered and directly injected into the liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In the hydrolysis experiments, mandipropamid enantiomers hydrolyzed slowly in aquatic solutions with half-lives > 200days; nevertheless, rise of the pH and incubation temperature could increase the hydrolysis rates more than 1.1 times (half-lives decreased from 495.1 to 216.6days). Compared with the hydrolysis results, photolysis was found to be the main degradation pathway for mandipropamid in different solutions (half-lives < 14h, except in pH = 5.05 buffer solution). Organic solvents were able to accelerate the photolysis of mandipropamid, but acidic solutions and the addition of flavonoids or inorganic salts significantly inhibited the photolysis of mandipropamid. During the hydrolysis and photolysis processes, the configuration of mandipropamid enantiomers was stable and five possible transformation products were identified by high resolution mass spectrometry. Due to the enantiomeric fraction values > 0.5, the hydrolysis and photolysis of mandipropamid were enantioselective, and S-( +)-mandipropamid preferentially disspated in certain aqueous solutions. The systematic evaluation of the hydrolysis and photolysis of mandipropamid enantiomers may provide more accurate data for better assessment of environmental and ecological risks in aquatic ecosystems.

Developing computer simulations for risk assessment by cable logging rigging crews

ABSTRACT This paper developed six cable logging incident scenarios that were modeled in a simulated environment, and conducted a pilot study in the Pacific Northwest to assess the potential for collecting worker risk assessment data. All the subjects in the pilot study reported that they understood the simulated incidents, and they were able to move around in the simulation to see what they needed. When reporting management requiring conditions (MRC) before performing the simulated task, the subjects consistently identified the first main MRC; however, there was variation in reporting the second main MRC. The results from the pilot study indicate that the simulations effectively modeled the spatial aspects of the incidents; however, the simulations lacked avatars to represent people in the simulations and this may have limited the ability to include cognitive aspects such as communication. Variation in the severity assigned by the subjects to the MRC, and to the unexpected events, revealed important differences in risk sensitivity between the subjects, and the importance of experiential learning in a safe environment when considering energized systems.

A REFINED METHOD FOR ANALYTICAL MODELING OF THE PROCESSES OF SPREADING VIRUS SOFTWARE TO ASSESS THE SECURITY OF INFORMATIZATION OBJECTS

Task. The purpose of writing this article is to improve the security of information in information systems. Model. The article proposes an improved method for analytical modeling of the process of spreading virus software in information systems in relation to the features of a special class of attacks implemented by the family of virus software - ransomware. Conclusions. The proposed method makes it possible to analytically calculate the intensity of infection of hosts of a protected information system with various types of virus software and use the obtained characteristics as initial data for the final assessment of the information security risk on the protected informatization object. Value. Modeling in the environment of the mathematical package PTC Mathcad Prime 7 showed the applicability of the proposed approach for analytical threat modeling.