Accommodation Sites Research Articles

Legionnaires' Disease in Hotels and Passenger Ships: A Systematic Review of Evidence, Sources, and Contributing Factors.

Travel-associated Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a serious problem, and hundreds of cases are reported every year among travelers who stayed at hotels, despite the efforts of international and governmental authorities and hotel operators to prevent additional cases. A systematic review of travel-associated LD events (cases, clusters, outbreaks) and of environmental studies of Legionella contamination in accommodation sites was conducted. Two databases were searched (PubMed and EMBASE). Data were extracted from 50 peer-reviewed articles that provided microbiological and epidemiological evidence for linking the accommodation sites with LD. The strength of evidence was classified as strong, possible, and probable. Three of the 21 hotel-associated events identified and four of nine ship-associated events occurred repeatedly on the same site. Of 197 hotel-associated cases, 158 (80.2%) were linked to hotel cooling towers and/or potable water systems. Ship-associated cases were most commonly linked to hot tubs (59/83, 71.1%). Common contributing factors included inadequate disinfection, maintenance, and monitoring; water stagnation; poor temperature control; and poor ventilation. Across all 30 events, Legionella concentrations in suspected water sources were >10,000 cfu/L, <10,000 cfu/L, and unknown in 11, 3, and 13 events, respectively. In five events, Legionella was not detected only after repeated disinfections. In environmental studies, Legionella was detected in 81.1% of ferries (23/28) and 48.9% of hotels (587/1,200), while all 12 cruise ships examined were negative. This review highlights the need for LD awareness strategies targeting operators of accommodation sites. Increased standardization of LD investigation and reporting, and more rigorous follow-up of LD events, would help generate stronger, more comparable evidence on LD sources, contributing factors, and control measure effectiveness.

Anatase TiO2: Better Anode Material Than Amorphous and Rutile Phases of TiO2 for Na-Ion Batteries

Amorphous TiO2@C nanospheres were synthesized via a template approach. After being sintered under different conditions, two types of polyphase TiO2 hollow nanospheres were obtained. The electrochemical properties of the amorphous TiO2 nanospheres and the TiO2 hollow nanospheres with different phases were characterized as anodes for the Na-ion batteries. It was found that all the samples demonstrated excellent cyclability, which was sustainable for hundreds of cycles with little capacity fading, although the anatase TiO2 presented a capability that was better than that of the mixed anatase/rutile TiO2 or the amorphous TiO2@C. Through crystallographic analysis, it was revealed that the anatase TiO2 crystal structure supplies two-dimensional diffusion paths for Na-ion intercalation and more accommodation sites. Density functional theory calculations indicated lower energy barriers for the insertion of Na+ into anatase TiO2. Therefore, anatase TiO2 hollow nanospheres show excellent high-rate performance. Thro...

Spatial variation in the stratigraphic architecture of the Fort Cooper and equivalent coal measures, Bowen Basin, Queensland

The major stratigraphic units of the Fort Cooper Coal Measures (FCCM) have been reviewed, and an internal coal seam architecture using 500 wireline logs in the Bowen Basin, southeast Queensland has been developed. The subdivisions of the coal measures include the Burngrove Formation, Middle Main Seam and Fair Hill Formation in the northern Bowen Basin. To the south of the basin, the Middle Main Seam is interpreted as the stratigraphic equivalent of Black Alley Shale Formation. The Yarrabee Tuff forms the top boundary of the coal measures and is distributed basin-wide except over the southern Denison and southern Taroom troughs. Accessory tuffs beneath the Yarrabee Tuff aided seam level correlation. The geometries of coal seams have been analysed for each morphotectonic zone of the Bowen Basin using gravity data, which highlight high and low topographic sites. The Collinsville Shelf in northwest of the Bowen Basin comprises thick and merged Burngrove and Fair Hill formation coals that split towards northeast in the Nebo Synclinorium and southeast in Taroom Trough. Coal seams split into daughter seams from north to south and are named as first, second or third order, based on the number of splits that occurred. First- and second-order splitting occurs at the boundary of the Nebo Synclinorium and Collinsville Shelf, at the Narrows of Nebo Synclinorium and Comet Ridge. Further, third- and fourth-order splitting occurs at the boundary of the Comet Ridge and Taroom Trough. Splitting zones found at the junction of morphotectonic zones are related to a change in subsidence. In addition, the association of split seams with coarse grain-dominated interburden reflects increased accommodation in low-lying areas such as the Nebo Synclinorium and the troughs. Thick and coalesced coal seams are associated with shelves and ridges of the basin reflecting low accommodation sites. Hence, the variation in the coal seam architecture of FCCM responds to the subsidence associated with different morphotectonic zones of the basin.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Winchell Kiddy (1957–2014)

Elizabeth “Betsy” Winchell Kiddy (1957–2014)

Hierarchical TiO2 Hollow Nanospheres: Ultra Stable Anode for Na-Ion Batteries

Amorphous TiO2@C nanospheres were synthesized via a template approach. After being sintered at different condition, two polyphase TiO2 hollow nanospheres were obtained. The electrochemical properties of amorphous TiO2 nanospheres, and different phase TiO2 hollow nanospheres as anodes for the Na-ion batteries were characterized. It was found that all of them demonstrated the excellent cyclability, which can sustainable for thousands of cycles with tiny capacity fading. By comparison, the anatase TiO2 presented higher capability than that of rutile TiO2 and amorphous TiO2. Through the crystallography analysis, it was revealed that anatase TiO2 crystal structure supplies 2-dimension diffusion path for the Na ions intercalation and more accommodation sites. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation indicates lower energy barriers for Na+ inserting into anatase TiO2. Therefore, anatase TiO2 hollow nanospheres show the well-defined high rates performance. Via the ex-situ FESEM analysis, it was revealed that the TiO2 hollow nanospheres architecture can be maintained for thousands cycles, which is the main reason for its superior cyclablity.

Population Notification Concerning Sanitary-Epidemiological Situation and Current Sanitary Anti-Epidemic Operations (Prophylactic Measures) in the Period of Flood in the Amur Region

Displayed are the results of work of the Rospotrebnadzor Administration in the Amur Region in view of the population notification concerning sanitary-epidemiological situation and current anti-epidemic operations under the emergency event preconditioned by the large-scale high water, 2013. In order to avoid aggravation of epidemiological situation in the region, Rospotrebnadzor Administration has performed provision of the exposed population in the devastated territories (including temporal accommodation sites) with the information on the significance of adherence to personal safety practices for infectious diseases prevention, of usage high quality drinking water only (boiled or bottled and distilled), of immunization against viral hepatitis A, typhoid fever and Sonne dysentery, of sanitation activities in the lodgings, back yards, wells, as well as of holding to the discipline of rodent-born infection prevention. On-time notification of the population under emergency conditions benefited to the reduction of risks associated with aggravation of sanitary-epidemiological situation in the exposed territories.

Management of Activities of the Rospotrebnadzor Institutions in the Khabarovsk Territory with the View to Sanitary-Epidemiological Welfare Provision for the Population in the Period of High Water

In order to enhance the surveillance over sanitary-epidemiological situation in the period of flood, 2013 Rospotrebnadzor institutions in the Khabarovsk Territory took anti-epidemic team augmentation, affiliated to Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute. Moreover, forged have been 30 mobile units for investigation of sanitary conditions in the residential areas of the region, water supply and water-consuming facilities, quality of nutrition among the population, living and sanitary conditions in the temporal accommodation sites; 11 mobile groups for sample collecting from ambient environment objects. Carried out has been operational deployment of two laboratory sub-units with the following membership: 5 microbiological, 5 sanitary-chemical, 2 radiological and 1 virusological facilities. By efforts of Rospotrebnadzor institutions performed has been a complex of key sanitary-hygienic, anti-epidemic and prophylactic measures aimed at prevention and control over distribution of mass infectious diseases, at the provision of sanitary-epidemiological welfare of the population in the Khabarovsk Territory, and the relief of social tension during the period of rainfall floods in August-September, 2013.

Provision for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare of the Population of the Jewish Autonomous Region during High Water and Post-Flooding Period

Put forward was operational protocol as regards Rospotrebnadzor institutions policies in the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Region for the prevention of epidemiological implications during the post-flooding period in reference to infectious diseases. Carried out were control measures over infection morbidity rate, drinking water quality, disinfection of water supply sources, as well as sewage systems. Actions undertaken made it possible to prevent cluster cases of infectious diseases both in the flooded areas and at the temporal accommodation sites; to provide control over acute intestinal and natural-focal disease incidence, keeping it to the level of long-term average annual indexes; and to supply the population with drinking water of high quality.

Experience in Providing Medical Assistance to the Population of the Amur Region Exposed to the Effects of the Flood

Medical assistance to individuals residing in the flooded areas of the region was delivered on a priority basis throughout the health care institutions on the territorial-division principle, at the temporal accommodation sites, further on - long-term stay centers, 24-hours a day. Determined was the amount of means for specific prophylaxis, immunized was the contingent under risk, stocked up were pharmaceutical preparations, medical products and consumables. Therewith, carried out therapeutic, medical-preventive operations turned out to be on-time and sufficient for providing essential complex of medical assistance to the exposed population in the devastated areas.

Retrospective Analysis of Enterovirus Infection Morbidity Rate in the Territory of the Amur Region and Peculiarities of Epidemic Process in the Period of Large-Scale Flood

There has been observed a tendency to increment of enterovirus morbidity rate over the past seven years. Foci of this infection have been formed in the area from time to time, with minor forms of the disease being predominant in clinical findings. Genetically enteroviruses circulating in the Amur Region have been characterized as homogenous; however there is a genetic relation among them with and, consequently, epidemiologic connection to enteroviruses originated from China. However, since May, 2013 there has been detected a boost activation of epidemic process as regards enteroviral infection, followed by the formation of two major foci with clustered infection, due to importation from Thailand as well. Emergency situation under conditions of flood (August-September, 2013) has contributed to aggravation of epidemiological situation on enteroviral infection. It has led to the increase in numbers of the exposed up to the maximum level for the past few years. In the territory of the temporal accommodation sites, where affected by high water and exposed to the infection population was placed, registered have been the cases of clustered enterovirus infection.

Prevention of the Infectious Disease Dissemination in Temporal Accommodation Sites during the Large-Scale Flood in the Amur Region

Abnormal rainfall flooding in the Amur Region formed premises for aggravation of epidemiological situation on acute enteric infections. Despite the organized strict control over compliance with applicable sanitary-epidemiological regulations at the temporal accommodation sites, a cluste of enterovirus infection occurred in one of them. On-time performed anti-epidemic measures made it possible to avoid distribution of the infection among the evacuated population and its dissemination outside the territory of that temporal accommodation site. Displayed are the data on operational experience of the Rospotrebnadzor institutions in the Amur Region in managing prophylactic and anti-epidemic activities aimed at the prevention of occurrence and distribution of the infectious diseases among the population evacuated from areas exposed to flood and placed in temporal accommodation sites.

Towards sustainable growth in nature-based tourism destinations: Clients’ views of land use options in Finnish Lapland

The recent tourism development plans for nature-based tourism destinations have raised concerns about how sustainable land use targets can be achieved. In Lapland, Northern Finland, the aim is to double the annual visitor rates by 2020 by boosting construction, which may threaten the quality of the landscape and the perceived environment. The tourism destinations should meet clients’ environmental expectations and, therefore, it is important to assess the acceptability and desirability of ongoing or anticipated land use changes.This research aimed at studying tourists’ environmental and accommodation preferences in northern Lapland tourism destinations. Altogether, 1054 foreign and domestic tourists participated in the on-site survey carried out during 2009–2010 at two main tourism destinations in Finnish Lapland. The respondents were asked about their willingness to engage in sustainable tourism practices, as well as their evaluation of different land use development options in the tourism destinations.The results suggest that building density and patterns are important in defining the quality of the environment in tourism destinations, as they affect the nature experiences associated with accommodation. The tourists valued small-scale accommodation units, habitat protection, green infrastructure, and easy access to authentic nature in the environs of their accommodation site. The study results stress the need for careful planning and design in tourism destinations while aiming for eco-efficient land use. The efforts include conservation of natural forest vegetation and landscaping practices, in addition to ensuring views of nature from the accommodation.

Asylum and the Post-Political: Domopolitics, Depoliticisation and Acts of Citizenship

This paper explores the ways in which practices of asylum governance serve to depoliticise those seeking asylum in the UK. In critiquing claims over the “post-political” nature of contemporary governance, the paper proposes a focus upon situated practices of depoliticisation which displace those seeking asylum through the production of specific sites of accommodation and specific discourses of risk, security and moralised concern. The paper questions the tendency within “post-political” thought to strip the potential of modes of informal citizenship through arguing that minor acts of resistance are ineffectual and illusory. In response, the paper explores irregular migrant's “acts of citizenship”, and suggests that such prosaic acts can be powerful forms of political interruption through which new ways of seeing asylum are constructed. The paper concludes by suggesting that an incremental politics orientated around such acts of interruption is essential to challenge the material, affective and discursive closures of asylum domopolitics.

Decrypting third body flows to solve dry lubrication issue – MoS2 case study under ultrahigh vacuum

Feedback from former applications and parametric studies often give recommendations on how to use solid lubricants but, based on those elements, it is difficult to predict how they will behave and for how long lubrication can be asserted. Mastering friction and wear requires understanding the contact life. Decryption of the contact life needs considering dynamic flows of 3rd body inside the contact. Those flows depend on a mechano-physico-chemical coupling effect occurring at and between all scales (nano, micro, and macro). In this study, an experimental procedure to decrypt those flows is proposed. This procedure couples both real time measurements (Friction forces, Mass spectrometry, Optical Visualization) and post-mortem analysis (Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy). As mechanical and physico-chemical measurements are performed simultaneously, the relationship between them both can be studied. The method is applied to MoS2 PVD coatings. The decryption of the 3rd body flows and the identification of velocities accommodation sites and modes allowed to identify columnar structure as the main reason for low friction and long life. It also raised the question of a beneficial role of coating original contamination on the tribological behavior of the studied MoS2 coating.

Travel-associated Legionnaires’ disease in Europe, 2010

In 2010, the European surveillance network for travel-associated Legionnaires' disease (ELDSNet, previously EWGLINET) received reports of 864 cases of travel-associated Legionnaires' disease, of whom 24 were reported to have had a fatal outcome. As in previous years, a very low proportion of clinical isolates were obtained (45 cases, 5.6%). In the 2010 dataset, male cases outnumbered female cases by 2.6:1 and had a median age of 61 years (range: 21-96), while the median age for women was 63 years (range: 12-95). The network identified 100 new clusters in 2010, of which 44 involved only one case from each reporting country and would probably not have been detected by national surveillance schemes alone. The largest cluster (having 14 cases) was associated with a cruise ship. Legionella species were detected at 61 of the 100 accommodation site clusters investigated. The names of five accommodation sites were published on the ECDC website.

Sedimentological characterization of the mid-Cretaceous Mishrif reservoir in southern Mesopotamian Basin, Iraq

ABSTRACT The CenomanianÐEarly Turonian reservoirs of the Mishrif Formation of the Mesopotamian Basin hold more than one-third of the proven Iraqi oil reserves. Difficulty in predicting the presence of these mostly rudistic reservoir units is mainly due to the complex paleogeography of the Mishrif depositional basin, which has not been helped by numerous previous studies using differing facies schemes over local areas. Here we present a regional microfacies-based study that incorporates earlier data into a comprehensive facies model. This shows that extensive accumulation of rudist banks usually occurred along an exterior shelf margin of the basin along an axis that runs from Hamrin to Badra and southeast of that, with additional interior rudist margins around an intra-shelf basin to the southwest. Regional tectonism defined the accommodation sites during the platform development. Facies analysis allowed the recognition of 21 microfacies types and their transgressive-regressive cyclic stacking pattern. Sequence-stratigraphic analysis led to the recognition of three complete third-order sequences within the studied Mishrif succession. Eustatic sea-level changes were the primary control on this sequence development but local tectonics was important at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary. Rudist biostromes are stacked as thicker shallowing-up cycles composed of several smaller-scale cycles. In places, smaller cycles are clearly shingled (stacked laterally). Iraq’s Mishrif sequences are thus analogous to coeval systems across the Arabian Plate in Oman, United Arab Emirates, offshore Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, southwest Iran and the Levant. Analysis of poroperm trends shows porosity increasing beneath sequence boundaries due to karstification and meteoric dissolution. The presence of interconnected vugs in grain-dominated fabric make the rudist biostromes the best reservoir units. Dissolution of aragonitic components of rudist shells was the most important diagenetic process that enhanced reservoir characteristics. The presence of rudist-bearing facies with their diagenetic overprint within regressive cycles is considered the primary factor in effective porosity development and distribution. As a result, because of depositional heterogeneities (facies type distribution and their 3-D geometries) and the influence of sequence boundaries on reservoir quality, each field shows unique geometrical combinations of pay zones, barriers and seals.

Risk for Travel-associated Legionnaires’ Disease, Europe, 2009

Legionnaires' disease is underreported in Europe; notification rates differ substantially among countries. Approximately 20% of reported cases are travel-associated. To assess the risk for travel-associated Legionnaires' disease (TALD) associated with travel patterns in European countries, we retrieved TALD surveillance data for 2009 from the European Surveillance System, and tourism denominator data from the Statistical Office of the European Union. Risk (number cases reported/number nights spent) was calculated by travel country. In 2009, the network reported 607 cases among European travelers, possibly associated with 825 accommodation sites in European Union countries. The overall risk associated with travel abroad was 0.3 cases/million nights. We observed an increasing trend in risk from northwestern to southeastern Europe; Greece had the highest risk (1.7). Our findings underscore the need for countries with high TALD risks to improve prevention and control of legionellosis; and for countries with high TALD risks, but low notification rates of Legionnaires' disease to improve diagnostics and reporting.

Experience of place for young adults under 65 years with complex disabilities moving into purpose-built residential care

The aim of this research was to examine first-person accounts of the significance of place for young adults (aged between 18 and 65 years of age) with complex disabilities moving into purpose-built residential care accommodation. Interviews with residents, family members and staff working at the accommodation site considered the impact of the physical, care and social environment on the experience of place. Five elements of experience were identified, including (a) freedom and self-expression, (b) designed for disability (c) flexible and responsive care environment, (d) establishing relationships and (e) defining spaces. Findings confirmed the need for a ‘value added approach’ to housing and support for young adults with complex disability. A value added approach extends the importance of place beyond the physical context for people with complex conditions and incorporates essential symbolic and relational concepts of value –being of value (for family members), having value (for residents) and giving value (for staff). The framework of the therapeutic landscape is applied within the context of supported residential care and the factors that promote a healing environment are examined.

Travel-associated Legionnaires’ disease in residents from England and Wales travelling to Corfu, Greece, August to October 2011

Fourteen cases of Legionnaires’ disease were confirmed in residents from England and Wales with history of travel to Corfu, Greece, in the 14 days before symptom onset. These cases were reported to the Health Protection Agency national surveillance scheme for Legionnaires’ disease in residents of England and Wales between August and October 2011. In addition, one case in a Greek national and a case of non-pneumonic legionellosis in a resident from Scotland were also reported. Few cases shared the same accommodation site in Corfu during their incubation period. Epidemiological investigations and microbiological analysis of clinical and environmental samples excluded a single source but rather implicated several accommodation sites as sources of sporadic infection. Control measures have since been implemented at these accommodation sites and no further cases have been reported. This incident highlights the value of epidemiological typing and the importance of effective international response to control and prevent legionella infection.

Fuzzy Time Series: An Application to Tourism Demand Forecasting

Problem statement: Forecasting is very important in many types of organizations since predictions of future events must be incorporated into the decision-making process. In the case of tourism demand, better forecast would help directors and investors make operational, tactical and strategic decisions. Besides that, government bodies need accurate tourism demand forecasts to plan required tourism infrastructures, such as accommodation site planning and transportation development, among other needs. There are many types of forecasting methods. Generally, time series forecasting can be divided into classical method and modern methods. Recent studies show that the newer and more advanced forecasting techniques tend to result in improved forecast accuracy, but no clear evidence shows that any one model can consistently outperform other models in the forecasting competition. Approach: In this study, the performance of forecasting between classical methods (Box-Jenkins methods Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), Holt Winters and time series regression) and modern methods (fuzzy time series) has been compared by using data of tourist arrivals to Bali and Soekarno-Hatta gate in Indonesia as case study. Results: The empirical results show that modern methods give more accurate forecasts compare to classical methods. Chen’s fuzzy time series method outperforms all the classical methods and others more advance fuzzy time series methods. We also found that the performance of fuzzy time series methods can be improve by using transformed data. Conclusion: It is found that the best method to forecast the tourist arrivals to Bali and Soekarno-Hatta was to be the FTS i.e., method after using data transformation. Although this method known to be the simplest or conventional methods of FTS, yet this result should not be odd since several previous studies also have shown that simple method could outperform more advance or complicated methods.