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Hudgens, Faith Victoria. "AN ASSESSMENT OF STREAM QUALITY IN RELATION TO POPULATION HEALTH OF PLANTAGO CORDATA." OpenSIUC, 2021. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/2887.
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Understanding the health of rare and at-risk plant species is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. Rare and at-risk species are often specialists with very specific requirements for growth and reproductive success. Some parameters associated with growth and reproductive success of rare aquatic species may include biotic and abiotic factors such as herbivory, competition, water depth, pH, and other factors associated with habitat quality. In this thesis, the population health of the rare and at-risk aquatic species Plantago cordata in Southern Illinois streams is assessed in relation to stream quality of sites containing Plantago cordata and sites without Plantago cordata.The objectives of this study were to (1) Determine if there is a relationship between population size structure and biotic habitat factors among populations and sites, and (2) Determine if there is a relationship between population size structure and abiotic habitat factors among populations and sites. Hypotheses were constructed using the hierarchy-of hypotheses method and most narrow alternative hypotheses are as follows: (1) There will be significant relationships between biotic and abiotic factors and Plantago cordata growth and reproductive success. (2) Levels of herbivory will have significant relationships with growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata. (3) The abundance of co-occurring species individually and considered in functional groups (graminoid, herb, woody) will have significant relationships with growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata. (4) Stream depth will have a unimodal relationship with growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata, with maximum performance at an intermediate stream depth. (5) Stream pH will have a unimodal relationship with growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata. (6) Stream quality (as outlined by the QHEI assessment) will have significant relationships with growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata. General trends in herbivory suggest that Plantago cordata could be at greatest risk of herbivory during warmest average temperatures of the study season. There is evidence to suggest that flowering individuals could have a greater threat of herbivory than other growth stages based on Kendal correlation results. A Wilcox test determined that there were no statistical differences in species richness for plots with versus without Plantago cordata. There were relatively low values for percent cover of co-occurring species when considered in functional groups and there was overall relatively low species richness across all communities. Despite this, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) of community data provided evidence to suggest that there were statistical differences in the species composition of co-occurring individual riparian species among P. cordata populations. A significant negative correlation for water depth and flowering individuals and a significant positive correlation with water depth and pH occurred. A significant positive correlation for stream pH with the numbers of seedlings and dehiscing individuals was also found. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed that some populations containing Plantago cordata were found to have stream pH values statistically different from nearby IEPA control streams without Plantago cordata. One population of Plantago cordata was found to be significantly different than two other populations in regards to stream pH using a linear mixed model. A principal components analysis (PCA) of stream Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) assessments demonstrated distinct clustering of Plantago cordata streams and control IEPA streams without Plantago cordata. These findings provide partial evidence to suggest that growth and reproductive success of Plantago cordata could potentially be impacted by the abiotic and biotic parameters explored in this thesis.
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Niang, Mamadou. "Assessment of the Basis for Increased Illness in Workers Exposed to Biosolids." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1602152859360418.
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Santos-Araujo, Sabrina Novaes dos. "Soil-to-plant transfer of heavy metals and an assessment of human health risks in vegetable-producing areas of São Paulo state." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/11/11140/tde-30042015-152533/.
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While contaminated food products are known to be a leading source of exposure to potentially toxic elements (PTEs), for the general population, few studies have been carried out to examine PTEs levels in soils and plants in wet tropical regions such as Brazil. While the most commonly used index for estimating PTEs accumulation in vegetables and the subsequent exposure to humans who eat them is the bioconcentration factor (BCF) - the ratio between the concentration of metals in the edible portions of produce and their total concentration in soils - the BCF does not provide an adequate description of soil-to-plant metal transfers. A better understanding of such transfers requires information about the soil attributes that influence the availability of PTEs to plants. The state of São Paulo (SP) is the largest consumer of vegetables in Brazil, as well as the largest and most diversified producer. Studies are therefore needed on PTEs concentrations in soils and vegetables, in order to assess their quality under guidelines established by Brazilian legislation. It is likewise crucial to establish critical limits of these elements in soils, via models that assess risks to human health, based on data that reflect current conditions in the soils of São Paulo. The objectives in this study were: (i) to characterize and to evaluate the relations between the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in soils and in vegetables from the \"Green Belt\" of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, taking the limits established by legislation into account; (ii) to develop empiric models to derive appropriate soil screening values and to provide an accurate risk assessment for tropical regions; (iii) to develop proposals for improved human health-based screening values for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in São Paulo soils, using soil - vegetable relations. With the exception of Cd, there was a positive correlation between pseudototais and bioavailable contents of PTEs. Cd and Pb content in plants, moreover, not significantly correlated with any of the variables studied. All models of random forests and trees were good predictors of results generated from a regression model and provided useful information about which covariates were important to forecast only for the zinc concentration in the plant. The soil-plant transfer models proposed in this study had a good performance and are useful for eight of the ten combinations (five metals versus two species). SP data combined with NL data for Cd in lettuce and for Ni and Zn in lettuce and in carrot when pH, organic carbon - OC and clay contents were included in the model. Including such soil properties results in improved relations between PTEs concentrations in soils and in vegetables to derive appropriate screening values for SP State. The model in which pH, OC and clay contents were included gave the most useful results with SP and NL data set combined for Cu, Pb, Zn in lettuce and for Cd and Cu in carrot. Our setup did not work for Ni and for Pb in carrot because the data models gave an inconsistent result and the combination of datasets did not or insufficiently improve the results.Uma das principais vias de exposição de elementos potencialmente tóxicos (EPT) para a maioria da população é por meio da ingestão de alimentos, mas poucos são os estudos relacionados às concentrações de EPTs em solos e em vegetais de regiões tropicais úmidas, sobretudo no Brasil. O índice mais comumente utilizado para estimar o acúmulo de EPTs em vegetais e a subsequente exposição humana pelo consumo de vegetais é o fator de bioconcentração (BCF), que é a razão entre a concentração de metais em partes comestíveis de hortaliças e da concentração total do metal no solo. Porém, o BCF não descreve adequadamente a transferência solo-planta de metais. Assim, a utilização de relações envolvendo os principais atributos dos solos que influenciam a disponibilidade dos EPTs às plantas pode explicar com mais detalhe as relações solo-planta. O estado de São Paulo é o maior mercado consumidor, além de ser o maior e mais diversificado produtor olerícola no Brasil. Assim, são necessárias pesquisas referentes às concentrações de metais pesados em solos e hortaliças, para avaliação da qualidade dos mesmos em relação aos limites estabelecidos pela legislação. Os objetivos neste trabalho foram: (i) caracterizar e avaliar as relações solo-planta entre as concentrações de Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb e Zn em solos e olerícolas de folhas e raiz no estado de São Paulo, tendo em vista os limites estabelecidos pela legislação; (ii) desenvolver modelos empíricos para poder derivar adequados limites críticos do solo e fornecer uma avaliação de risco precisa para regiões tropicais; (iii) desenvolver propostas para melhorar os limites críticos baseados na saúde humana para Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb e Zn em solos de São Paulo, utilizando relações solo-planta adequadas para as condições tropicais. Com exceção do Cd, houve correlação positiva entre os teores pseudototais e biodisponíveis dos EPTs. Os teores de Cd e de Pb nas plantas, por outro lado, não correlacionaram significativamente com nenhuma das variáveis estudadas. Os modelos de florestas aleatórias e árvores foram bons preditores de resultados gerados a partir de um modelo de regressão e forneceram informações úteis sobre quais covariáveis foram importantes para previsão apenas para o teor de Zn na planta. A aplicação de modelos de transferência solo-planta proposto neste estudo tiveram bom desempenho e foram úteis para oito das dez combinações (cinco metais contra duas espécies). O conjunto de resultados de SP pode ser combinado com o da Holanda usando o modelo em que se incluem pH, teor de carbono orgânico - CO e teor de argila para Cd em alface e para Ni e Zn na alface e na cenoura. O modelo foi mais eficiente com os conjunto de resultados combinados para Cu, Pb, Zn, em alface e para Cd e Cu na cenoura. A abordagem não foi eficiente para Ni e para Pb em cenoura, com resultados incoerentes para os conjuntos de resultados combindados ou separados, para os quatro modelos testados.
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Sansayavichai, Pathratipa. "An approach designed for regional prospective human health and ecological risk assessment and its application to mercury risks from a coal-fired power plant." Connect to this title online, 2009.
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Sánchez, Soberón Francisco. "Assessment of the human health risks and toxicity associated to particles (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1), organic pollutants and metals around cement plants." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/525816.
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Les partícules en suspensió (PM) són el contaminant aeri més perillós per a la salut humana. Aquestes es componen de partícules sòlides i líquides que floten a l’aire i que tenen mida i composició química diversa. Les PM solen classificar-se segons la seva mida. Així, aquelles que presenten un diàmetre menor de 10 micres es nomenen PM10, les menors de 2,5 micres es coneixen com PM2.5, i les menors de 1 micres es nomenen PM1. Una de les indústries tradicionalment reconegudes com a font de PM són les cimenteres. Encara que hi ha nombrosos estudis dedicats a les PM al voltant de cimenteres, aquests solen enfocar-se en les PM10, ignorant la importància d'aquelles més petites, i que poden arribar a zones més profundes de l'aparell respiratori. En la present tesi es van recollir PM10, PM2.5 i PM1 en una àrea influenciada per una cimentera durant diferents estacions. Posteriorment, es va dur a terme una caracterització fisicoquímica d'aquestes partícules, per estudiar els seus riscos inhalatoris i contribució de la cimentera al total de PM ambiental. A més, part d'aquestes partícules es van dedicar a fer assajos in-vitro amb cèl·lules respiratòries, per avaluar la seva toxicitat. Els majors nivells de PM es van registrar a l'hivern. A més, es va trobar que més del 60% de les partícules respirables són PM1. Aquesta última fracció va contenir els majors nivells d'alguns metalls pesats i hidrocarburs policíclics, presentant els majors riscos per a la població. Les proves in-vitro van revelar que la fracció fina (PM2.5) donava lloc a una toxicitat general més gran que les PM10. Finalment, la contribució de la cimentera al total de PM ambiental va resultar patent i dependent de l'estat productiu de la planta. Els resultats d'aquesta tesi mostren la importància d'estudiar les partícules fines (PM2.5 i PM1) en entorns influenciats per fàbriques de ciment.Las partículas en suspensión (PM) son el contaminante aéreo más peligroso para la salud humana. Éstas se componen de partículas sólidas y líquidas que flotan en el aire y que tienen tamaño y composición química diversa. Las PM suelen clasificarse según su tamaño. Así, aquellas que presentan un diámetro menor de 10 µm se nombran PM10, las menores de 2,5 µm se conocen como PM2.5, y las menores de 1 µm se nombran PM1. Una de las industrias tradicionalmente reconocidas como fuente de PM son las cementeras. Aunque hay numerosos estudios dedicados a las PM alrededor de cementeras, éstos suelen enfocarse en las PM10, ignorando la importancia de aquéllas más pequeñas, y que pueden llegar a zonas más profundas del aparato respiratorio. En la presente tesis se recogieron PM10, PM2.5 y PM1 en un área influenciada por una cementera en diferentes estaciones. Posteriormente, se llevó a cabo una caracterización fisicoquímica de estas partículas, para estudiar sus riesgos inhalatorios y contribución de la cementera al total de PM ambiental. Además, parte de estas partículas se dedicaron a hacer ensayos de in-vitro con células respiratorias, para evaluar su toxicidad. Los mayores niveles de PM se registraron en invierno. Además, se encontró que más del 60% de las partículas respirables son PM1. Esta última fracción contuvo los mayores niveles de algunos metales pesados e hidrocarburos policíclicos, presentando los mayores riesgos para la población. Las pruebas in-vitro revelaron que la fracción fina (PM2.5) daba lugar a una toxicidad general mayor que las PM10. Por último, la contribución de la cementera al total de PM ambiental resultó patente y dependiente del estado productivo de la planta. Los resultados de esta tesis muestran la importancia de estudiar las partículas finas (PM2.5 y PM1) en entornos influenciados por fábricas de cemento.
Particulate matter (PM) is the most dangerous air pollutant for human health. Particulate matter is composed of solid and liquid particles floating in the air and having different size and chemical composition. PMs are usually classified according to their size. Thus, those with a diameter smaller than 10 μm are named PM10, those smaller than 2.5 μm are known as PM2.5, and those smaller than 1 μm are referred as PM1. Cement plants are one of the industries traditionally recognized as sources of PM. Although there are numerous studies dedicated to PM around cement factories, they tend to focus on PM10, ignoring the importance of smaller PM, which can reach deeper areas of the respiratory system. In the present thesis PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were collected in an area influenced by a cement plant in different seasons. Subsequently, a physicochemical characterization of these particles was carried out to study their inhalation risks and the cement plant's contribution to the total environmental PM. In addition, to evaluate their toxicity part of these particles was dedicated to performing in-vitro tests with respiratory cells. The highest PM levels were recorded in winter. In addition, it was found that more than 60% of the respirable particles are PM1. This last fraction contained the highest levels of some heavy metals and polycyclic hydrocarbons, presenting the greatest risks for the population. In-vitro tests revealed that the fine fraction (PM2.5) resulted in a higher overall toxicity than PM10. Finally, the contribution of the cement company to the total environmental PM was clear and dependent on the productive state of the plant. The results of this thesis highlight the importance of studying fine particles (PM2.5 and PM1) in environments influenced by cement factories.
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Barrett, Cindy L. "Range-wide Prevalence and Impacts of Pseudocercosporella inconspicua on Lilium grayi and an Assessment of L. superbum and L. michauxii as Reservoirs." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3249.
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Lilium grayi (Gray’s Lily), a southern Appalachian endemic species, is threatened by a Lilium-specific fungal pathogen, Pseudocercosporella inconspicua. The disease is characterized by tan lesions that can cause early senescence, while also lowering seed production and viability. This project tested for P. inconspicua conidia and accessed health at nine locations. The disease was present and ubiquitous across the range of L. grayi. Through identification of P. inconspicua conidia in the field, L. superbum (Turk’s Cap Lily) was identified as an additional host, while L. michauxii (Michaux’s Lily) was disease-free. However, infection was inducible in both species. With the disease widespread in L. superbum and this species represented by many large populations, L. superbum may act as disease reservoir, further complicating the outlook for L. grayi. The disease should be considered an epidemic because of its impact on individual plants, its commonness within populations, and its ubiquity across the geographical range.
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CAMARGO, IARA M. C. de. "Estudo da influencia do coeficiente de particao de metais no solo de Figueira, Parana, no calculo de risco a saude humana, utilizando o modelo c-soil." reponame:Repositório Institucional do IPEN, 2005. http://repositorio.ipen.br:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/11356.
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Tese (Doutoramento)
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Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN/CNEN-SP
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Kocha, Jahnavi. "A Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Uranium Concentrations at the Abandoned New Hope Method Mine in the Mojave Desert." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2019. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2237.
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The impacts of mining are easily observable in the way they alter the terrain of landscapes, displace animals, and increase waste accumulation in an area. An unobservable impact and one that lasts a long time is by radioactive exposure in the environment. Specifically, this is a risk at uranium (U) mine sites which are expanding in number to accommodate the world’s growing energy needs, and even to accommodate weapons manufacturing. This paper analyses the impacts of an abandoned uranium mine on the local environment through measurements of Uranium concentration in soil, plants, and rocks. Transect sampling was used to collect 22 soil samples and 17 plant samples between 5 and 100m of the mine shaft. Uranium concentrations in soil and plant samples, digested with nitric acid, were measured with an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), and an X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to find the mineral contents of the rock samples. Satellite positions were associated with each sample, which allowed an effective spatial analysis of the Uranium concentration values. U values in soil ranged from 0 to 5.291ppm, with mean concentrations of 0.710 ppm, and U values in plants ranged from 0.0323 to 0.1121ppm with mean concentrations of 0.0558 ppm. A paired t-test determined that there was no spatial autocorrelation in U concentrations of plants and adjacent soils. The highest U concentration was found closest to the mine, peaking at ~7.3 meters from the mine, and low spatial variability occurs in U concentrations at greater than 10 meters from the mine. In comparison with other mines internationally, U concentrations at this study site were low, which may be indicative of a small operating mine, efficient clean-up, and transport mechanisms of U in desert environments.
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Barraza, Castelo Fiorella. "Evaluation de l'exposition humaine liée aux activités pétrolières en Equateur : de la surveillance de la qualité de l'air à l'étude du transfert des contaminants métalliques dans le continuum sol-plante." Thesis, Toulouse 3, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017TOU30168/document.
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L'Équateur est le 5ème pays producteur de pétrole en Amérique du Sud. Les étapes d'extraction et de raffinage génèrent des déchets contentant des métaux co-émis avec les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAPs), connus pour leurs effets cancérogènes et toxiques chez l'homme. Dans ce contexte et dans le cadre du programme ANR MONOIL, le premier objectif de cette thèse était de déterminer la distribution des métaux dans l'environnement sur les provinces d'Orellana et Sucumbíos (zones d'extraction du pétrole en Amazonie, " NAR ") et dans la ville d'Esmeraldas (raffinerie, sur la côte Pacifique," NPC "). Le 2ème objectif était d'étudier le transfert des métaux depuis le sol ou l'air vers les cacaoyers, largement cultivés en Equateur, et d'en déterminer les impacts sur la santé après ingestion. Enfin, le 3ème objectif était de surveiller la qualité de l'air (PM10) afin d'évaluer l'impact des activités anthropiques et le potentiel oxydatif des particules. Des sols et des cultures ont été collectés dans 31 fermes entre 2014 et 2016. Des échantillons d'air ont été prélevés mensuellement sur 3 sites, à proximité des plateformes pétrolières et de la raffinerie. La composition chimique (teneurs en métaux, carbone organique et élémentaire, ions, sucres, polyols, HAPs) a été déterminée dans les PM10. L'évaluation des risques sanitaires a été réalisée via 3 voies d'exposition. Les effets non cancérogènes et cancérogènes ont été quantifiés à l'aide de l'Indice de Risque (HI) et du Risque Total de Cancer (TCR). La bioaccessibilité du Cd par ingestion a été déterminée avec le test BARGE dans les pâtes et fèves de cacao. La formation d'espèces réactives de l'oxygène (ROS) a été quantifiée par spectrophotométrie en utilisant 3 essais acellulaires: DTT, AA et DCFH. Les résultats montrent que dans 72% des sites, les concentrations en Ba, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, V et Zn dans les sols dépassent les limites de la législation équatorienne. Pour la plupart des cultures, les concentrations en métaux sont inférieures aux limites de détection, sauf pour le Cd dans le cacao et le Pb dans le manioc, qui dérogent aux normes de qualité alimentaire. Les cacaoyers accumulent le Cd dans les feuilles, les cabosses et les fèves. Comme la teneur en Cd du pétrole est inférieure à la limite de détection, les produits agrochimiques et les intrants organiques peuvent être incriminés. Près de 100% de la teneur totale en Cd dans les pâtes et fèves de cacao est bioaccessible par ingestion. Le risque pour la santé après consommation de chocolat oscille entre faible et élevé, selon la quantité ingérée. Dans les PM10, le Ba et le Mo, traceurs spécifiques des activités pétrolières, ont montré des valeurs beaucoup plus élevées que celles enregistrées dans les sites industriels. Les ratios OC/EC étaient plus élevés en Amazonie, suggérant des émissions biogéniques plus importantes. La teneur en HAPs est plus élevée sur la côte, cependant les niveaux de BaP étaient inférieurs aux limites de l'UE. Les résultats du potentiel oxydatif ont montré que les composés émis par l'industrie pétrolière (HAPs, Ba, Ni, Zn), par la combustion de la biomasse (sucres) dans le NAR ainsi que les traceurs industriels dans le NPC (As, Ba, Ni, NH4+) corrèlent avec la génération de ROS. Les principales voies d'exposition aux métaux sont l'ingestion et l'inhalation et, dans une moindre mesure, le contact dermique avec le sol. Les enfants tout comme les adultes sont vulnérables aux effets toxiques de ces composés. Enfin, d'autres facteurs comme la déforestation, l'agriculture et les émissions naturelles (volcans) dans le NAR mais aussi les industries dans le NPC contribuent également aux dégâts environnementaux constatés et aux effets néfastes sur la santéEcuador is the 5th crude oil producer country in South America. Oil extraction and refining generate toxic waste containing metals co-emitted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naturally present in crude oil or added during production, and known for their carcinogenic and toxic effects in humans. In this context and as a part of the ANR MONOIL program, the first aim of this PhD research was to determine the distribution of metal(loid)s in the environment in the provinces of Orellana and Sucumbíos (oil extraction, North Amazon " NAR ") and the city of Esmeraldas (oil refining, North Pacific Coast, " NPC "). The second aim was to determine if there was a transfer of toxic metals, such as Cd, from soil or air to cacao crops, widely cultivated in Ecuador, and if the consumption of cacao-based products could imply risks for human health. Finally, the third aim was to monitor air quality over 2 years in both areas to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities and the oxidative burden of particulate matter (PM10). Soils and local crops were collected in 31 small-scale farms, between 2014 and 2016. Monthly PM10 samples were collected in 3 sites, in the vicinity of oil platforms close to the refinery. PM10 chemical composition (contents in metals, organic and elementary carbon (OC, EC), ions, sugars, polyols, PAHs) was determined. Human health risk assessment was performed taking into account ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact. Non carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects were quantified using the Hazard Index (HI) and the Total Cancer Risk (TCR). Bioaccessibility of Cd after ingestion was determined by the BARGE in vitro test in cacao beans and liquors. In aerosols, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was quantified using 3 acellular assays: DTT (dithiothreitol), AA (ascorbic acid) and DCFH (2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein). Ba, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, V and Zn concentrations in 72% of the study soils exceeded the limits of the Ecuadorian legislation. For most of the crops, elements were below the limits of detection but, Cd in cacao and Pb in manioc were above the international standards for food quality. Cacao trees accumulate Cd in leaves, pod husks and beans. Because Cd contents in crude oil were below the detection limits, agrochemical products and natural inputs may also be important sources. Almost 100% of the total Cd content in cacao beans and liquor was bioaccessible by ingestion. The health risk after chocolate consumption was low to high, depending on the ingestion rate and the cacao liquor percentage. In PM10, As, Cd, Ni and Pb were below the EU thresholds. However, Ba and Mo, specific tracers of oil activities, used as weighting agents or catalyzers during drilling and refining, showed values much higher than those recorded in other urban-industrialized sites. PM10 composition depended on oil activity. OC/EC ratios were higher in the NAR (oil extraction) than in the NPC (oil refining), suggesting that biogenic emissions were more important in the Amazon area. PAHs contents were higher in the NPC, but levels of benzo-a-pyrene were below the EU limits. Oxidative potential results showed that compounds emitted by oil industry (PAHs, Ba, Ni, Zn) and by biomass burning (sugars) in the NAR as well as industrial tracers in the NPC (As, Ba, Ni, NH4+) were correlated with ROS generation. Regarding residential exposure, the main routes of exposure to metal(loid)s were first ingestion, inhalation and in a small extent soil dermal contact, being both children and adults vulnerable. Finally, the oil Ecuadorian environment is not only contaminated by oil activities. Other factors like deforestation, agriculture and natural emissions (volcanos) in the NAR and industries in the NPC also contribute to environmental damages and may lead to adverse health effects
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Brown, Wade Robert. "A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF CAMPUS VIOLENCE PREVENTION PLANS AT THREE ILLINOIS HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS." OpenSIUC, 2013. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/728.
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The postsecondary acts of violence at Virginia Technical University (VT) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) forced Illinois legislators to approve the Campus Security Enhancement Act in 2008 (110 ILCS 12/20). The Act requires all private and public postsecondary education institutions to develop a Campus Violence Prevention Plan (CVPP), as well as two multi-disciplinary groups to implement the plan and address behaviors of concern, a Campus Violence Prevention Committee (CVPC) and Threat Assessment Team (TAT) (CESA, 2008). Recent research has uncovered that several institutions within the state have not completed their CVPP and the Act has left some institutions unsure of which agency to report to and how to effectively develop and implement their CVPP (Gregory, 2012; Pawlowski & Manetti, 2011). This research study is the first investigation into the groundbreaking Illinois legislation. Utilizing a case study design, the purpose of the research study is to explore how three Illinois postsecondary institutions of similar Carnegie classifications created, implemented, assessed, and addressed challenges in developing their CVPP's. One-on-one interviews and document analysis were used to gather data. With-in case analysis and cross-case analysis were performed to generated research themes to answer the research questions. Four cross-case analysis themes were created to answer the corresponding research questions. Conclusions from this study may assist other Illinois postsecondary institutions in developing their CVPP's and decrease the likelihood of violence occurring in the postsecondary environment.
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Redwood, Morwenna. "Insider perspectives of education, health and care plans." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/18459.
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The introduction of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans proposed in the Children and Families Act 2014 has aimed to give parents and children who are going through the assessment process greater control and choice in decisions, and enhance the multi-professional collaboration between education, health services and social care. This research seeks to evaluate to what extent parents’, children and young people’s, and professionals' experiences correspond to these values at an early stage of implementation. The methodology of this thesis is based on a realistic evaluation framework informed by the work of Pawson and Tilley (1997). Realistic evaluation aims to construct a programme theory which links three distinct broad aspects of a programme: its context, mechanisms and outcomes (C-M-Os). This research employs a programme theory of how an EHC assessment is conducted and has been developed from the current literature on person-centred theory. Person-centred theory has been chosen because of its corresponding value base to the SEND reforms and the recommendation of its use in a number of government policy documents including the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2014). The programme theory has been used to devise questionnaires that have sought to gain professionals' experiences of the assessment process, particularly in relation to multi-agency working, and their perceptions of the person-centred nature of the assessment. In addition, five case studies have explored these issues in more depth to ascertain whether the EHC assessment process in this authority is meeting the core aims of the Children and Families Act 2014. Semi structured interviews and card sorting tasks were devised using the programme theory and conducted with a total of one child, five families and five professionals from five individual EHC assessments. This analysis goes beyond a description of the facilitating factors and barriers to person-centred support and examines how person-centred outcomes arise from specific contexts and mechanisms. Findings suggest that experiences of face-to-face multi-professional collaboration were positive within the EHC assessment group. Nevertheless, professionals expressed frustration that in some cases colleagues were not able to attend meetings due to time constraints, capacity within their services and the commissioning arrangements of their services. Parental and professional experiences of the process appear to be positive. The research demonstrates one case study where a person centred planning approach was utilised very successfully from the perspective of all involved. However, there are significant concerns raised in both phases of this study as to the way in which children and young people are provided with opportunities of contributing to their EHC assessment. The findings are relevant to the development of the EHC assessment process in the local authority (LA) in which I am employed, and will contribute to the debate about the role of educational psychologists (EPs) in evaluating this national policy.
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DeHate, Robin Brewer. "Evaluation of the public health risks associated with former Manufactured Gas Plants." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002737.
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Knight, Amelia Cassidy Terhune Jeffery S. "General fish health assessment and age evaluation of impinged fish at steam generating power plants." Auburn, Ala, 2008. http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/EtdRoot/2008/FALL/Fisheries_and_Allied_Aquacultures/Thesis/Knight_Amelia_50.pdf.
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Clark, Jace, and Grant Skrepnek. "Student Assessment of Risk and Return of Publicly Traded Companies Providing Accident and Health Insurance and Medical Service Plans." The University of Arizona, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/614601.
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Class of 2011 AbstractOBJECTIVES: To assess the risk and return of publicly traded health insurance companies from 1986 through 2010. METHODS: Risk and return was assessed on these companies by identifying them with SIC 6231 and 6234 (Accident and Health Insurance and Medical Service Plans) along with their presence on the CRSP database. Risk and return was analyzed via alpha and beta for SIC 632x, which were calculated utilizing the CAPM, Fama-French 3 Factor and Carhart 4 Factor econometric models. Risk and return was further assessed by calculating a Sharpe ratio along with determining annualized mean excess return and volatility for SIC 632x and the overall market. Lastly, cumulative price paths for both SIC 632x and the overall market were calculated and a Monte Carlo simulation analysis in Matlab and Microsoft Excel was run to simulate 6500 portfolios to compare risk to return ratios for SIC 632x over the time period of 1986-2010 versus the time period of 2006-2010. RESULTS: Overall, 110 companies were identified with SIC 6321 and 6234 and 7938 observations were made. The results were reported in a cross sectional format with five time periods of five years each (1986-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010 respectively). The descriptive statistics showed that SIC 632x had a higher rate of return than the overall market (1.21±14.15 compared to 0.88±4.49; however, they also had greater risk (0.89±14.15 vs 0.57±4.48). The CAPM model captured an overall alpha value of 0.44 while the 3 Factor model provided an overall alpha of -0.20 and the 4 Factor model provided an overall alpha of 0.31. The 4 Factor model had the highest overall r-squared value of 0.16. The overall annualized mean excess return was greater for SIC 632x than the overall market (10.71% vs 6.80%) while the volatility was also greater (20.30% vs 16.17%). Additionally, the Sharpe ratio was calculated and was greater overall for SIC 632x than the overall market (0.53 vs 0.42). Graphically, cumulative asset price paths were illustrated for both SIC 632x and market-based portfolios along with a mean variance efficient frontier for the SIC 623x portfolio set during the time periods of 1986-2010 and 2006-2010. These figures showed increased return for SIC 632x compared to the overall market while illustrating increasing risk and return rate trends for SIC 632x within the sector itself. CONCLUSION: Publicly traded companies providing accident and health insurance and medical service plans possess securities that have potentially higher returns but potentially higher risk relative to the overall market. Furthermore, the findings via the alpha, Sharpe ratio and Efficient Frontier simulation illustrated that the overall market provides a similar risk to return ratio compared to that of the analyzed companies in this study.
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Feeser, Kristiana Marie. "GETTING AHEAD OF THE GAME: A PREVENTATIVE ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS." OpenSIUC, 2020. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1859.
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While we know much about the psychology of sport, little gets translated onto the playing field. Typically, there is only consultation when a problem arises or when performance falls short. The purpose of this study was mainly exploratory in order to gather data on three factors of mental health, find any associations between those factors, and to predict any risk factors using demographic variables. Three validated measurement tools were used to measure burnout (Athlete Burnout Questionnaire; Raedeke & Smith, 2004), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II; Beck et al., 1996), and transition readiness (British Athletes Lifestyle Assessment Needs in Career and Education; Lavallee & Wylleman, 1999). The three measures (ABQ, BDI, and BALANCE) were found to be positively associated based on non-parametric correlation analyses. Medium to large effect sizes were found between each pair, indicating that there are possibly shared factors between depression, burnout, and transition risk. Multiple regression analyses indicated no significant demographic predictors of burnout, depression, or transition readiness. The results of this study show that most student-athletes in this sample are at mild risk for burnout, depression, and transition issues. Mental health screenings, like this one, can provide valuable information to athletic administrations and help avoid larger issues in the future.
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Brudevold, Christine. "Assessment of capitated contract medicine arrangements in Hong Kong : an example of financial incentives and managed care in an unregulated environment /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B20906791.
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Häsler, Barbara Nicole. "Economic assessment of veterinary surveillance programmes that are part of the national control plan of Switzerland." Thesis, Royal Veterinary College (University of London), 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.559028.
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ÖHMAN, AXEL. "Green hydrogen production at Igelsta CHP plant : A techno-economic assessment conducted at Söderenergi AB." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-299434.
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The energy transition taking place in various parts of the world will have many effects on the current energy systems as an increasing amount of intermittent power supply gets installed every year. In Sweden, just as many other countries, this will cause both challenges and opportunities for today´s energy producers. Challenges that may arise along with an increasingly fluctuating electricity production include both power deficits at certain times and regions but also hours of over-production which can cause electricity prices to drop significantly. Such challenges will have to be met by both dispatchable power generation and dynamic consumption. Conversely, actors prepared to adapt to the new climate by implementing new technologies or innovative business models could benefit from the transition towards a fully renewable energy system. This thesis evaluates the techno-economic potential of green hydrogen production at a combined heat and power plant with the objective to provide decision support to a district heat and electricity producer in Sweden. It was in the company’s interest to investigate how hydrogen production could help reduce the production cost of district heat as well as contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. In the project, two separate business models: Power-to-gas and Power-to-power were evaluated on the basis of technical and economic performance and environmental impact. To do this, a mathematical model of the CHP plant and the hydrogen systems was developed in Python which optimizes the operation based on costs. The business models were then simulated for two different years with each year representing a distinctly different electricity market situation. The main conclusions of the study show that Power-to-gas could already be profitable at a hydrogen retail price of 40 SEK per kg, which is the projected retail price for the transportation sector. The demand today is however limited but is expected to grow fast in the near future, especially within heavy transportation. Another limiting factor for hydrogen production showed to be the availability of storage space, as hydrogen gas even at pressures up to 200 bar require large volumes. Power-to-power for frequency regulation was found to not be economically justifiable as the revenue for providing grid services could not outweigh the high investment costs for any of the simulated years. This resulted in a high levelized cost of energy at over 3000 SEK per MWh which was mostly due to the low capacity factor of the power-to-power system. Finally, green hydrogen has the potential of replacing fossil fuels in sectors that is difficult to reach with electricity, for example long-haul road transport or the shipping industry. Therefore, green hydrogen production in large scale could help decarbonize many of society’s fossil-heavy segments. By also serving as a grid-balancer, hydrogen production in a power-to-gas process has the potential of becoming an important part of a renewable energy system.Energiomställningen som äger rum i olika delar av världen kommer att ha många effekter på de nuvarande energisystemen eftersom en ökande mängd väderberoende kraftproduktion installeras varje år. I Sverige, precis som många andra länder, kommer detta att medföra både utmaningar och möjligheter för dagens energiproducenter. Utmaningar som kan uppstå tillsammans med en alltmer fluktuerande elproduktion inkluderar både kraftunderskott vid vissa tider och regioner men också timmar av överproduktion som kan få elpriserna att sjunka avsevärt. Sådana utmaningar måste mötas av både planerbar kraftproduktion och dynamisk konsumtion. Omvänt kan aktörer som är beredda att anpassa sig till det nya klimatet genom att implementera ny teknik eller innovativa affärsmodeller dra nytta av övergången till ett helt förnybart energisystem. Denna rapport utvärderar den tekno-ekonomiska potentialen för produktion av grön vätgas vid ett kraftvärmeverk med målet att ge beslutsstöd till en fjärrvärme- och elproducent i Sverige. Det var i företagets intresse att undersöka hur vätgasproduktion kan bidra till att sänka produktionskostnaden för fjärrvärme samt bidra till att minska växthusgaser. I projektet utvärderades två separata affärsmodeller: Power-to-gas och Power-to-power baserat på teknisk och ekonomisk prestanda samt miljöpåverkan. För att kunna göra detta utvecklades en matematisk modell i Python av kraftvärmeverket och vätgassystemen som optimerar driften baserat på kostnader. Affärsmodellerna simulerades sedan för två olika års elpriser för att undersöka modellens prestanda i olika typer av elmarknader. De viktigaste slutsatserna i studien visar att Power-to-gas redan kan vara lönsamt till ett vätgaspris på 40 SEK per kg, vilket är det förväntade marknadspriset på grön vätgas for transportsektorn. Efterfrågan är idag begränsad men förväntas växa snabbt inom en snar framtid, särskilt inom tung transport. En annan begränsande faktor för vätgasproduktion visade sig vara tillgången på lagringsutrymme, eftersom vätgas även vid tryck upp till 200 bar kräver stora volymer. Power-to-power för frekvensreglering visade sig inte vara ekonomiskt försvarbart, eftersom intäkterna för att tillhandahålla nättjänster inte kunde uppväga de höga investeringskostnaderna under några av de simulerade åren. Detta resulterade i en hög LCOE på över 3000 SEK per MWh, vilket främst berodde på Power-to-power-systemets låga utnyttjandegrad. Slutligen kan det sägas att grön vätgas har stor potential att ersätta fossila bränslen i sektorer som är svåra att elektrifiera, exempelvis tunga vägtransporter eller sjöfart. Därför kan storskalig grön vätgasproduktion hjälpa till att dekarbonisera många av samhällets fossiltunga segment. Genom att dessutom fungera som balansering har väteproduktion i en Power-to-gas-process potential att bli en viktig del av ett system med stor andel förnybar energi.
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Richardson, Carline P. "An Assessment of Atlanta Area Emergency Operations Plans for Emergency Relief Services Utilized by Senior Citizens." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/iph_theses/38.
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The emergency response readiness of the public health and emergency management systems have become increasingly important topics for research, development and action in the United States. Senior citizens represent a large and growing population group in the United States. Older persons are likely to be disproportionately vulnerable during disasters because they are more likely to have chronic illnesses, functional limitations, and sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities than those of younger ages. Elderly health and safety have become the responsibility of the elderly themselves, of the community in which they live, and the various agencies and organizations charged with preparedness planning. The goal of this study was to assess the emergency operations plans (EOPs) of emergency relief agencies and organizations in the Atlanta area for the provision of emergency relief services utilized by senior citizens as a special needs population. The research and analysis performed was completed in two steps: a review of collected disaster and emergency operations plans (EOPs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs), and a qualitative analysis of a survey submitted to the agencies. Although many EOPs and SOPs referred to emergency relief services for special needs populations, the plans were not functional and did not fully outline the ‘who, what, when, where and how” to provide disaster relief services. Public health agencies must endeavor to better address the disaster related needs of elderly persons who have physical disabilities, special medical needs and communication disabilities. Disaster preparedness plans must ensure the availability of all items necessary to control and prevent complications related to chronic diseases, prevent acute events and promote functionality and independence.
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Osedeme, Fenose, Mary Ann PhD Littleton, Hadii Mamudu, Crystal Robertson, Daniel Owusu, and Liang Wang. "Tobacco Policy Findings from a Community-Based Capacity Assessment Used to Develop a Population Health Improvement Plan for Tobacco Control in Appalachian Tennessee." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2019. https://dc.etsu.edu/asrf/2019/schedule/18.
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Abstract
Introduction: Tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the Appalachian Tennessee despite the nationwide decline in tobacco use. The main reason contributing to this nationwide decline in tobacco use is tobacco control applied to prevention, cessation and protection efforts. Evidence indicates that regions with comprehensive tobacco control policies and programs have lower tobacco use prevalence than those with fewer policies and less comprehensive programs, which is characteristic of Tennessee. Therefore, this study examines the current capacity that exists around the tobacco control protection in Appalachian Tennessee.
Methods: During 2015-2016, a Population Health Improvement Plan (PHIP) study involving 222 community stakeholders and 91 organizations was conducted in Appalachian Tennessee to assess the capacity of the region in addressing the high burden of tobacco use. First, twenty (20) key informant interviews were conducted with tobacco control professionals within the eight counties in Northeast Tennessee. Afterwards, two community meetings were held in the northern and southern areas of the region with additionally identified stakeholders (n = 36) to gather input on current efforts and methods to increase community capacity for tobacco control in the region. The interviews and discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a multifaceted framework approach to tobacco control that focuses on prevention, protection and cessation. This study focuses on important themes identified related to tobacco protection for the Northeast region of Tennessee.
Results: The PHIP assessment process found that most current activities around protection for tobacco control were related to national tobacco control policies such as the Non-Smokers Protection Act (NSPA). Also, differences were found between rural and urban areas in the extent of policy efforts, with better enforcement of existing policies found in more metro areas. Rural counties expressed the need for better education and awareness of current policies to help with enforcement efforts. Assessment of findings for barriers to protection/policy for tobacco control resulted in two themes; the existence of state preemption on tobacco control policies, which limits what policies local governments can enact, and the need for higher tobacco taxes. An overall barrier found for tobacco protection was a cultural tolerance of tobacco use including an intergenerational culture of use in Appalachian Tennessee.
Conclusion: The Appalachian region of the US suffers disproportionately in health risks and adverse health outcomes, including tobacco-related diseases. For this reason, there is the need for comprehensive culturally-tailored and region-specific protection policies that address existing urban-rural disparities including the removal of the state preemption and increase of tax for tobacco products to effectively address the high burden of tobacco use in Appalachian Tennessee.
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Roure, Robin. "Environmental assessment of combined heat and cold production plants for district thermal networks, through optimization methods." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-263177.
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With the international commitment behind the Paris Agreement, district thermal networks’ contribution to final energy demand are bound to increase as they allow significant emission savings. In addition to that, the cooling demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. This is why network operators show a growing interest in systems exploiting synergies between heating and cooling networks. The present report focuses on the use of a simultaneous heating and cooling heat pump to produce thermal energy for a combined heating and cooling system. The performances of this system are assessed using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization methods. The carbon intensity of such production system is also assessed for European countries with various energy mix. A first model is formulated to include monthly to yearly time-scales like the ones involved in yearly emission limits or inter-seasonal storage. It shows that electricity price is the main driver for the choice of coupled network. Inter-seasonal cold storage and daily heat storage are also cost-efficient. A second model including operational constraints with an innovative methodology, more representative of actual network operation, is also tested with promising results.Fjärrvärme tillåter betydande utsläppsminskningar så att de kommer att expandera i Europa. Kylbehovet kommer också att öka kraftigt under det kommande året. Det är därför nätoperatörer är intresserade av synergier mellan fjärrvärme och fjärrkyla. Denna studie fokuserar på användning av värmepump för att producera samtidigt uppvärmning och kylning. Systemets prestanda bedöms med MILP (blandad heltal linjär programmering) optimeringsmetoder. Systemets miljöpåverkan bedöms också för europeiska länder med olika energimix. En första modell byggs inklusive årliga fenomen som utsläppslock eller säsongsförvaring av termisk energi. Det visar att elpriset är den viktigaste drivkraften för valet av kopplade nät. Säsongens kylförvaring och daglig värmelagring är också kostnadseffektiva. En andra modell inklusive operativa begränsningar med en innovativ metod, mer representativ för faktiskt nätverksdrift, testas också med lovande resultat.
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Kizer, Elizabeth A., and Elizabeth A. Kizer. "Using Social Theory to Guide Rural Public Health Policy and Environmental Change Initiatives." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624313.
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The study of health disparities and the social determinants of health has resulted in the call for public health researchers to investigate the mid- and upstream factors that influence the incidence of chronic diseases (Adler & Rehkopf, 2008; Berkman, 2009; Braveman P. , 2006; Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014; Krieger, 2011; Rose, 1985). Social ecological models (SEMs) provide important conceptual tools to inform this research and practice (Krieger, 2011; Golden & Earp, 2012; Story, Kaphingst, Robinson O'Brien, & Glanz, 2008; Glanz, Rimer, & Lewis, 2002). These models can help us look at the social and physical environments in rural Arizona communities and consider how health policies and environmental interventions address mediating factors, such as disparities in access to fresh food, that contribute to ill health in marginalized, rural, populations. Rural residents are at greater risk for obesity than their urban counterparts (Jackson, Doescher, Jerant, & Hart, 2006; Story, Kaphingst, Robinson O'Brien, & Glanz, 2008). And while human life expectancy has steadily increased over the past thousand years, current projections indicate that the rise in obesity-related illnesses will soon result in its decline (Olshansky, et al., 2005). One reason for this decline, may be the reduced availability of healthy food – an important predictor of positive health outcomes including reduced obesity and chronic disease - in many parts of the United States (Brownson, Haire-Joshu, & Luke, 2006; Ahen, Brown, & Dukas, 2011; Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014; Braveman, Egerter, & Williams, 2011). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food deserts as geographic areas in which there is limited access to grocery stores and whose populations have a high rate of poverty. In Arizona, 24% of the rural census tracts are considered food deserts; compared to an average of eight percent of rural census tracts across the nation (United States Department of Agriculture, 2013). Food deserts are one example of the upstream factors influencing the health of rural populations.
Local health departments have been encouraged through the National Association for City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) and through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) to conduct community health assessments (CHAs) in order to identify unique contexts and community resources, health disparities, and the social determinants of health as well as potential areas for advocacy, policy change, environmental interventions, and health promotion interventions. Public health challenges like chronic diseases, which have multiple causes, can be explored in-depth through CHAs. CHAs often contain recommendations for action and/or are followed by community health improvement plans (CHIPs) which help local health departments prioritize resources and set measurable goals. In Florence, AZ recommendations made in a CHA are being acted upon by a non-profit agency, the Future Forward Foundation (3F). This investigation explores two interrelated issues regarding the use of CHAs and CHIPs as practical tools to set public health priorities. First, what makes a CHA useful to rural public health practitioners? What methods of conducting a CHA and subsequently analyzing the data results in actionable policy recommendations and/or environmental level interventions? Second, to what extent can public health agencies engage nontraditional partners to work in partnership to address the social determinants of health? As an example, I will look at the impact of a volunteer-based non-profit agency, located in a rural food desert on improving the social and physical nutrition environment as recommended by a local CHA. This inquiry will provide insights to public health practitioners seeking to identify and implement policy and environmental change addressing complex, multi-causal, public health issues, and provide insights regarding engaging nontraditional partners who may not self-identify as public health agencies.
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Alhajri, Jefain R. "Six element maturity model for health and safety improved performance in Kuwaiti oil sector." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/six-element-maturity-model-for-health-andsafety-improved-performance-in-kuwaiti-oilsector(8bda125b-6659-414b-96be-cfd2e8ce6d2f).html.
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The management of health and safety risks in the oil refinery tends to be centred on the collection and simulation of technical data which can then be used to make decisions on the wellbeing of the workforce as well as the refinery installations. While the number crunching in the process is immensely vital, there tends to be a problem of ignoring or, at the very least, side-lining the social-cultural values of the people dealing with health and safety risk assessment processes. The economic driver for the operation of the oil refinery tends to be more important because of the generally huge initial financial outlay, and the eventual high costs of maintenance; hence health and safety risk management should have evidence of ensuring that the installations, as well as the people that work in them, are well catered for. In the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company this problem is more evident in newer installations where lean management processes have been instituted by oil firms so that they can reduce waste in the oil refining process without compromising the occupational health and safety needs of the refinery. Therein lies the initial problem of integrating health and safety risk assessment processes because most approaches concentrate on the technical elements of waste elimination while ignoring the social-cultural factors that impact on the health and safety of the workforce. This is an exploratory piece of research that examines the impact of rational and cognitive decision theories – herein called the psychology of risk – and how they impact on the occupational health and safety systems in the oil and gas refining sector of Kuwait. The research concludes that the application of lean concepts in the oil refining process is noble in itself but it needs to be integrated with the rational and cognitive detection factors that are necessary to incorporate and support the social-cultural tendencies of the workforce. The research recommends a framework for incorporating social-cultural values in the decision making process pertaining to health and safety risk assessment in oil refining process plants. Key Words: occupational health and safety risk assessment; lean management; social-cultural values; rational and cognitive decision making; oil and gas process plants.
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Andersen, Sharri Suesette. "Assessment of Detroit Hospital Preparedness for Response to an Improvised Nuclear Attack." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2634.
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An improvised nuclear device (IND) is considered by the DHS to be the most catastrophic terrorist incident that could befall the United States, causing severe economic damage, extensive property damage, and enormous loss of life. Effective response to an IND is best accomplished with preparation including emergency operations plans (EOP) specific to an IND and training for staff on how to respond. The literature documents several areas of weakness in U.S. health services' preparation that affects entire communities and puts lives at risk. The purpose of this study was to assess the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in Detroit, Michigan hospitals' EOP for responding to an IND terrorist attack. The conceptual framework used systems theory to look at how an event's complex individual components work as parts of a larger whole. Specifically, the interconnections that the individual parts of an event have on the outcome were assessed as means of evaluating the IND EOP that Detroit area hospitals have in place. This qualitative study consisted of an interview approach with the emergency management representatives of Detroit hospitals responsible for EOP development. Data analysis was completed using categorization based on research questions to look for commonalities and trends. This study revealed gaps that the 5 participating Detroit hospitals have in their preparation, training, and staff knowledge in response to an IND. Implications for positive social change, at local and national levels, include creation and dissemination of an improved model for disaster planning and training in the hospital setting, which correlates to improved community response and community care for health service organizations and throughout health services as a whole.
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Williams, Michele Ann. "Impact of Plans, Finance, and Zoning Policies on What Developers Choose to Build." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4410.
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While there is considerable academic research on the intersection of comprehensive plans, finance policies, zoning policies and how these factors influence real estate developers' choice of what land to develop and what buildings to construct on that land, little is understood about whether these three variables promote or hinder real estate developers' choice of whether to build communities that promote healthy living. Using urban planning theory as the foundation, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine how real estate developers' decisions are made to support healthy New Urbanism development in the United States. Secondary data from the Urban Land Institute were used for this multiple regression study that explored the degree to which comprehensive plans, finance, and zoning policies predict the likelihood that real estate developers will build New Urbanism communities in the United States. Findings indicated that comprehensive plans, finance policies, and zoning policies had a statistically significant influence on real estate developers' decisions on the types of communities to build in the United States by 53.6%, 46.8%, and 71.6% respectively p < .05. The information presented in this study is important to urban planners/designers, health care professionals, and municipal officials because of the intra and interdisciplinary approach of the built environment as a nonmedical determinant of health. Cultivating public and private collaboration to develop public policy could affect social change by directly affect the alterations and improvements in the built environment health that either promote or impede healthy outcomes.
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Primavera, Francesca. "Water Safety Plan and Fault Tree Analysis for the management and risk assessment of a drinking water supply system." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2021.
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This work of thesis studies the approach of the Water Safety Plan, that is applied to a part of the drinking water supply network managed by AIMAG S.p.A.
The Water Safety Plans have been introduced by the World Health Organization and have been identified as the most effective way to systematically guarantee the safety of the drinking water system, the quality of the water supplied, and the protection of the health of consumers. Through a preventive and qualitative analysis that includes risk assessment and management, the Water Safety Plans make it possible to guarantee over time the absence of potential physical, biological, and chemical hazards in the water available for consumption. The result obtained through the application of the Water Safety Plan involves the construction of a risk matrix, that allows the development of an improvement plan for the control of each hazard and associated risk (in priority scale). After that, the previously performed analysis is supported through the application of statistical and probabilistic techniques used in the reliability analysis to optimize the control activities based on a risk assessment. The first one is the Fault Tree Analysis, which is a deductive technique supported by Boolean algebra that focuses on a particular undesirable event and provides a method for identifying possible causes. In parallel with the application of the Fault Tree Analysis, the Monte Carlo method is applied, which is a computational method based on random sampling of certain variables to obtain numerical results. Finally, the result obtained through the application of both methodologies is the definition of the probability of failure of some nodes and internodes that are part of a portion of the drinking water supply network managed by AIMAG S.p.A.
At the end, the work of thesis lead to results which prove that the qualitative approach of the Water Safety Plans can be effective, especially if supported by different types of analysis.
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Brudevold, Christine. "Assessment of capitated contract medicine arrangements in Hong Kong: an example of financial incentives andmanaged care in an unregulated environment." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31238130.
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Lindström, Viktor. "Undersökning och riskbedömning av lågtemperaturkorrosion i ett kraftvärmeverk : Investigation and risk assessment of low temperature corrosion in a combined heat and power plant." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för tillämpad fysik och elektronik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-121629.
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Fielden, Jennifer E. "An Evaluation of the Quality Assurance Plan at East Tennessee State University’s Dental Hygiene Program." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2298.
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Quality assurance in healthcare is fundamental in ensuring the achievement of desired outcomes for patients. In 2011 a quality assurance plan was created at the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) dental hygiene program in order to meet accreditation standards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this plan in order to determine its effectiveness in improving the quality of patient care indicators. One hundred fifty patient charts were selected and audited. Deficiencies were counted in the categories of assessment, treatment, documentation, referral, caries management, perio management, patient education, and follow-up. Research findings were varied; however, external variables with the potential to affect the study’s results were identified. Furthermore, statistical process control procedures indicated that the quality assurance program was effective or had the potential to be effective. Although further research is warranted, this study could be used to improve quality assurance practices at the ETSU dental hygiene program.
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Soyelu, Oluseyi Temitope. "Assessment of plants used for the treatment of cattle wounds and myiasis in Amatola Basin, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1000986.
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Andersson, Christine, and Sofia Linderdahl. "Ett förslag till arbetsmiljöplan för underhållsarbete inom bygg : en förenkling av rutiner för arbetsmiljöarbetet." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för bygg- energi- och miljöteknik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-21638.
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Enligt Arbetsmiljöverket förekommer olyckor bland byggnadsarbetare dubbelt så ofta som hos andra arbetstagare. Under år 2015 hade byggindustrin över tre tusen arbetsolyckor som resulterat i sjukfrånvaro, något som motsvarade elva procent av Sveriges totala anmälda arbetsplatsolyckor med sjukfrånvaro. Med tanke på vad en arbetare inom byggnads- och anläggningsbranschen utsätter sig för i det dagliga arbetet är det uppenbart att fokus måste riktas mot säkerheten. Denna studie har utförts på byggavdelningen för underhållsarbete på BillerudKorsnäs Gävle Bruk, där ett förbättringsbehov i det befintliga arbetsmiljöarbetet i upprättandet av arbetsmiljöplaner har konstaterats. Syfte och mål med studien är att skapa ett förslag till en mall för arbetsmiljöplan som är användarvänlig och inkluderar de 13 arbeten med särskild risk som omnämns i AFS 1999:3. En förhoppning är att mallen kommer att bidra till ett förenklande av befintliga rutiner i arbetsmiljöarbetet för byggnadsarbetare och leda till ökad säkerhet på arbetsplatsen samt färre arbetsolyckor. För att få bättre förståelse för hur byggnadsarbetare på BillerudKorsnäs Gävle Bruk ser på arbetsmiljöarbetet och risker på arbetsplatsen har semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförts, som tillsammans med statistik över olycksfall och tillbud utgjort studiens resultat. Utöver det har en litteraturgranskning genomförts för att ge en överblick över tidigare studier inom området. Vikten i att genomföra riskbedömningar bekräftades genom intervjuerna och blir tydlig eftersom förutsättningarna i det dagliga arbetet inom byggbranschen varierar i stor utsträckning. Varje arbetssituation och risk är unik, det går därför inte att riskinventera endast de 13 arbeten med särskild risk. Intervjuerna har bekräftat ett behov av en förenkling och förbättring i processen med att upprätta arbetsmiljöplaner. En mall för arbetsmiljöplaner har skapats och ska omfatta hur arbetsmiljöarbetet ska bedrivas såsom generell information om arbetet samt en riskbedömning.According to the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket), accidents among construction workers occur twice as often as other workers. In 2015 the construction industry had over three thousand work accidents resulting in sick leave, which corresponded to eleven percent of Swedens total reported work accidents with sick leave. Considering what a worker in the building and construction industry expose themselves to in their daily work, it is obvious that focus must be towards safety. This study has been carried out on the building department for maintenance work at BillerudKorsnäs Gävle Bruk. At the company, there is a need for improving the establishment of safety and health plans within the existing working environment work. The aim and objective of the study is to create a draft template for the safety and health plan that is user friendly and includes the 13 works with special risks according to AFS 1999:3. Hopefully the template will contribute to a simplification of existing procedures in the construction working environment planning, lead to increased safety on site and fewer work accidents. To receive a better understanding of the viewpoint of BillerudKorsnäs Gävle Bruks construction workers regarding working environment and risks on site, semi-structured interviews were conducted and together with statistics on accidents and incidents, served as the studies results. In addition, a literature review has been conducted to provide an overview of previous studies in the field. The importance in carrying out risk assessments has been confirmed through interviews and becomes more evident as the conditions in the daily construction work varies in large proportion. Every work situation and risk is unique, therefore a risk assessment can not only consist of the 13 works with special risks. The interviews have confirmed the need for a simplification and improvement in the process of establishing a safety and health plan. A template for the safety and health plan should include how the work environment shall be conducted such as general information about the work and a risk assessment.
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Saba, Dany. "Les radionucléides et le plomb émis par une usine de fertilisants au Liban : Etude de leurs mobilités dans les sols et les plantes pour une évaluation du risque sanitaire." Thesis, Université Paris-Saclay (ComUE), 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019SACLA025/document.
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L'utilisation des engrais chimiques phosphatés, et les usines de fertilisants, ayant comme matière première la roche phosphate et rejetant du phosphogypse, contribuent à l’élévation des teneurs des radionucléides naturels et des éléments traces métalliques dans l’environnement. Ces contaminations risquent d’affecter l’écosystème et la santé humaine.Cette étude évalue l’impact sanitaire des radionucléides naturels émetteurs gamma des séries de désintégration de 238U, 232Th, de l’élément naturel radioactif 40K et du Pb, présents dans la matière première et les produits d’une usine de fertilisants au Liban.L’objectif principal est de caractériser la contamination diffuse de ces polluants dans une optique d’évaluation du risque sanitaire dans 9 sites résidentiels, non-cultivés autour de l’usine. Un focus est spécifiquement porté sur l’évaluation quantitative du risque sanitaire lié à la consommation de la plante sauvage Dittrichia viscosa et l’ingestion accidentelle de poussières de sol pour les habitants de la zone étudiée. La notion de bioaccessibilité du Pb des sols et des plantes est intégrée dans ces évaluations. Des extractions chimiques par EDTA et le Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET) ont été utilisés pour une estimation in vitro, des fractions disponibles et bioaccessibles du Pb. Ces dernières ont été intégrées dans les calculs des risques. Les risques radiologiques relatifs aux rayonnements ionisants gamma des radionucléides ont également été estimés via les paramètres radiologiques.L’ensemble des travaux a montré que l’usine de fertilisants engendre une contamination diffuse qui augmente les niveaux de radionucléides et du Pb dans l’environnement proche, plus précisément dans les sols (pour 238U, 226Ra et leurs descendants 214Pb, 212Pb et 210Pb, ainsi que pour Pb), et dans les parties aériennes des plantes Dittrichia viscosa (pour Pb et 210Pb). L’étude de la distribution du 210Pb et les fractions PbEDTA apportent des informations complémentaires pour caractériser l’apport en Pb dû à l’activité de l’usine. Les résultats ont montré que les valeurs moyennes des concentrations d’activité des radionucléides dans les échantillons de sol étaient légèrement supérieures à ceux déterminés dans d'autres régions libanaises et aux valeurs moyennes mondiales. D’après les paramètres radiologiques, aucun risque significatif n’a été identifié pour la population fréquentant la zone.Les concentrations en Pb pseudo-total de sol ont été inférieures aux seuils applicables. Des dépassements de seuil ont été constatés pour les teneurs en Pb dans les feuilles de Dittrichia viscosa.Deux schémas d’évaluation de risque sanitaire du Pb ont été étudiés : un premier schéma classique basé sur l’hypothèse de l’ingestion des teneurs totales en Pb dans les sols et les plantes ; un deuxième schéma où seulement les fractions pouvant atteindre la circulation systémique ont été évaluées et considérées dans les calculs de risque. Ces deux schémas ont été appliqués à deux scénarios de terrain à forte exposition. La prise en compte des concentrations de Pb bioaccessible dans les calculs réduit considérablement (au moins d’un facteur de 10) le risque potentiel pour les deux scénarios alors que les calculs du risque selon le schéma classique montrent un risque significatif pour les enfants. Quel que soit le schéma de calcul de risque retenu, l’ingestion des plantes reste la voie principale d’exposition pour les deux scénarios maximalistesThe use of phosphate fertilizers and phosphate rock as raw material by fertilizer plants, and the by-product phosphogypsum, contribute in increasing the levels of natural radionuclides and trace metals in the environment. This may affect the ecosystem and human health.This study evaluates the radiological impact of natural gamma-emitting radionuclides, mainly 238U, 232Th and their decay product, and 40K. As well as, it evaluates the health impact of Pb, present in the raw material and fertilizers produced by a fertilizer plant in Lebanon.The main objective is to characterize the diffuse contamination of these pollutants with a view to assess the health risk in 9 non-cultivated residential sites around the plant. A focus on the quantitative assessment of the health risk is specifically linked to the consumption of the wild plant Dittrichia viscosa and the accidental ingestion of soil dust for the inhabitants of the study area. The concept of bioaccessibility of soil and plant Pb is integrated into these assessments. Chemical extractions using EDTA and the Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET) were used for in vitro estimation of available and bioaccessible Pb fractions. These were incorporated into the risk calculations. The radiological risks related to gamma ionizing radiation from radioelements were also estimated via radiological parameters.All of the work has shown that the fertilizer plant generates diffuse contamination that increases the levels of radionuclides and Pb in the near environment, specifically in soils (for 238U, 226Ra and their decay products 214Pb, 212Pb and 210Pb, as well as for Pb), and in the aerial parts of Dittrichia viscosa plants (for Pb and 210Pb). The study of the distribution of 210Pb and PbEDTA fractions provide additional information to characterize the Pb contribution due to the activity of the plant. The results showed that the mean values of activity concentrations of radioelements in soil samples were slightly higher than those determined in other Lebanese regions and worldwide average values. Based on the radiological parameters, no significant risk has been identified for the population frequenting the area.The pseudo-total soil Pb concentrations were below the applied thresholds. Threshold exceedances were observed for Pb levels in Dittrichia viscosa leaves.Two health risk assessment schemes for Pb were studied: a first classical scheme based on the hypothesis of the total ingestion of total Pb levels in soils and plants; a second scheme where only fractions reaching the systemic circulation have been measured and considered in risk calculations. These two schemes were studied for two high-exposure field scenarios. Taking into account the bioaccessible Pb concentrations in the calculations greatly reduces (at least by a factor of 10) the potential risk for both scenarios, whereas the classical risk calculations show a significant risk for the children. Whatever the chosen risk calculation scheme, ingestion of plants remains the main route of exposure for the two maximalist scenarios
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Charvát, Jakub. "Bezpečnost práce a pracovní úrazy ve stavebnictví." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta stavební, 2014. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-227068.
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The aim of the thesis is to approach the issues of health and safety at work and work-related accidents in the construction industry. The theoretical part is devoted to the historical development of occupational health and safety in general, and consequently the development of inspection bodies operating in this area at present. Then there is also handled accident statistics for 2012. The practical part is a form of treatment for specific health and safety plan construction contract with a subsequent risk analysis.
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Yousef, Jivara. "ARBETSMILJÖ OCH SÄKERHET : Systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete på byggarbetsplatser i Mellansverige." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-36095.
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The construction industry is a large industry with approximately 320,000 employees according to the Swedish construction industry. As the work environment at construction sites affects a large number of individuals, it is important that there is good security at the construction sites, in order to reduce and prevent workers in the construction industry from being injured. The work thesis has been carried out in collaboration with Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB with the aim of creating better conditions for work environment and strategic safety work at Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB's construction sites, as well as highlighting risks and safety aspects. This qualitative study has been carried out at Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB, where semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to then use the information as the foundation of the study. The work has also been based on reviewed literature studies in the form of pre-review. In order to have a good working environment and safety at the construction sites, a number of factors are involved. The study shows that time, cleaning, communication, education and experience are the factors that have the greatest impact on the work environment and safety. According to some of Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB's workforce, there will always be deficiencies in safety, while some claim that a "zero vision" is possible to reach, so far no occupational accidents has occurred at Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB's construction sites, however, it seems that the subject does not get enough time, resources and like to prevent future accidents with "safety-first". The Work Environment Authority requires employers to systematically work with environment and safety issues with a vision of "zero tolerance", in which is strengthened by the work environment act. The interviews show that the viewpoint of the working environment differs depending on what perspective is being analyzed, for example, the supervisor has a wider perspective and greater responsibility whilst the professional worker has more narrow perspective and less responsibility. The survey shows that planning and preventive work can prevent workplace accidents with a systematic follow-up. In order for professionals and supervisors to understand the risks and preventive work they should be educated and thus gain an awareness of the problem. Improvement needs to create more awareness and prevention for work environment and safety with "safety deadline" have always been a goal to reach. One hope is that the working environment and security policy will contribute to improved security at the company's construction sites. systematic environmental work simplified by existing routines in environmental work for construction workers, leads to increased workplace safety and fewer occupational accidents.Byggbranschen är en stor bransch med ca 320 000 sysselsatta personer enligt Sveriges byggindustrier. Då arbetsmiljön på byggarbetsplatserna påverkar ett stort antal individer är det viktigt att det råder en god säkerhet på byggarbetsplatserna, för att minska och förhindra att de anställda inom byggbranschen inte kommer till skada.Examensarbetet har utförts i samarbete med Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB i syfte att skapa bättre förutsättningar för arbetsmiljö och säkerhetsarbete ute på Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB:s byggarbetsplatser samt att belysa risker och säkerhetsaspekter. Kvalitativa studie har utförts på Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB:s byggarbetsplatser där semi-strukturerade intervjuer och observationer utförts för att sedan använda informationen som grundpelare i studien.För att det ska råda god arbetsmiljö och säkerhet på byggarbetsplatserna spelar ett flertal faktorer in. Studiens resultat visar att tid, städning, kommunikation, utbildning och erfarenhet är de faktorer som har störst inverkan på arbetsmiljön och säkerheten. Enligt en del av yrkesarbetarna på Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB kommer det alltid att finnas brister inom säkerheten medan en del påstår att en ”noll-vision” är möjlig att nå. Tuna Förvaltning & Entreprenad AB:s ett ungt företag och hittills har inga större arbetsolyckor inträffat på deras byggarbetsplatser. Emellertid tycker en del att ämnet inte får tillräckligt med tid, resurser och dylikt för att förhindra framtida olyckor med ”safety first”. Arbetsmiljöverket ställer krav på att arbetsgivaren skall arbeta systematiskt med arbetsmiljö och säkerhetsfrågor med en vision om ”noll-tolerans” vilket styrks av arbetsmiljölagen.Intervjuerna visar att synen på arbetsmiljön skiljer sig åt beroende på vilket perspektiv som analyseras, exempelvis har arbetsledare ett bredare perspektiv och större ansvar medan yrkesarbetaren har ett smalare perspektiv och mindre ansvar.Undersökningen visar att planering och förebyggande arbete kan förhindra arbetsplatsolyckor med ett systematiskt uppföljningsarbete. För att yrkesarbetare och arbetsledare skall ha förståelse för risker och förebyggande arbete bör de utbildas och därmed erhålla en medvetenhet kring problemet.Förbättringsbehov föreligger när det gället att skapa mer medvetenhet och ha ett förebyggande syfte för arbetsmiljö och säkerhet med ”safety first”. En förhoppning är att en bättre arbetsmiljö och en ny upprättad säkerhetspolicy kommer att bidra till en förbättrad säkerhet på företagets byggarbetsplatser. Det systematiska arbetsmiljöarbetet med förbättrad befintliga rutiner i arbetsmiljöarbetet för byggnadsarbetare bör leda till ökad säkerhet på arbetsplatsen samt undvika arbetsolyckor.
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Ramalho, Bruno Araujo. "Processo decisório e motivação no âmbito das normas sobre o 'rol de procedimentos e eventos em saúde': uma análise exploratória." reponame:Repositório Institucional do FGV, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10438/18085.
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Procedural requirements related to decision making and justification of regulatory choices may have limited application under uncertainty, informational limitation and other obstacles that lead the regulator to adopt strategies to tailor decision making to reality. Based on this hypothesis, and considering the uncertainties and issues of high technical complexity related to the 'list of health care procedures and events in health care', the objective of the research was to carry out an exploratory analysis intended to identify limitations, obstacles and observable strategies in the elaboration and justification of these norms. For this purpose, it was adopt a methodology of qualitative analysis based on documentary research, which included different documents available through the National Regulatory Agency for Private Health Insurance and Plans (ANS) website in public consultations, in the Technical Group for reviewing the list of procedures and in the Committee on Regulation of Health Care (COSAÚDE). As a result, it was verified the hypothesis mentioned above, since the dynamics of the choice presents restrictions that lead the regulator to adopt different strategies to deal with. The obstacles related to 'decision-making' dimension arise from the complexity and uncertainties related to the medical evidences, informational limitations and from interferences of the Legislative Branch and the Judiciary. Regarding the giving reasons requirement, although it is possible to see a greater density of justification starting in 2013, the reasons and replies presented in a synthesized format often do not suffice to clarify all the issues that support complex choices. Among the proposals of the study, the regulator should to provide a more detailed record about the valuation and the operationalization of its methodology criteria.
Exigências procedimentais relacionadas ao processo decisório e à justificação de escolhas regulatórias podem ter sua aplicação limitada em cenários de incerteza, limitação informacional e demais obstáculos que levam o regulador a adotar estratégias para adequar a tomada de decisão aos recursos disponíveis. Partindo-se desta hipótese, a pesquisa teve por objetivo a realização de uma análise exploratória com vistas a identificar limitações, obstáculos e estratégias observáveis na elaboração e justificação do rol de procedimentos e eventos em saúde – eis que a elaboração do 'rol' é permeada por incertezas e por questões de alta complexidade técnica. Para tanto, adotou-se a metodologia de análise qualitativa baseada em pesquisa documental, que englobou diferentes anexos disponibilizados a partir do sítio eletrônico da Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar (ANS) em consultas públicas, no Grupo Técnico de revisão do rol de procedimentos e no Comitê Permanente de Regulação da Atenção à Saúde (COSAÚDE). Ao final, foi possível evidenciar importantes elementos que moldam ou restringem a tomada de decisão e a sua respectiva justificação. No âmbito dos resultados, os obstáculos relacionados à dimensão 'processo decisório' decorrem de diferentes fontes de incerteza, do volume (e complexidade) das informações e de interferências promovidas pelo Poder Legislativo e Judiciário – sendo observáveis diferentes providências do regulador para cada caso. No que tange ao dever de motivação, embora se percebam melhorias a partir de 2013, a apresentação de justificativas e réplicas segue um formato mais compactado e não contempla algumas questões metodológicas que servem como base para premissas elencadas pelo regulador. Dentre outras propostas do estudo, sugeriu-se que a agência disponibilize o amplo acesso a documentos ou relatórios que registrem, de forma pormenorizada, a operacionalização dos quesitos que integram a metodologia de decisão.
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Procházková, Šárka. "Stavebně technologický projekt bytového domu v Boskovicích." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta stavební, 2016. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-240189.
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Content of this master‘s thesis is construction technological project of apartment block in Boskovice. The masters’s thesis contains technical report of the building, suggested construction site installations, proposal of suitable machines and mechanisms required for construction, further it solves wider relations of transport lines to construction site, budget and time schedule. Detailed procedure of assembly of the load-bearing roof truss and the roof sheathing is provided in specifications. Safety and health protection, control and test plans are elaborated for stage of the building roofing.
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Huang, Ching-Chiu, and 黃瀞萩. "Health risk assessment of air pollutants from an oil-fired power plant - Kinmen Power Plant." Thesis, 2017. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/y3txsg.
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碩士輔英科技大學
環境工程與科學系碩士班
105
pollutants emitted from three thermal power plants, Tashan, Kirin and Xia Xing,in Kinmen. The emission of carcinogenic pollutants are estimated by the SCC CODEcoefficients and the amount of fuels used in the plants. ISCST3 are used to simulate the dispersion of the pollutants. The unit risk value of each carcinogenic pollutant from the OHEAHA are incorporate to perform the health risk assessment. The results show that the largest emission of carcinogenic pollutant in Tashan is Nickel (0.41tons/year); Kirin is formaldehyde (0.02 tons/year); Xia Xing is also formaldehyde (0.05 tons/year ). The total carcinogenic risk is 1.6E-06 and is dominated by Tashan power plant. The high risk areas are located in the northeast and southwest regions of each power plants. The health risk of the top 5 carcinogenic species are hexavalent chromium with a risk of 0.89 E-06, and followed by nickel 0.53 E-06, cadmium 0.43 E-06, arsenic 0.13 E-06 and beryllium 0.07 E-06. Finally, the health risks of carcinogenic pollutants due to each kWh power generation in Kinmen is estimated to be 4.97E-16 /kWh/year.
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Chiu, Hsin-Yi, and 邱心怡. "The Health Risk Assessment for Dioxins and Heavy Metals Discharged from A Coal-fired Power Plant -Case Studies of Taichung Power Plant and Hsinta Power Plant." Thesis, 2009. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/3z8777.
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碩士國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
97
This study aims to evaluate the risks for nearby residents’ health condition regarding the possible release materials containing dioxins and heavy metals from two coal-fired power plants in Taiwan, especially the risks via dieting and local-grew foods. By using ISCST3, I assessed the air depositions and concentrations as a result of air emissions from the two coal-fired power plants by simulating the impacts in the unit of 25km squares within one official town.. First I analyzed the risk distributions of these two facilities inside their impact zones. And then I provided the comparison results among four risk-exposed groups ( farmer, adult in general, farmer’s child, child in general), particularly the similarities and difference between two power plants. The results show that gross risk of having cancer between two neighborhood areas with coal-fired power plants are below 10-6, and the hazard quotients are less than 1.0. And the risk for the health of people in the neighborhood is not necessarily related to the size of the generators at the coal-fired power plants. Also, the risk of health was deeply affected via the way people live and make living in the neighborhoods, in other words, the type of industry in the community, (ex. agriculture and fishery).
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Wong, Ruei-Sia, and 翁瑞霞. "The Total Human Health Risk Assessment of Dioxin from the Steel Plant in the Local Area." Thesis, 2015. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16835844155740260239.
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碩士國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
103
Human health risk assessment can connect the contaminated environment media with the scenario of human life and estimate the probability of adverse health effect in humans. Recently, this approach has been largely applied in several areas and helps assessors or leaders make the decision. The research is focus on the typical air toxic pollutant – dioxin from the sinter process of the steel plant in Linhi industrial park in Kaohsiung city . I combine the exposure scenario with contaminated environment media which was predicted by the air dispersion model and multiple media model in order to understand whether the emission standard of the dioxin from steel plant is reasonable for the local residents. Furthermore, I also evaluate the human health risk in the real pollutant emission status. The results show the both risk are below 10-6 The research also discuss and investigate the system from multiple source of dioxin ,including sinter process of the steel plant and background concentration by the accumulative health risk analysis . The results show the human health risk from background concentration can’t be ignored.
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Tseng, Wei-Li, and 曾偉立. "Using risk assessment tool to evaluate the health effect of community residents near a petrochemical plant." Thesis, 2006. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/78057018023589634168.
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碩士嘉南藥理科技大學
環境工程與科學系碩士班
94
Petrochemical industrial acts an important role in the past in Taiwan. As industrial and economic develop rapidly, pollution problems become significant. Air pollutants may be released from operation in plants, thus affect human health. This research studies the relationship between petrochemical pollutions, especially some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the impact on the health of community residents. Petrochemical industry is an important emission source for atmospheric VOCs, as well as PAHs. Numerous studies have reported outcomes associated with the exposures and health effects. However, results from some studies indicated otherwise. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of VOCs and PAHs in the air in the vicinity of a petrochemical plant on community, using basic risk assessment protocol, and expressed as carcinogenic (probability) and noncarcinogenic risk (hazard index) for the residents near the studied area. The result of risk assessment is followed, using either the average or highest concentrations scenario, benzene caused the highest carcinogenic risk comparing to other chemical evaluated. The increased total carcinogenic probability for residents in one of the area will be 1×10-5 and 3×10-5, respectively, for either the average or highest concentrations scenario. For the other 3 areas, the risks are all below 1×10-5. The noncarcinogenic risks, expressed as hazard index, for all of areas were below 1.
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Wei, Mei-hua, and 魏美華. "Occupational exposure and health risk assessment of PCDD/F/dl-PCBs for workers in incineration bottom ash treatment plant." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/23053252861087518587.
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碩士國立成功大學
環境醫學研究所
95
The objective of this study was to investigate the health outcomes of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCDD/F/dl-PCBs) exposure and to assess association between serum PCDD/Fs of workers and working environmental exposure in bottom ash treatment plant. A bottom ash treatment plant workers were selected as subjects, and the serum PCDD/F/dl-PCBs levels (including seventeen PCDD/Fs and twelve dl-PCBs), thirteen blood biochemistry and five hormones examination indices of workers were determined. At the same time, the personal exposure data and time activity pattern were collected with questionnaires. Seventeen airborne PCDD/Fs levels in bottom ash storage area and treatment area were also determined. All the results were integrated to conduct the PCDD/F/dl-PCBs exposure assessment of workers in bottom ash treatment plant. The results show that airborne 17 PCDD/Fs levels in bottom ash storage area and treatment area are 0.252 and 0.350 pg I-TEQ/Nm3, respectively. Particle bound PCDD/Fs levels are higher than gaseous PCDD/Fs in the ambient air of bottom ash storage and treatment area. OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF and OCDF are the main congeners. The average serum PCDD/Fs levels of 36 workers is 9.72 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid, which is lower than the residents living near Shulin incineration plant. The average percentage of 12 dl-PCBs in total TEQ of PCDD/F/dl-PCBs of 32 workers is 29.2 %. 36 workers were grouped to high and low level groups by median serum PCDD/Fs. The serum PCDD/Fs levels are 12.3 and 7.20 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid in high and low level groups, respectively. OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF are the major congeners in high level group, and the congener pattern is the same as airborne PCDD/Fs. There are no significantly statistical differences in abnormal rate of blood biochemistry and hormone examinations between two groups. The food consumption of poultry products, smoked meat, octopus, eggs and viscera of pig, poultry and fish in low level group are significantly higher than high level group (P<0.05). Moreover, most dietary pattern were not changed during the previous 10 years, only the consumption of whole-fat milk in low level group is increased. The regression data showed that serum PCDD/Fs were highly correlated with total seniority and the age. The average serum PCDD/Fs levels in local worker (10.5 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) are significantly higher than foreign workers (8.21 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid). And the age, seniority, total seniority, BMI, and lipid content between local and foreign workers shows no differences. So the more foreign workers who worked in treatment area are the main factor of low PCDD/Fs level in those subjects. The lifetime average daily dose (LADD) of workers were met the range of WHO daily tolerance dose (1-4 pg/kg/day). The senior workers were potentially exposed to higher level of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF emitted from bottom ash treatment process. The usage of personal protective measures was suggested to effectively reduce the exposure of PCDD/Fs.
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Wu, Jiun-Wei, and 巫駿韋. "Metal composition、source apportionment and health risk assessment of PM2.5 around the electric arc furnace steel plant in central Taiwan." Thesis, 2018. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/336kc3.
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Lai, Ya-Ting, and 賴雅婷. "A study of model diffusion and health risk assessment research in dioxin material emissions from a incineration plant in south Taiwan." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/90317671742795499111.
Full textAbstract:
碩士長榮大學
職業安全與衛生學系碩士班
102
The purpose of this study is to simulate the waste gas concentration after incinerator smokestack emissions through the atmosphere diffusion and distribution situation, estimate emissed dioxin concentration range, and to evaluate possible health risks by the residents of a incineration plant in Tainan area. Calculation was performed on the emissions of the incineration plant flue concentration from 2011 to 2013. The average dry basis exhaust gas is 1457.29Nm3 / min, the concentration of dioxin emissions is 0.048ng-TEQ / Nm3. The atmospheric dispersion model ISCST3 (Industrial Source Complex Short-Term Dispersion Model) was employed to estimate the distribution of the incinerator dioxin concentrations in ambient air. The input data includes the parameters such as air temperature, wind direction, wind speed, etc. The meteorological data was provided by the Central Weather Bureau. According to the calculated results: the annual average concentration of dioxin in air is 0.659 ng/Nm3 at Chang Jung Christian University; 0.0674 ng/Nm3 at Tainan railway station; 0.0335 ng / Nm3 at Xinhua downtown (CKS Zhongxiao Road). A sensitivity analysis on meteorological data showed that the average concentration. of dioxin at Chang Jung Christian University will reduce 1.43% by increasing 1% of wind speed. Based on the results from the of HRA (Health Risk Assessment) model, sucked nearby the average dioxin exposure dose of residents near the incineration plant was 6.35 × 10-7 pg-TEQ/kg/day, it is below 1 ~ 4 pg-TEQ/kg/day, the permissible exposure dose by released dioxin regulated by World Health Organization. The maximum cancer risk of residents nearby incineration plants is 9.91×10-10 pg-TEQ /kg/day, below the regulated value The results of this study can be used as the basis of hazard control on dioxin emission from the incineration plant.
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Makuleke, Peace. "An assessment of impacts of landfill composition on soil quality, heavy metal and plant health : a case of Lumberstewart landfill in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe." Diss., 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27575.
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Landfills have served as the major sites for waste disposal in both developed and developing countries. Upon closure of a landfill site, the surface could be converted to a golf course, recreation park, playground, animal refuge, tennis court and industrial site. Even when closed, landfills still have the potential to contaminate the surrounding environment as a result of the migration of leachate from decomposing waste contained in the site. This study focused on assessing the
impacts of a closed landfill on soils and plants at Lumberstewart closed landfill site in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Soil samples were collected at three different depths (0-30 cm, 30 - 60 cm and 60-90 cm) at the landfill and a control site. The soil samples were analysed for their texture, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn. Samples of jimson weed and pigweed growing at the closed landfill and the control
site were collected from the same sites where soil samples were collected, and the concentrations of the same set of heavy metals in these weeds determined. Soil samples were digested using EPA
method 3050B: Acid Digestion of Sediments, Sludge and soils whereas nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide was used for digestion of plant samples. Both plant and soil digests were analyzed for heavy metals concentrations using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Soils from the landfill as well as the control site had a high content of sand with soil pH values which were alkaline. The electrical conductivity values of the soil samples were relatively low ranging from 0.39 to 1.67 dS/m, indicating low levels of salts in soils at the landfill. The concentrations of heavy metals at the closed landfill site were higher than the control site. Heavy metals concentrations in soils at the closed landfill followed the order Fe>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd. Results indicated that Fe was exceptionally higher than the other metals with concentration values averaging 45690±17255 mg/kg. Cadmium on the other hand had the least concentration with values of 0.01±0.00 mg/kg.
Values of Enrichment Factors of heavy metals around the soil at different depths indicated that the enrichment of heavy metals increased with depth at the landfill up to 30-60 cm after which a
decrease was observed. Values for heavy metal Contamination Factor of soils around the landfill ranged from low concentration (CF<1) to very high concentration (CF>6). The Pollution Load Index (PLI) values for the soil at the Lumberstewart landfill indicated that all sites were polluted (PLI>1). Site 6 had significantly higher mean concentration of heavy metals in soils at the landfill whereas site 11 had the least. The concentrations of Cd and Ni in soils at the landfill were below
permissible limits of South African National Norms and Standards (NNS) as prescribed by NEMA (2008) in South Africa whereas Cr, Cu and Zn in soils were above the NNS permissible limits.
Heavy metal concentrations in soils at the landfill were above World Health (WHO) permissible limits except for Cd which was equal (0.01 mg/kg) to the permissible values of Cd in the soils at sites 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Mean concentrations of heavy metals in jimson weed and pigweed were in the order Fe>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn in both plants from all sites at the landfill were significantly higher than the control site. Heavy metal transfer coefficient for both plants indicated that heavy metal uptake was more species dependent than soil heavy metal concentration dependent. The results from this research indicate that though the Lumberstewart Landfill has been closed, it is still affecting the soils in the vicinity of the
landfill. Plants and water around the Lumberstewart closed landfill could be at risk from heavy metal contamination. High concentrations of heavy metals observed in the soil could present a health risk to communities should they decide to use the landfill site for arable purposes.Environmental Sciences
M. Sc. (Environmental Science)
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Hsu, Yi-Ting, and 徐意婷. "Health Risk Assessment of Workers Exposed to Bisphenol A and Plasticizers in PVC Film Plants." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/r475ey.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立陽明大學
環境與職業衛生研究所
102
Part 1 Bisphenol A (BPA) act as endocrine-disrupting compounds, leading to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity-promoting. Global BPA production capacity in 2010 was 5 million metric tons and with a 6–10% growth in demand expected annually, BPA is one of the most prevalent chemicals worldwide. The purposes of this study were to determine the airborne and urinary BPA concentrations for workers in PVC film manufacturing industry and to evaluate the workers’ health risk. We also did the literature review to collect research findings of occupational exposure to BPA. We invited 120 workers to participate the study. A structured questionnaire was distributed to collect demographic and exposure data. Urine samples were collected and measured the BPA level by means of HPLC/fluorescence detection. Four manufacturing plants agreed to serve as sampling sites. Workers from production areas were designated as BPA-exposure group and those from administration areas as control group. The effective biological samples were collected from respective 77 and 12 workers. The ambient BPA in plant A was 52.81±138.80 μg/m3, with concentrations ranging from 0.01-652.02 μg/m3, while the other plants (plants B,C,D) were N.D. Workers from one plant (designated as plant A) were occupationally exposed to BPA at an average concentration of 813.50 and 679.96 μg/g Cr for pre- and post-shift urine samples. The urinary BPA concentrations of pre-shift samples were significantly higher for the exposure group than those for the control group. The post-shift urinary BPA from plant B to D exposure group were 25.23, 22.75, and 37.80 μg/g Cr, respectively. There were no significant differences of urinary BPA levels between the exposure and control groups for any of the three plants. No occupationally exposed to BPA for PVC film manufacturing plant was demonstrated in the study. We used the Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the health risk of BPA exposure for plant A workers. Based on the reference dose of BPA (50 μg/kg/d), the results showed that 95 percentile of Hazard Index exceeds 1.0. We concluded that the occupational health program should be effectively implemented in order to protect the health of plant A workers. Part 2 Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and adipic acid esters (Adipates) are commonly used as plasticizer and soften polyvinylchloride products. Several studies have demonstrated that PAEs have toxic effects on liver, kidney, and the reproductive system and act partly as endocrine disrupting agents. The purposes of this study were to determine the airborne and urinary PAEs concentrations for workers in PVC film manufacturing industry and to evaluate the workers’ health risk. We invited workers from PVC film manufacturing to participate the study. A structured questionnaire was distributed to collect demographic and exposure data. Air samples were collected and measured for the PAEs and Adipates by means of GC-MS. Urine samples were collected and measured for the PAEs by means of UPLC-TOF/MS. We recruited 78 participants in 2012 from three PVC film manufacturing. Workers from production areas were designated as PAEs and Adipates exposure group and those from administration areas as control group. The urine samples were collected from respective 50 and 6 workers. The ambient PAEs and Adipates in plant A appeared the higest concentration of DINP, with geometric mean of 8.26 µg/m3, while plant B had the highest of DMP, with geometric mean of 1.48 µg/m3. DINA concentration ranked the highest with geometric mean of 46.45 µg/m3 in plant C. The daily intake of PAEs and Adipates for workers were calculated with air PAEs and Adipates exposure levels. Results showed the daily exposure doses of PAEs and Adipates of workers were all lower than the reference dose of US EPA and the tolerable daily intake of European EFSA. Nevertheless, we calculated the health risk of PAEs exposure based on biological monitoring data, the results showed that 95 percentile of Hazard Index exceeds 1.0. We concluded that the occupational health program should be effectively implemented in order to protect workers from chronic health effects of PAEs exposure.
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Calkins, Christopher Alan. "The influence of community context on health plan decisions : a multi-method assessment of community effects." 2008. http://etda.libraries.psu.edu/theses/approved/WorldWideIndex/ETD-2441/index.html.
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Fang-JinLee and 李芳錦. "Exposure and health risk assessment of Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate of workers in polyvinylchloride leather processing plants." Thesis, 2010. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/69306974374655533709.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立成功大學
環境醫學研究所
98
Phthalates (PAEs) are primarily used as plasticizers in the manufacture of flexible vinyl. According to survey of Taiwan EPA, there are 200 thousand tons of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and 5 thousand tons of Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were manufactured or used between 2005 and 2007. And there are about 14 thousand workers working in polyvinylchloride processing industries. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) processing workers may expose to phthalates, the main exposure routes may via ambient air and airborne dust exposure. Some studies revealed that PAEs exposure in male may be resulted in abnormal blood biochemistry, decreased testosterone level and reduced sperm counts. In the past, no comprehensive study conducted for worker exposed to PAEs in PVC leather processing industries. Therefore, we will find out PAEs exposure levels and routes for workers in PVC leather processing industries. Screening criteria such as raw materials, products, used quantities of PAEs, and number of workers were set up to identify the high exposure potential factories. 30 workers in a selected polyvinylchloride leather processing industry were selected as study subjects. The examinations of blood biochemistry and hormones, personal and occupational exposure data, time activity pattern, airborne exposure sampling and DEHP analysis, and urine sampling and urinary DEHP metabolites of pre- and post- workshift analysis for all selected workers has been completed. In the first day of working shift, the highest airborne DEHP concentration was 3.91 mg/m3 in mixing roll of the process 2, and followed by 1.63 mg/m3 in mixing roll of the process 3, and the lower airborne DEHP concetrations were found in four airborne samples of office (0.0113 - 0.0157 mg/m3) which were lower than banbury mixer and mixing roll (0.0203-3.9120 mg/m3). In the fifth day of working shift, the highest airborne DEHP concentration was 1.5818 mg/m3 in the winder of process 1, and followed by 1.1187 mg/m3 in mixing roll of the process 4, and the lower airborne DEHP concetrations were found in four airborne samples of office (0.005-0.0105 mg/m3). According to the airborne DEHP concertration, job categories and time activity data, 30 workers were categorized to two groups: high exposure group (banbury mixer and mixing roll workers, n=15), low exposure group (winder workers and officers, n=15). The urinary MEHHP levels of high exposure group in the preshift of first and fifth day were 116.8, 151.15μg/g creatinine and in the postshift of first and fifth day were 190.53, 256.77μg/g creatinine. The urinary MEHHP levels of low exposure group in the preshift of first and fifth day were 46.03, 44.63μg/g creatinine and in the postshift of first and fifth day were 78.62, 63.68μg/g creatinine. The urinary MEHHP (P = 0.0327, 0.001) and MEOHP (P=0.0443, 0.005) levels of high exposure group were significant higher than low exposure group in the preshift of first and fifth day. The urinary MEHHP and MEOHP levels of high exposure group were significant higher than low exposure group (P=0.01, 0.008) in the postshift of first day. The urinary MEHP and MEOHP levels of high exposure groupwere significant higher than low exposure group in the postshift of fifth day. And the urinary MEHHP levels of high exposure group were marginal significant higher than low exposure group (P=0.07) in the postshift of fifth day. The urinary MEHP, MEHHP, MEOHP levels of high exposure worker in the postshift of first and fifth day were higher than in the preshift of first and fifth day (P＜0.05). But no significant difference was found in urinary DEHP metabolites in low exposure worker. Due to occupational exposue, the urinary DEHP metabolites levels in high exposure group higher than low exposure group. The urinary MEHP, MEOHP levels of high exposure worker in the postshift of fifth day were higher than first day (P＜0.05). But no significant difference was found in urinary MEHHP level between the postshift of first day and fifth day. So, the high exposure worker has higher exposure levels, and cause to accumulate. In the first day, R-Square of the airborne DEHP concentration and urine MEHHP concentration was 0.205, it’s median correlation. In the fifth day, the R-square was 0.449, it shows to highly correlatied. We concluded the airborne DEHP exposure maybe one of the mainly exposure route. We found the T3 concentration of higher exposure group was significant lower than low exposure group (110.5 vs. 125.1 ng/dL, p=0.0075). And we also found the T4/FT4 ratio of higher exposure group was significant lower than low exposure group (median 5.39 vs. 6.05, p=0.0023). Beside, the urinary MEHHP levels of high exposure worker have widly range (Min=13.04, Max=524.24 ng/mg creatinine). So, we rechange the group. First, we divide to high and low level group by air levels and job title. Then, according the median of the urinary MEHHP level (171.34 ng/mg creatinine), we divide high exposure to two groups. In the Result, we found the inhibin b concentration in higher exposure group (68.6 pg/ml) were lower than those in the median (74.8pg/ml) and low exposure (102.3 pg/ml) groups (P=0.0275; Ptrend=0.006). We analyse the correlation coefficients between with urinary metabolites of DEHP and serum reproductive and thyroid hormone. We found the correlation coefficients were positive significant between in the posshift of fifth day and reproductive hormorne FAI, testosterone, E2(correlation coefficients=0.405, 0.393, 0.443, p＜0.05). And there are the same result in the simple regression analysis. In conclusion, the workers were truly exposed to higher concentration of DEHP emitted from polyvinylchloride leather processing industry. The usage of personal protective measures was suggested to effectively reduce the concentrations of urinary metabolites of DEHP. Although the hightest airborne DEHP (3.91 mg/m3) was lower than Permissible Exposure Limit (5 mg/m3), the daily expsoure doses of DEHP in 15% workers were higher than the reference doses of EU and US EPA. In addition, DEHP is known endocrine disruptor, further studies are suggested to determine the long-term health effects of DEHP exposure, and to verify the availability of protection of PEL for workers.
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Si, Minxing. "The feasibility of waste heat recovery and energy efficiency assessment in a steel plant." 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/4746.
Full textAbstract:
Gerdau Manitoba Mill (Gerdau) at Selkirk, Manitoba is one of the biggest energy consumers in the province of Manitoba. This research analysis undertaken at Gerdau evaluated opportunities for energy efficiency, including the following six areas: 1) recovering waste heat to preheat billets, 2) upgrading the charge end in the reheat furnace, 3) recovering waste heat to preheat combustion air in the ladle preheater, 4) replacing direct-fired natural gas heaters with indirect-fired natural gas heaters, 5) Oxyfuel combustion, and 6) “tap to tap time” control in the eccentric bottom tapping (EBT) furnace in the melt shop. As part of this research, end-user distribution was analyzed and energy losses were assessed. An end-use analysis found that the melt shop that includes the EBT furnace is the biggest consumer of electricity consumption (kWh) and electric demand (kVa), which accounted for 68.7% and 73.6 % respectively. The 2010 delay time in the power-off time of EBT furnace at Gerdau was found to be 762.3 hr/yr. Further research to analyze the cause of each downtime at Gerdau is recommended to determine how these unplanned downtime can be reduced in the EBT furnace.
The reheat furnace is the biggest natural gas consumer at Gerdau with 437,563 MCF in 2010. Flue gas losses from the reheat furnace are the biggest energy losses in the gross heat distribution with 26,874,657 Btu/hr. Energy losses from hearth and roof by heat transmission are the biggest energy losses in the net heat distribution during operation, which accounted for 8.9%. The average thermal efficiency in the reheat furnace at Gerdau is 58.9% ± 3.6%. Compared to peak capacity, idle and partial operations of the reheat furnace and idling were found to be less efficient.
The opportunities that are considered feasible and recommended to Gerdau are: 1) recovering waste heat to preheat billets, 2) upgrading the charge end in the reheat furnace, 3) recovering waste heat to preheat combustion air in the ladle preheater, 4) replacing direct-fired natural gas heaters with indirect-fired natural gas heaters. These are both good for the environment, reducing fuel use and emissions and providing a good payback period and annual savings. Many opportunities are available for reducing energy as provided in Table A, which shows emissions reductions, costs, energy savings and payback. Oxyfuel combustion is not deemed feasible without considering productivity improvement as oxygen cost is more than natural gas saving.
A number of incentive programs, including those from Manitoba Hydro, are applicable to Gerdau. However, a number of barriers to accessing these, particularly as regards tax incentive programs, should be explored to see if these barriers can be overcome.
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Peton, Neshaan. "A critical assessment of the quality of decentralised primary health care services in the cape metro district of the Western Cape." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3403.
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Magister Administrationis - MAdminThe complex and multi-facet decentralisation process of Primary Health Care services in the Cape Metro District of the Western Cape will be critically assessed in this thesis. Primary Health Care is the provision of promotive; preventative; curative and rehabilitative services within the community setting. South Africa initially adopted the Primary Health Care strategy in 1978 as a member state of the World Health Organisation but this was during the Apartheid regime which did very little about implementing the strategy. In 1994 the Government of National Unity (GNU) came into power and there was a renewed commitment to implementing Primary Health Care in order to render health care services to the previously underprivileged masses. The GNU set an eight year time frame for the full implementation of this process from the date of commitment. Now more than ten years later an assessment of the process is necessary to determine if the objectives of the process has been achieved. An independent organisation such as the Health System Trust has in 1998 and 2003 provided some form of evaluation of the process and this will also be discussed in thesis. The District Health system is part of a unitary Provincial Health System that is decentralised to enable the centre (Provincial Management) and the periphery (District and Sub-district Management) to function more effectively and cooperatively. The District Health System is the management structure for primary health care services as this system allows for interaction of all the role-players involved in delivering health care at district level as it puts in place a decentralised Health Management team who is responsible for the planning, managing, implementing and monitoring of the Primary Health Care Package of care at district level. In summary the district is the place where community needs and national priorities are reconciled. This thesis will therefore show the disjuncture that exists between the Primary Health Care policy intent, the policy implementation and the service delivery outcomes on the ground level. The general objective is to do a critical assessment of the Quality of Decentralised Primary Health Care Services in the Cape Metro District of the Western Cape. More specific objectives for the research include: Defining and discussing the Primary Health Care Approach and the District Health System using the target indicators currently used by the City of Cape Town and the Provincial government of the Western Cape Health department to assess the impact of this process. To document the implementation process of the District Health System in the Cape Town Metro District as a case study while analysing the findings in terms of successes, constraints, challenges; and make recommendations for the way forward. The methodology of the study is of a qualitative and descriptive nature. The research design is a case study of the Cape Metro District. The target population will be all those accessing primary health care services in this district. The sample technique is selected by convenience. Data will be gathered directly and indirectly by doing observation and semi – structured interviews and the administration of questionnaires. The framework criteria for assessing the quality would for example include key indicators such as for example the ratio of Professional Nurse to patient; number of health services per three kilometre radius as per the Comprehensive Service Plan 2007 goals and the availability of essential drugs as per primary health care protocol. This directly relates to the key elements that underpin the District Health System namely: equity, access, quality, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, overcoming fragmentation, intersectoral approach and community participation. The main findings indicate that not enough resources have been allocated to the decentralising process causing much delay in its implementation. Shortages of health professionals, infrastructure constraints and poor adherence to legislation also contribute to the delay in implementation. This is why to date the four health districts of the Cape Town Metro District is not fully functional and the quality of the service they provide do not fully adhere to the 2010 Health Care Plan Model.
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Khan, Asim. "Automated Detection and Monitoring of Vegetation Through Deep Learning." Thesis, 2022. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/43941/.
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Healthy vegetation are essential not just for environmental sustainability but also for the development of sustainable and liveable cities. It is undeniable that human activities are altering the vegetation landscape, with harmful implications for the climate. As a result, autonomous detection, health evaluation, and continual monitoring of the plants are required to ensure environmental sustainability. This thesis presents research on autonomous vegetation management using recent advances in deep learning.
Currently, most towns do not have a system in place for detection and continual vegetation monitoring. On the one hand, a lack of public knowledge and political will could be a factor; on the other hand, no efficient and cost-effective technique of monitoring vegetation health has been established. Individual plants health condition data is essential since urban trees often develop as stand-alone objects. Manual annotation of these individual trees is a time-consuming, expensive, and inefficient operation that is normally done in person. As a result, skilled manual annotation cannot cover broad areas, and the data they create is out of date.
However, autonomous vegetation management poses a number of challenges due to its multidisciplinary nature. It includes automated detection, health assessment, and monitoring of vegetation and trees by integrating techniques from computer vision, machine learning, and remote sensing. Other challenges include a lack of analysis-ready data and imaging diversity, as well as dealing with their dependence on weather variability. With a core focus on automation of vegetation management using deep learning and transfer learning, this thesis contributes novel techniques for Multi-view vegetation detection, robust calculation of vegetation index, and real- time vegetation health assessment using deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and deep learning frameworks.
The thesis focuses on four general aspects: a) training CNN with possibly inaccurate labels and noisy image dataset; b) deriving semantic vegetation segmentation from the ordinal information contained in the image; c) retrieving semantic vegetation indexes from street-level imagery; and d) developing a vegetation health assessment and monitoring system.
Firstly, it is essential to detect and segment the vegetation, and then calculate the pixel value of the semantic vegetation index. However, because the images in multi- sensory data are not identical, all image datasets must be registered before being fed into the model training. The dataset used for vegetation detection and segmentation was acquired from multi-sensors. The whole dataset was multi-temporal based; therefore, it was registered using deep affine features through a convolutional neural network. Secondly, after preparing the dataset, vegetation was segmented by using Deep CNN, a fully convolutional network, and U-net. Although the vegetation index interprets the health of a particular area’s vegetation when assessing small and large vegetation (trees, shrubs, grass, etc.), the health of large plants, such as trees, is determined by steam. In contrast, small plants’ leaves are evaluated to decide whether they are healthy or unhealthy. Therefore, initially, small plant health was assessed through their leaves by training a deep neural network and integrating that trained model into an internet of things (IoT) device such as AWS DeepLens. Another deep CNN was trained to assess the health of large plants and trees like Eucalyptus. This one could also tell which trees were healthy and which ones were unhealthy, as well as their geo-location. Thus, we may ultimately analyse the vegetation’s health in terms of the vegetation index throughout time on the basis of a semantic-based vegetation index and compute the index in a time-series fashion.
This thesis shows that computer vision, deep learning and remote sensing approaches can be used to process street-level imagery in different places and cities, to help manage urban forests in new ways, such as biomass-surveillance and remote vegetation monitoring.