Swimming is a popular activity in Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ). Two variables that strongly influence swimming suitability of waters are faecal contamination, as indicated by the bacterium Escherichia coli, and visual clarity as it affects aesthetics and safety with respect to submerged hazards. We show that E. coli and visual clarity are inversely related overall in NZ rivers (R = -0.54), and more strongly related in many individual rivers, while similar (but positive) correlations apply also to turbidity. This finding, apparently reflecting co-mobilisation of faecal contamination and fine sediment, suggests that visual clarity, measured or estimated from appearance of submerged features, should be a valuable indicator of faecal contamination status and (more generally) swimming suitability. If swimmers were to avoid river waters <1.6 m black disc visibility (a long-established NZ guideline for swimming) they would also avoid microbial hazards (E. coli <550 cfu/100 mL about 99% of the time in NZ rivers). However, urban-affected rivers might sometimes be microbially contaminated when still clear. Water management agencies should measure visual clarity together with E. coli in river surveillance. Real-time information on swimming suitability could then be based on continuous monitoring of turbidity locally calibrated to both visual clarity and E. coli.
Environmental Monitoring , Feces , Rivers/microbiology , Swimming , Water Pollutants , Escherichia coli/isolation & purification , Humans , Nephelometry and Turbidimetry , New Zealand , Rivers/chemistry , Water Microbiology
Para a obtenção de um traçado eletrocardiográfico satisfatório regras devem ser seguidas, pois um grande número de fatores técnicos podem alterar a qualidade e acurácia do registro, possibilitando falsos diagnósticos e intervenções desnecessárias. Desta forma foi realizado esse estudo com o objetivo de identificar o conhecimento dos enfermeiros das Unidades de Terapia Intensiva e Cardiologias sobre o eletrocardiograma de 12 derivações. Trata-se de estudo transversal quantitativo, realizado em um Hospital Escola no Recife/PE. A coleta de dados foi realizado entre janeiro e fevereiro de 2010, através de um formulário estruturado e os dados obtidos analisados através dos programas Epi Info versão 6. O maior índice de acertos foi relacionado à descrição da preparação para a realização do ECG (87,7%), enquanto os menores foram aqueles referentes às posições dos eletrodos precordiais (1,1%). Tais resultados permitiram identificar o déficit de conhecimento sobre os aspectos conceituais e práticos do ECG.
To obtain a satisfactory electrocardiographic track, rules must be followed, seeking quality and accuracy of the registration and avoiding false diagnoses and unnecessary interventions. This is a cross-sectional survey developed in order to identify the knowledge of nurses on electrocardiograms. The sample consisted of 47 nurses of Intensive Care Units and a Teaching Hospital of Cardiology in Recife/PE. Data collection was performed between January/February 2010, by application of a structured questionnaire. The program?s higher rate of correct answers was related to the description of the preparation performing the ECG (87.7%), whereas the smaller ones are related to the positions of precordial electrodes (1.1%). These results show that knowledge of nurses investigated on theoretical and practical aspects of the ECG require further studies. KEYWORDS: Electrocardiography. Knowledge. Continued nursing education.
Para obtener un electrocardiograma satisfactorio, es necesario seguir las normas, buscando calidad y exactitud del registro y evitar falsos diagnósticos e intervenciones innecesarias. Se trata de un estudio transversal desarrollado con el fin de identificar los conocimientos de las enfermeras en el electrocardiograma. La muestra estuvo conformada por 47 enfermeras de unidades de cuidados intensivos y un Hospital Escuela de Cardiología en Recife/PE. La recolección de datos se realizó entre enero/febrero de 2010, mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario estructurado. Los programas de mayor tasa de respuestas correctas se relacionaron con la descripción de la preparación para la realización del ECG (87,7%), mientras que las más pequeñas están relacionadas con las posiciones de los electrodos precordiales (1,1%). Estos resultados muestran que se requiere profundizar el conocimiento de las enfermeras investigadas en los aspectos teóricos y prácticos de la ECG.
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Education, Nursing , Education, Nursing, Continuing , Electrocardiography , Intensive Care Units
The WHAM-FTOX model quantifies the combined toxic effects of protons and metal cations towards aquatic organisms through the toxicity function (FTOX), a linear combination of the products of organism-bound cation and a toxic potency coefficient for each cation. We describe the application of the model to predict an observable ecological field variable, species richness of pelagic lake crustacean zooplankton, studied with respect to either acidification or the impacts of metals from smelters. The fitted results give toxic potencies increasing in the order H(+) < Al < Cu < Zn < Ni. In general, observed species richness is lower than predicted, but in some instances agreement is close, and is rarely higher than predictions. The model predicts recovery in agreement with observations for three regions, namely Sudbury (Canada), Bohemian Forest (Czech Republic) and a subset of lakes across Norway, but fails to predict observed recovery from acidification in Adirondack lakes (USA).
Environmental Monitoring/methods , Lakes/chemistry , Metals/toxicity , Models, Chemical , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity , Zooplankton/drug effects , Animals , Canada , Crustacea/classification , Crustacea/drug effects , Crustacea/growth & development , Czech Republic , Norway , Protons , Zooplankton/classification , Zooplankton/growth & development
