Holy water of hospital chapels as a possible source for nosocomical infections

Hygiene & Medizin 2012; 37 [3]: 72–76

Hubert Weiß

The ongoing discussion about effective preventive measures against nosocomical infections concentrates very much on activities of hygiene management and on the search for all possible ways of introduction of germs into the clinical area. This analysis investigates whether holy water in hospital chapels may provide a possible reservoir for a contamination of patients in the clinical area as well as hospital equipment. The microbial count and the spectrum of bacteria detected in holy water lead to the conclusion that holy water should be integrated into the monitoring and the hygiene management of hospitals as a critical control point. This paper develops suggestions for the expansion of hygiene management and for the reduction of microbial counts in holy water fonts. Finally, liability issues will be discussed.

http://www.mhp-verlag.de/en/search/1749-Holy-water-of-hospital-chapels-as-a-possible-source-for-nosocomical-infections/

Float, explode or sink: postmortem fate of lung-breathing marine vertebrates

Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments
March 2012, Volume 92, Issue 1, pp 67-81
Cover Date 2012-03-01
DOI 10.1007/s12549-011-0067-z

Achim G. Reisdorf (1), Roman Bux (2), Daniel Wyler (3), Mark Benecke (4), Christian Klug (5), Michael W. Maisch (6), Peter Fornaro (7), Andreas Wetzel (1)

1. Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut, Universität Basel, Bernoullistrasse 32, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
2. Institut für Rechtsmedizin und Verkehrsmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Voßstrasse 2, Gebäude 4420, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
3. Pathologie und Rechtsmedizin, Kantonsspital, Loëstrasse 170, 7000, Chur, Switzerland
4. Internatinal Forensic Research & Consulting, Postfach 250411, 50520, Köln, Germany
5. Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
6. Institut für Geowissenschaften, Eberhard Karls-Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
7. Imaging and Media Lab, Universität Basel, Bernoullistrasse 32, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

Abstract

What happens after the death of a marine tetrapod in seawater? Palaeontologists and neontologists have claimed that large lung-breathing marine tetrapods such as ichthyosaurs had a lower density than seawater, implying that their carcasses floated at the surface after death and sank subsequently after leakage of putrefaction gases (or ‘‘carcass explosions’’). Such explosions would thus account for the skeletal disarticulation observed frequently in the fossil record. We examined the taphonomy and sedimentary environment of numerous ichthyosaur skeletons and compared them to living marine tetrapods, principally cetaceans, and measured abdominal pressures in human carcasses. Our data and a review of the literature demonstrate that carcasses sink and do not explode (and spread skeletal elements). We argue that the normally slightly negatively buoyant carcasses of ichthyosaurs would have sunk to the sea floor and risen to the surface only when they remained in shallow water above a certain temperature and at a low scavenging rate. Once surfaced, prolonged floating may have occurred and a carcass have decomposed gradually. Our conclusions are of significance to the understanding of the inclusion of carcasses of lung-breathing vertebrates in marine nutrient recycling. The postmortem fate has essential implications for the interpretation of vertebrate fossil preservation (the existence of complete, disarticulated fossil skeletons is not explained by previous hypotheses), palaeobathymetry, the physiology of modern marine lung-breathing tetrapods and their conservation, and the recovery of human bodies from seawater.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12549-011-0067-z/fulltext.html

Poultry Harness Diaper

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Publication number US20120037094 A1
Application number US 13/207,708
Publication date Feb 16, 2012

Tobi Kosanke

Crazy K Farm Pet And Poultry Products, LLC
28384 Mellman Road
Hempstead, Texas 77445

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Birds, such as chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys and others, like many other animals, drop their bodily waste onto the ground beneath them. This waste is messy, sometimes has a foul odor, and contains bacteria. When a large number of birds are in a confined area and, especially, when birds are in an area that is shared by humans, dropping waste onto the ground is repugnant.

[0005] Several attempts have been made to attach a diaper-like structure to a bird. However, the prior-art attempts at bird diapers have failed to consider and accommodate a bird's natural desire to rest against a perch while perching or to lie with their stomachs touching the ground. If a bird were to do such activities with currently-known diaper devices, the bird would compress the captured waste against the bird's body.

[0006] In addition, many people enjoy birds as pets. These bird owners desire to not only have the bird's company at home, but in other locations as well. To help achieve these two goals, there exists several known leash devices that allow a pet owner to move about while keeping the bird tethered to them. These devices share many similarities with well-known dog leashes. However, there are no known devices that are comfortable to the bird.

[0007] Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, disclosed is a diaper assembly for use on a bird. The assembly includes an upper-body portion having at least one first part of at least one couple assembly attached thereto. At least one shoulder strap has a first end coupled to the upper-body portion and a second end opposite the first end. The assembly further includes a waste receiver having a waste-catching pouch at least partially defined by: a front-facing portion coupled to the second end of the at least one shoulder strap; and a rear-facing portion having at least one second part of the at least one couple assembly. Each second part of the at least one couple assembly is operable to releasably secure at least the rear-facing portion of the waste receiver to the upper-body portion.

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=20120037094.PGNR.

Shape of a Ponytail and the Statistical Physics of Hair Fiber Bundles

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 078101
volume 108, issue 7, pages 078101
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.078101
Published 13 February 2012

Raymond E. Goldstein [1], Patrick B. Warren [2], and Robin C. Ball [3]

[1] Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, United Kingdom
[2] Unilever R&D Port Sunlight, Quarry Road East, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 3JW, United Kingdom
[3] Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom

Abstract

A general continuum theory for the distribution of hairs in a bundle is developed, treating individual fibers as elastic filaments with random intrinsic curvatures. Applying this formalism to the iconic problem of the ponytail, the combined effects of bending elasticity, gravity, and orientational disorder are recast as a differential equation for the envelope of the bundle, in which the compressibility enters through an “equation of state.” From this, we identify the balance of forces in various regions of the ponytail, extract a remarkably simple equation of state from laboratory measurements of human ponytails, and relate the pressure to the measured random curvatures of individual hairs.

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.078101