The effects of wet wipe pollution on the Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the River Thames, London.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate "flushable" and "non-flushable" wet wipes as a source of plastic pollution in the River Thames at Hammersmith, London and the impacts they have on the invasive Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, in this watercourse. Surveys were conducted to assess whether the density of wet wipes along the foreshore upstream of Hammersmith Bridge affected the distribution of C. fluminea. High densities of wet wipes were associated with low numbers of clams and vice versa. The maximum wet wipe density recorded was 143 wipes m-2 and maximum clam density 151 individuals m-2. Clams adjacent to the wet wipe reefs were found to contain synthetic polymers including polypropylene (57%), polyethylene (9%), polyallomer (8%), nylon (8%) and polyester (3%). Some of these polymers may have originated from the wet wipe reefs.

A 3D imaging and visualization workflow, using confocal microscopy and advanced image processing for brachyuran crab larvae.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy is an excellent tool for nondestructive imaging of arthropods and can provide detailed information on morphology including fine surface detail. A methodology is presented here for the visualization by confocal microscopy of arthropods, using brachyuran crab zoeal stages as examples and postprocessing techniques derived from micro-CT protocols to improve the final images. This protocol is divided into description of the preprocessing steps (cleaning, staining, digesting and mounting), confocal laser scanning microscopy and data visualization using open-source, freeware programs ImageJ and Drishti. The advantages of using ImageJ to standardize stack data and Drishti for surface rendering are discussed. The methodology has been comprehensively tested using data acquired from all four brands of confocal microscope (Leica, Nikon, Olympus and Zeiss).

Presence of microplastic in the digestive tracts of European flounder, Platichthys flesus, and European smelt, Osmerus eperlanus, from the River Thames.

Like many urban catchments, the River Thames in London is contaminated with plastics. This pollutant is recorded on the river banks, in the benthic environment and in the water column. The present study was conducted to assess the extent of microplastic ingestion in two River Thames fish species, the European flounder (Platichthys flesus) and European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus). Samples were collected from two sites in Kent, England; Erith and Isle of Grain/Sheppey, near Sheerness, with the latter being more estuarine. The results revealed that up to 75% of sampled European flounder had plastic fibres in the gut compared with only 20% of smelt. This difference may be related to their diverse feeding behaviours: European flounder are benthic feeders whilst European smelt are pelagic predators. The fibres were predominantly red or black polyamides and other fibres included acrylic, nylon, polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate and there was no difference in occurrence between the sites sampled.

[Challenges facing nurses' associations and unions: a global perspective]. / Problèmes, priorités et stratégies des organisations d'infirmières.

Nurses are at the heart of every country's health care system. What sort of problems do they face at work? What are the coping strategies that they and their organizations pursue? Drawing on the findings of a unique global survey of nurses' associations and unions, the authors provide clear answers to these and related questions at a time when population ageing, epidemics, privatization and understaffing are putting heightened pressures on health care systems around the world. Interestingly, the priority concerns of nurses' organizations the world over have much in common despite the widely differing national contexts in which they operate.

The relationship between health care reform and nurses' interest in union representation: the role of workplace climate.

Market-based reforms are rapidly changing the landscape of the American health care system. Over the last decade, a great deal of attention has been paid to these reforms, particularly the advent and rapid growth of managed care and the vertical and horizontal integration of provider institutions. The ramifications of these changes on both individual and institutional consumers has also been widely considered by scholars and policymakers. Yet, although these market reforms are driving the massive restructuring of work in hospitals and other health care organizations, comparatively little attention has been paid to the impact these changes have on health care employees and the environment in which they work. This article reports the results of an exploratory study examining the relationship between health care market reforms, nurses' perceptions of the climate for patient care in hospital settings, and nurses' interest in union representation. A model is proposed to help explain nurses' support for union representation in the presence of market-based reforms.

Oxygen costs using a reciprocating gait orthosis in a paraplegic (T9) patient with a bilateral below-knee amputation: case report.

The Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (RGO) is a useful aid to ambulation for patients with paraplegia. Its use has been described previously though not in conjunction with limb prostheses. We report here the energy costs of ambulation of a patient, disabled by paraplegia at T9 and bilateral below-knee amputations, walking at her preferred rate using an RGO while gas exchange was measured by the Douglas bag method. Oxygen uptake (VO2) rose from 0.198 1 min-1 at rest to 0.582 1 min-1 in the last minute of exercise, representing a VO2 of 14.3 ml kg-1 min-1. During the fourth minute of ambulation, energy consumption was 30.44 J kg-1 s-1 with an energy cost of 4.17 J kg-1 m-1 at a velocity of 0.13 m s-1, Ambulation with this combination of disability is possible with the aid of limb prostheses and an RGO though it is slow and the energy expenditure as consumption per second and cost per metre are high.