Edinburgh Napier University

About: Edinburgh Napier University is a education organization based out in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2665 authors who have published 6859 publications receiving 175272 citations.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event

Abstract: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, an outbreak occurred following attendance of a symptomatic index case at a regular weekly rehearsal on 10 March of the Skagit Valley Chorale (SVC) After that rehearsal, 53 members of the SVC among 61 in attendance were confirmed or strongly suspected to have contracted COVID-19 and two died Transmission by the airborne route is likely It is vital to identify features of cases such as this so as to better understand the factors that promote superspreading events Based on a conditional assumption that transmission during this outbreak was by inhalation of respiratory aerosol, we use the available evidence to infer the emission rate of airborne infectious quanta from the primary source We also explore how the risk of infection would vary with several influential factors: the rates of removal of respiratory aerosol by ventilation; deposition onto surfaces; and viral decay The results indicate an emission rate of the order of a thousand quanta per hour (mean [interquartile range] for this event = 970 [680-1190] quanta per hour) and demonstrate that the risk of infection is modulated by ventilation conditions, occupant density, and duration of shared presence with an infectious individual Practical Implications During respiratory disease pandemics, group singing indoors should be discouraged or at a minimum carefully managed as singing can generate large amounts of airborne virus (quanta) if any of the singers is infected Ventilation requirements for spaces that are used for singing (eg, buildings for religious services and rehearsal/performance) should be reconsidered in light of the potential for airborne transmission of infectious diseases Meetings of choirs and other kinds of singing groups during pandemics should only be in spaces that are equipped with a warning system of insufficient ventilation which may be detected with CO2 “traffic light” monitors Systems that combine the functions heating and ventilation (or cooling and ventilation) should be provided with a disclaimer saying “do not shut this system off when people are using the room; turning off the system will also shut down fresh air supply, which can lead to the spread of airborne infections”

The Bromeliad Microcosm and the Assessment of Faunal Diversity in a Neotropical Forest1

Abstract: The faunas of tank bromeliads were sampled over two years in three forest types at different elevations in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, and the diversity of their animal communities compared. Bromeliad plants behaved as islands in that, within forests, the species richness and abundance of their animal communities were significantly and positively correlated with increase in plant size. The amount of canopy debris they accumulated was similarly correlated with increase in plant size. Overall diversity was lowest in the dwarf forest, where plants were uniformly small. Animal communities were stable from year to year, and could be characterised for each forest type and for compartments within the plant. They showed a pattern of high dominance, which increased with elevation (McNaughton index 37, 54, and 73, respectively, for the tabonuco, palo colorado, and dwarf forest). Alpha-diversity for sites sampled in each year reflected net primary productivity (NPP) of the forest, declining with increasing elevation when animal abundance measures were used (jackknife estimates of Simpson's diversity index 6.54 & 11.04 [tabonuco], 3.53 & 6.22 [palo colorado], and 2.75 & 2.17 [dwarf forest]). Species richness over the two years, however, was highest in the intermediate palo colorado forest (187 species), compared to 146 and 88 in the tabonuco and dwarf forests, respectively. These figures were close to jackknife estimates of maximum species richness. The difference in species richness between tabonuco and palo colorado forests was significant in one year only. In addition to NPP, other factors, such as litter quality and the structural complexity of the habitat in the palo colorado forest, may have influenced species richness. The most abundant species in individual plants were also the most widely occurring, confirming known patterns of abundance and distribution in other functional groups. Diversity within bromeliad microcosms at different elevations supported known relationships between diversity, productivity, and habitat complexity along gradients and was not related to differences in the total bromeliad habitat available for colonization.

Free radical activity of PM10: iron-mediated generation of hydroxyl radicals.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that particulate matter < or = 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) particles have the ability to generate free radical activity at their surface. We collected PM10 filters from the Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Enhanced Urban Network sampling site, removed particles from the filter, and tested their ability to cause free radical damage to supercoiled plasmid DNA. We found that the PM10 particles did cause damage to the DNA that was mediated by hydroxyl radicals, as shown by inhibition of the injury with mannitol. The PM10-associated hydroxyl radical activity was confirmed using a high-performance liquid chromatography-based assay to measure the hydroxyl radical adduct of salicylic acid. Desferrioxamine abolished the hydroxyl radical-mediated injury, which suggests that iron was involved. Analysis of PM10 filters confirmed the presence of large amounts of iron and leaching studies confirmed that the PM10 samples could release substantial amounts of Fe(III) and lesser amounts of Fe(II). To investigate the size of the particles involved in the hydroxyl radical injury, we centrifuged the suspension of PM10 to clarity, tested the clear supernatant, and found that it had all of the suspension activity. We conclude, therefore, that the free radical activity is derived either from a fraction that is not centrifugeable on a bench centrifuge, or that the radical generating system is released into solution.

The changing face of HRM: in search of balance

Abstract: Current models of HRM suggest that expectations about HR roles are changing as organisations are striving to make the HR function leaner and more ‘strategic’. In our article we explore the changing roles of HRM as they are perceived by different stakeholder groups within the HR profession through the medium of a study examining the diffusion of the concept of ‘the thinking performer’ launched by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 2002. We explain how the concept of business partnering dominates respondents' talk about HR policy and practice and raise questions about the impact of this in terms of HRM's relationship with employees, employee well-being and the career paths of HR professionals. We argue that the profession needs to reflect seriously on the consequences of a dominant business/strategic partner framing of HR work, which fails to address the duality that has historically always been inherent in HR practice. We conclude that there is a need for a more balanced HR agenda addressing human and economic concerns in current and future models of HRM.