The aerial surfaces of plants are covered with a wax layer that is primarily a waterproof barrier but that also provides protection against environmental stresses. The ubiquitous presence of cuticular wax is testimony to its essential function. Genetic and environmental factors influence wax quantity and composition, which suggests that it is an actively regulated process. The basic biochemistr...

A long-standing desire in biogeochemistry is to be able to examine the cycling of elements by microorganisms as the processes are happening on surfaces of earth and environmental materials. Over the past decade, physics, engineering and instrumentation innovations have led to the introduction of synchrotron radiation-based infrared spectromicroscopy. Spatial resolutions of less than ten microme...

When attached to surfaces, aggregated microorganisms (predominantly bacteria) and their extracellular polymeric substances are commonly known as biofilms. They are ubiquitous in nature and its formation is part of a strategy that bacteria use in order to survive in hostile environments. Although biofilms play crucial roles in many processes (biodegradation of environmental pollutants or the mic...

New and emerging infectious diseases pose a threat to public health and may be responsible for nosocomial outbreaks. Cryptosporidium parvum and Escherichia coli are gastrointestinal pathogens that have caused nosocomial infections via person-to-person transmission, environmental contamination, or contaminated water or food. Helicobacter pylori has been transmitted via inadequately disinfected e...

One of the great scientific challenges at the intersection of chemistry, biology and materials science is to define the biophysical pathways of cellular life, and in particular, to elucidate the complex molecular machines that carry out cellular and microbial function and propagate the disease. To study this in a comprehensive way, the fundamental understanding of the principal mechanisms by wh...

Increasing environmental challenges worldwide and a growing awareness of global climate change indicate an urgent need for environmental scientists to conduct science in a new and better way. Existing large-scale environmental monitoring systems, with their coarse spatiotemporal resolution, are not only expensive, but they are incapable of revealing the complex interactions between atmospheric ...

BACKGROUND The focus of nursing home infection control procedures has been on decreasing transmission between healthcare workers and residents. Less evidence is available regarding whether decontamination of high-touch environmental surfaces impacts infection rates or resident outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine if ultraviolet disinfection is associated with changes in: 1) microb...

C hemical disinfection of surfaces and instruments is an important aspect of infection control as routinely practised in dental units and elsewhere. The timing and method of chemical disinfection, the factors affecting the efficacy of germicides and the hazards posed by their use are important considerations in selecting disinfectants. The terminology used for such chemicals is often confusing,...

Healthcare-associated infections remain an important source of morbidity and mortality, with an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths annually. The major source of nosocomial pathogens is thought to be patients' endogenous flora, but an estimated 20%-40% of healthcare-associated infections have been attributed to cross infection via the hands of healthcare personnel. Contamination ...

A distinct feature of neonatal rotavirus infection is the association of unusual strains that appear to be prevalent only in neonatal units and persist for long periods of time. The main aims of this study were to determine if rotavirus can be detected on environmental surfaces in the neonatal nursery and whether the infection occurs in mothers of infected and uninfected neonates. Thirty rotavi...