Lexikon
Clostridium is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria, belonging to the Firmicutes. They are obligate anaerobes capable of producing endospores. Individual cells are rod-shaped.
There are four main species responsible for disease in humans:
C. botulinum, an organism producing a toxin in food/wound that causes botulism. Honey sometimes contains spores of Clostridium botulinum, which may cause infant botulism in humans one year old and younger. The bacteria produce botulinum toxin, which eventually paralyzes the infant's breathing muscles. Adults and older children can eat honey safely, because the clostridia do not compete well with the other rapidly growing bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract.
C. difficile, can overgrow other bacteria in the gut during antibiotic therapy and cause pseudomembranous colitis.
C. perfringens, formerly called C. welchii, causes a wide range of symptoms, from food poisoning to gas gangrene. Also responsible for enterotoxemia (also known as "overeating disease" or "pulpy kidney disease") in sheep and goats. C. perfringens also takes the place of yeast in the making of salt rising bread.
C. tetani, the causative organism of tetanus.
C. sordellii has been linked to the deaths of more than a dozen women after childbirth.
Clostridium is sometimes found in raw swiftlet birds' nests, a Chinese delicacy. Nests are washed in a sulfite solution to kill the bacteria before being imported to the U.S.
Neurotoxin production is the unifying feature of the species C. botulinum.
As therapy, passive immunisation with human anti-tetanospasmin immunoglobulin or tetanus immunoglobulin is crucial. If specific anti-tetanospasmin immunoglobulin is not available, then normal human immunoglobulin may be given instead. All tetanus victims should be vaccinated against the disease or offered a booster shot.
Many clostridium stains are utilised by industry and commerce.
C. thermocellum can utilize lignocellulosic waste and generate ethanol, thus making it a possible candidate for use in ethanol production. It also has no oxygen requirement and is thermophilic, reducing cooling cost.
C. acetobutylicum, also known as the Weizmann organism, was first used by Chaim Weizmann to produce acetone and biobutanol from starch in 1916 for the production of gunpowder and TNT.
The anaerobic bacterium C. ljungdahlii, recently discovered in commercial chicken wastes, can produce ethanol from single-carbon sources including synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can be generated from the partial combustion of either fossil fuels or biomass. Use of these bacteria to produce ethanol from synthesis gas has progressed to the pilot plant stage at the BRI Energy facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Fatty acids are converted by yeasts to long-chain dicarboxylic acids and then to 1,3-propanediol using Clostridium diolis.
Genes from C. thermocellum have been inserted into transgenic mice to allow the production of endoglucanase. The experiment was intended to learn more about how the digestive capacity of monogastric animals could be improved. Hall et al. published their findings in 1993.
Non-pathogenic strains of clostridia may help in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Research shows that clostridia can selectively target cancer cells. Some strains can enter and replicate within solid tumours. Clostridia could, therefore, be used to deliver therapeutic proteins to tumours. This use of Clostridia has been demonstrated in a variety of preclinical models.
Source: Wikipedia
the CLP Regulation (for "Classification, Labelling and Packaging") is a European Union regulation which aligns the European Union system of classification, labelling and packaging chemical substances and mixtures to the Globally Harmonised System (GHS). It is expected to facilitate global trade and the harmonised communication of hazard information of chemicals and to promote regulatory efficiency. It complements the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation (EC No 1907/2006) and replaces the current system contained in the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC)and the Dangerous Preparations Directive (1999/45/EC).
1272/2008 regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.This Regulation says, that is should ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment as well as the free movement of chemical substances, mixtures and certain specific articles, while enhancing competitiveness and innovation.
The regulation incorporates the classification criteria and labelling rules agreed at UN level, the so called Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). It introduces new classification criteria, hazard symbols (pictograms) and labelling phrases, while taking account of elements which are part of the current EU legislation.
The regulation requires companies to appropriately classify, label and package their substances and mixtures before placing them on the market. It aims to protect workers, consumers and the environment by means of labelling which reflects possible hazardous effects of a particular chemical. It also takes over provisions of the REACH Regulation regarding the notification of classifications, the establishment of a list of harmonised classifications and the creation of a classification and labelling inventory.
Harmonised classification (legal classification) results from the inclusion into the list of substances in Annex VI of the CLP Regulation (formerly Annex I Directive 67/548/EEC).
Full text of the regulation: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:353:0001:1355:EN:PDF
it was founded in April 1968 and raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth. The club states that its mission is "to act as a global catalyst for change through the identification and analysis of the crucial problems facing humanity and the communication of such problems to the most important public and private decision makers as well as to the general public." Since 1 July 2008, the organization has its headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland.
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_of_Rome
chemical substances with carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic effect to reproduction. The abbreviation of CMR is used for the characterisation of chemical substances with these properties. Consequences and obligations of being CMR are given by REACH.
Content Management System
a black or brownish black solid, combustible carbon-rich substance formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter without access to air. Coal is one of the most important of the primary fossil fuels. It constitutes humankind’s main source of energy.
coal tar and coal tar oil are principal liquid products resulting from the carbonisation of coal, what means the heating of coal in the absence of air at temperatures ranging from about 900º to 1,200ºC (1,650º to 2,200ºF). Many commercially important compounds are derived from coal tar, such as dyestuffs and pigments.
urface water on the landward side of a line, every point of which is at a distance of one nautical mile on the seaward side from the nearest point of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured, extending where appropriate up to the outer limit of transitional waters.
common technical specification is a technical specification drawn up in accordance with a procedure recognized by the Member States with a view to uniform application in all Member States and published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
Source: Council Directive 93/38/EEC of 14 June 1993 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and telecommunications sectors.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31993L0038:EN:HTML
under REACH "component" is an individual chemical substance in a mixture of chemicals or in a product.
Source: REACH
composite sample is a combination of multiple individual samples taken at pre-selected times to represent the integrated composition of the wastewater being sampled. Usually all samples added to the composites are equal in size, but flow-proportional composite samples collect amounts proportional to flow.
Composting as a recognized practice dates to at least the early Roman era since Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79) who refers to compost in his writings. Traditionally, composting was to pile organic materials until the next planting season, at which time the materials would be ready for soil application. The main advantage of this method is that little working time or effort is required from the composter and it fits in naturally with agricultural practices in temperate climates. Disadvantages (from the modern perspective) are that space is used for a whole year, some nutrients might be leached due to exposure to rainfall, and disease producing organisms, some weed, weed seeds and insects may not be adequately controlled.
Composting was somewhat modernized beginning in the 1920s in Europe as a tool for organic farming.The first industrial station for the transformation of urban organic materials into compost was set up in Wels/Austria in the year 1921 The early personages most cited for propounding composting within farming are for the German-speaking world Rudolf Steiner, founder of a farming method called biodynamics, and Annie Francé-Harrar, who was appointed on behalf of the government in Mexico and supported the country 1950–1958 to set up a large humus organization in the fight against erosion and soil degradation. In the English-speaking world it was Sir Albert Howard who worked extensively in India on sustainable practices and Lady Eve Balfour who was a huge proponent of composting.
There are many modern proponents of rapid composting which attempt to correct some of the perceived problems associated with traditional, slow composting. Many advocate that compost can be made in 2 to 3 weeks.Many such short processes involve a few changes to traditional methods, including smaller, more homogenized pieces in the compost, controlling carbon to nitrogen (CN) ratio at 30 to 1 or less, and monitoring the moisture level more carefully. However, none of these parameters differ significantly from early writings of Howard and Balfour, suggesting that in fact modern composting has not made significant advances over the traditional methods which take a few months to work. For this reason and others, many modern scientists who deal with carbon transformations are sceptical that there is a "super-charged" way to get nature to make compost rapidly. They also point to the fact that it is the structure of the natural molecules - such as carbohydrates, proteins, and cellulose - that really dictate the rate at which microbial-mediated transformations are possible.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost
conservation status of a natural habitat is the sum of the influences acting on a natural habitat and its typical species that may affect its long-term natural distribution, structure and functions as well as the long-term survival of its typical species within the territory referred to in Article 2. The conservative status of a natural habitat will be taken as "favourable" when its natural range and areas it covers within that range are stable or increasing, and the specific structure and functions which are necessary for its long-term maintenance exist and are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future, and the conservation status of its typical species is favourable as defined in 92/43.
Source: Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31992L0043:EN:html
conservation status of a species means the sum of the influences acting on the species concerned that may affect the long-term distribution and abundance of its populations within the territory referred to in Article 2;
The conservation status will be taken as "favourable" when:
- population dynamics data on the species concerned indicate that it is maintaining itself on a long-term basis as a viable component of its natural habitats, and
- the natural range of the species is neither being reduced nor is likely to be reduced for the foreseeable future, and
- there is, and will probably continue to be, a sufficiently large habitat to maintain its populations on a long-term basis.
Source: Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31992L0043:EN:html
REACH requires that manufacturers/importers of the same substance cooperate jointly in preparing a submission, by sharing data and costs. Consortia are an efficient form of cooperation for potential registrants of a substance or group of substances to fulfil the REACH requirements in time.
ReachCentrum manages a large number of REACH consortia. ReachCentrum Consortium Management Services are designed for companies preparing, forming and operating REACH consortia. A good management practice is able to simplify the processes of forming and maintaining REACH consortia with the focus on meeting the REACH registration deadlines in time and cost efficiently.
a constitution is a set of fundamental principles according to which a state or other organization is governed.