School funding Minneapolis

http://www.better-ed.org/

Aspergillus versicolor compound reverses NDM-1 antibiotic resistance

Ann Lukits from the Wall Street Journal reports (New Weapon in Fight against Superbugs) on a compound from an Aspergillus versicolor found in Canadian soil that turns off an antibiotic resistant gene NDM-1 in bacteria.

NDM-1 gene information Sunnybrook - 3min.

Environmental Reporter - Posts on Environmental Sampling

MN Forest teaming with airborne allergens

EMLab P&K has many informative articles on sampling for bioaerosols, particulates and allergens available at the Environmental Reporter.  A recent article deals with a spike in mucormycosis following natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes and a tsunamis.

KXAN News -Texas report on elevated mold counts two days after a rainstorm.

Green Line Light Rail Construction Video

The following video contains a series of photos taken during the construction of the Green Line Light rail on Washington Avenue by the University of Minnesota Campus.

Rodac Plate Interpretation

 Rodac plate

 Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Video on use of contact agar sample.

Two Xcel energy residential programs for improving energy efficiency

Xcel Energy operates in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Texas.

Home Energy Squad: Optimize your home energy use with a visit from the Home Energy Squad.  For $70 they will install door flashing for two doors, optimize the hot water heater.  Install aerators on the bathroom and kitchen sink.  Install energy efficient shower heads and install compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. (value of $200) 

I think all except the last one seem like a good idea.  The light quality from the CFL bulbs is not as good as the incandescent bulbs. I have installed the CFL bulbs in the basement and garage of my home as the quality of light in those locations is not as important. They do not work as well for reading.

For an additional fee the Home Energy squad will use LED instead of the compact fluorescent bulbs.   LED bulbs save money over the long run but have a higher upfront capital cost. 

Savers Switch: 15% off summer cooling.  Xcel installs a device to intermittently shut off the AC unit for approx. 20 minutes at a time during peak energy usage during the summer.  It does not shut off the fan in the house as air continues to circulate.  Typical hours of operation 2pm to 7pm.  I'm giving this a try this summer and will offer a critique in the fall.  I also plan to log the temperatures and %RH for some of the time.

MN CERT joins home energy squad - 7 min.

 

 

 

Xcel's savers switch in Minnesota



Peres - Meat Spoilage Detector

Food Sniffer provides a blue tooth compatible detector for meat freshness.  The Lithuanian based start up is seeking funding to convert prototypes into working products.  The target price is $100.  USA today has posted a video and further information about the rotten meat detector.

Similar devices with detection for different chemicals could be used for finding microbial VOC's or modulating ventilation systems in smart labs.



National Center for Healthy Housing -APHA May 2014

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) in cooperation with the American Public Health Association has issued a pdf of the National Healthy Housing Standard dated May, 2014.

The 65 page standard covers structural safety issues along with safety, thermal comfort and chemical agents.

Section II covers the annotated standards for the same sections.   The document is text heavy but well referenced.

 

Exterior remediation for water damage - N. Carlson

 

Home Safe Home with Rebecca Morley from NCHH - 7min.

Mucormycosis liked to five pediatric patient deaths

Rebecca Catalanello from Nola.com reports on April 16, 2014 that the CDC linked contaminated linens from TLC services in New Orleans to the outbreak of Mucormycosis that resulted in five pediatric patient deaths at New Orleans Children Hospital.  The deaths occurred over an 11 month period ending in July of 2009.

This is a link to further information about Mucor spp.  one of the possible organisms causing mucormycosis.

Mucor spp. 400x photomicrograph - N. Carlson

Geronimo Energy will build 20 large solar arrays around Minnesota

According to the Start Tribune, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission authorized the construction of 20 large solar arrays around the state of Minnesota.  In addition at least one natural gas power generator will also be built.

The installed solar capacity in Minnesota is expected to increase from 6.2 Megawatts in 2013 to over 16 megawatts in 2015.  According to the August, 2014 Star Tribune article Excel Energy has restarted its Minnesota solar rewards program.  The new Solar*Rewards program offers an incentive based on the kWh production from the PV system, as recorded by the production meter. The incentive is paid annually at $0.08 (8 cents) per kWh produced over 10 years.

The solar arrays will be installed by Geronimo Energy based in Edina, Minnesota.

Currently the largest solar array in the state is in Slayton, Minnesota.