PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

U Zoller

Publications and source records attributed to U Zoller.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

The HOCS paradigm shift from disciplinary knowledge (LOCS)--to interdisciplinary evaluative, system thinking (HOCS): what should it take in science-technology-environment-society oriented courses, curricula and assessment?

Given the current world state of affairs, striving for sustainability and the consequent paradigm shift: growth-to-sustainable development, correction-to-prevention and options selection-to-options generation: the corresponding paradigm shift in science-technology-environment-society (STES) education is unavoidable. Accordingly, the essence of the current reform in STES education, worldwide, is a purposed effort to develop students' higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) capability; i.e., question-asking, critical system thinking, decision making and problem solving, at the expense of the "delivery" of lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS)-oriented knowledge. This means a paradigm shift from the contemporary prevalent LOCS algorithmic teaching to HOCS evaluative learning and HOCS-promoting courses, curricula, teaching strategies and assessment methodologies, leading, hopefully to evaluative thinking and transfer. Following the formulation of selected relevant axioms, major paradigm shift in STES research and education for sustainability have been identified. The consequent shift, in the STES context, from disciplinary to inter- and transdisciplinary learning, in science technology and environmental engineering education is discussed, followed by selected examples of successfully implemented HOCS-promoting courses, and assessment methodologies. It is argued, that transferable "HOCS learning" for sustainability can and should be done.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2004

The case of the nonionic alkylphenol ethoxylates in the Mediterranean Sea region: is there a problem?

The concentration profiles of the potential endocrine disrupting nonionic alkylphenol ethoxylate (APEO) surfactants in Israel's rivers, groundwaters and coastal water of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, were found to be within the range of 12.5-74.6, trace - 20.2 and 4.2-25.0 microg/L respectively. Determination of the APEO's homologic distribution revealed "skewing" towards the more toxic shorter-chain ethoxylates. Egg production of zebrafish, Danio rerio, exposed to these actually found the environmental concentrations range of the APEOs decreased, after 20 days, to 89.6+/-2.1, 84.7+/-3.9 and 76.9+/-2.2% of the baseline levels, compared with control, in concentrations of 10, 25 and 75 microg/L respectively. These results suggest that, (a) there is a potential health problem, particularly in countries in which the "hard"/environmentally persistent APEOs are still in use; and (b) the related health-risk is seasonally-dependent, particularly in semi-arid regions where the fluctuations in the water quantities in surface- and groundwater are substantial.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Feasibility of in situ NAPL-contaminated aquifer bioremediation by biodegradable nutrient-surfactant mix.

Entrapped non-aqueous liquid phase (NAPL) pollutants (e.g., fuels) constitute one of the biggest current problems in the bioremediation efforts of contaminated soil and aquifers worldwide. On site, in situ surfactant-enhanced bioremediation, in the presence of sufficient nutrients and dissolved oxygen, has the potential of becoming the remediation method of choice in terms of both technological and economical feasibility. This approach was applied in our lab-scale column-based flow system with the aid of which an optimized, below CMC, of biodegradable surfactant-nutrient surfactant mix has been established for the best solubilization/ mobilization of NAPL (hexane, toluene, kerosene and their mixtures as "representatives") in sandy matrix. For kerosene, the highest f values (the enhancement factors) were obtained for the systems containing either the amphoteric cocoamphodiacetate or the anionic linear dodecylbenzene sulfonate (0.1-0.3 g/L) with one or both the nutrient-surfactants L and B (0.05 g/L).

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed2001

The nonionic surfactant pollution profile of Israel Mediterranean Sea coastal water.

Anionic and nonionic surfactants, as core components of detergent formulations, contribute significantly to the pollution profile of sewage and wastewaters of all kinds. In Israel about 15% of the total amount of ca. 4 x 10(8) m3/year of sewage is discharged, directly, or via receiving streams/rivers, into the Mediterranean Sea. Based on our previous findings that about 85% of the nonionic surfactants in the country's sewage are nonbiodegradable alkylphenol-based ethoxylates, we have undertaken this study, aiming at mapping the receiving eastern Mediterranean seawater with respect to its nonionic surfactant pollution profile. The total concentrations of nonionic surfactants were found--via reverse phase HPLC determinations--to be within the range of 4.2-25.0 ppb in seawater samples taken 2-3 m off the coastline at those locations where sewage-containing streams flow into the sea. Thus, neither the existing sewage treatment facilities nor natural biodegradation processes in receiving surface water systems are capable of avoiding this coastal water pollution. The potential estrogenic health risk of such concentrations of the anthropogenic EPEOs is dependent, among other things, on their specific homological distribution, biodegradation rate (slower for those having > 10 EO units) and survival.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1984

Differential viability of phosphoglucose isomerase allozyme genotypes of marine snails in nonionic detergent and crude oil-surfactant mixtures.

The effects of a nonionic detergent and of crude oil-detergent mixtures in aqueous solutions on the allozyme frequencies of phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) genotypes were tested in the Mediterranean marine gastropods Monodonta turbinata and M. turbiformis. Our results indicate differential survivorship of electrophoretical Pgi allozyme genotypes for both detergent alone and for crude oil-detergent mixtures. These results reflect the adaptive nature of some Pgi genotypes in these marine gastropods and seem inconsistent with the neutral theory of allozyme polymorphisms. Furthermore, these findings suggest that allozyme variants demonstrate a differential tolerance to these organic pollutants and can, therefore, be used as detectors of organic pollutants in the sea.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Smoking behavior of high school students in Israel.

To evaluate the recently developed and implemented Israeli educational program "Smoking and Cigarette Smoke" (SACS), data was collected on the current smoking behavior and attitudes of high school adolescents. A representative sample of 1,420 students in 22 high schools participated in the study. Each participant had to respond to 65 items of a specially devised questionnaire with respect to his or her smoking behavior and attitudes. According to age and sex in the school year 1980-81, the percentage of smokers within the target population, the distribution by age of when the student started smoking, as well as the distribution of reasons given for both smoking and not smoking, are recorded and analyzed. Generally, it was found that smoking behavior (and age distribution) of high school students in Israel is comparable to that of high school students in the United States. However, the reasons for smoking and not smoking as perceived by the students themselves are different in the two countries both qualitatively and quantitatively. It is concluded that in order to be successful, any preventive antismoking program should be modified and tailored in accordance with the characteristics and needs of the target population under the particular local set of constraints.

Adolescent↗