This novel finding suggests that infants should be considered at increased risk of SIDS during hot weather, and that environmental alerts that include this group in health warnings may be warranted during heat waves.
The application of this low-cost optical sensor is in the area of environmental pollution alerts to support a water monitoring programme, where multiple such sensors could be deployed as part of a network.
When Keystone 1 was proposed, not many people heard about it, but when XL was proposed, environmental groups alerted their networks, starting the grassroots movement, Hovorka said.
She can then alert environmental scientists when she finds a dangerous area.
"It could help equipment and technology to 'report back' on local environmental conditions and alert users to when repairs are needed ahead of schedule if hairline cracks are detected early, for example on flood defences and dams.
Our evidence suggests that adrenaline provides an environmental cue to alert S. Typhimurium against impending macrophage-derived peroxide stress as shown by the reduced ability of S. Typhimurium lacking OxyR to survive in the presence of adrenaline.
Results are sent to the research department of the local federal university for analysis and if there are any infractions, such as a farm encroaching too close to the banks of the river which can cause soil erosion and interfere with its flow, the environmental police are alerted and the property owner can face a hefty fine.
In 1962, marine biologist and ecologist Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring helped to mobilize the environmental movement by alerting the public to toxic pesticides, such as DDT, bioaccumulating in the environment.
The fact that adrenaline provides an environmental cue that alerts the bacterial defences against oxidative stress as well as acting in favour of the host by inducing a reduction in bacterial antimicrobial peptide resistance is a unique combination.
