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What does the European CO2 shortage mean for food and beverage?

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

It’s horrible timing for Europe. The entire continent is running low on beer supplies due to a carbon dioxide (CO2) shortage. In the U.K., where the problem is the worst, it comes just as millions flock to pubs to watch England’s World Cup run. Food-grade CO2 is often a byproduct of ammonia from fertilizer plants. The closure of European fertilizer plants that produce ammonia has led to the lack of CO2 in the U.K. and Europe. If the crisis deepens, the CO2 shortage could affect other industries beyond food and beverage.

Protection tips as the heart of mosquito season arrives

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

If part of your job is to manage pests like mosquitoes, Orkin offers some advice for doing so. Per its annual report on the top 50 mosquito cities in the U.S., the pest control company says to eliminate mosquito-friendly conditions on the exteriors of residences and buildings, in landscaped areas and around campuses. Any object that has the potential to hold water should be removed or cleaned out frequently, as mosquitoes can breed in just an inch of standing water.

Cathedrals to consumption: The mall as public space

Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building Materials

Malls have been around for centuries, from Trajan’s Market in ancient Rome through to Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. But the mall in its massive, "out-of-town" reincarnation came into its own in the late 20th century, as cars allowed more of us the mobility to make the weekend pilgrimage to these new temples of the capitalist age. The U.S., with more mall space per person than any other country in the world, has been at the epicenter of this love affair.

Designing lighting for biology

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Decisions about how best to light an interior space tend to be based on the types of activities for which the space is being designed. While that may aid occupants as they go about their tasks, depending on the space that lighting may be inappropriate to maintain the body’s internal clock. That, in turn, can lead to a number of health problems. Some recent studies suggest that it is possible to better balance lighting to benefit occupants’ tasks and biological needs.

Negotiating commercial leases: Keep success quiet

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

Are airports relying on security breaches simply not happening?

Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & Automotive

An incident at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on June 27 highlighted how a security breach can happen at an airport, when a man scaled the perimeter fence and ran towards a Delta airliner before climbing on the wing and terrorizing passengers aboard the aircraft who watched through the windows in fear. If this can happen at the world’s busiest airport, with its 2,000 closed-circuit TV cameras, then surely it can happen anywhere. Can such an invasion realistically be stopped?

Tariff torment: China’s retaliation on US trade

Delany Martinez Manufacturing

The escalation of tariff tension between the United States and its allies is reaching a fever pitch, with a growing tit-for-tat list on both the Chinese and American sides of a very public disagreement. The Trump administration’s steel tariff mandate — a hefty 25 percent on imported steel — earlier this year appears to be the proverbial spark that landed on a powder keg of inter-country trade issues. Canada became one of the first allies to make its displeasure known, but China wasn't far behind.

GIS plays expanding role at the Centers for Disease Control

Bill Becken Medical & Allied Healthcare

In the last few years, geographic information systems (GIS), geography, geospatial science and visualization have been applied much more often in the public health work of the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A major operating component of the federal, cabinet-level Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC is the principal government agency charged with conducting and maintaining a wide range of critical public health activities.

Study: Nanomaterials may create algae outbreaks, kill off waterways

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

We’ve been here before. Nanoparticles getting into the environment and fouling things up. This time, though, we’re not talking about plastic, but something potentially more dangerous: chemicals. According to a new study by Duke University, during the last decade, there has been a surge in the use of tiny substances — nanomaterials — in agrochemicals like pesticides and fungicides. However, when combined with nutrient runoff from fertilized cropland and manure-filled pastures, these nanopesticides could also mean more "toxic algae outbreaks for nearby streams, lakes and wetlands."

A seller’s market with few sellers

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Historically, the second quarter is one of the busiest times of the year for home sales. Currently, however, high demand and prices have created a seller’s market, but few sellers. That has been a boon for builders, but it also means many would-be buyers are shut out of the market at present. Construction of new homes (in units) rose 5 percent in May, compared to April, the industry’s biggest increase since January, and is up more than 20 percent for the year.

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