School Resources and Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2010

Developing countries spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year on schools, educational materials and teachers, but relatively little is known about how effective these expenditures are at increasing students’ years of completed schooling and, more importantly, the skills that they learn while in school. This paper examines studies published between 1990 and 2010, in both the education literature and the economics literature, to investigate which specific school and teacher characteristics, if any, appear to have strong positive impacts on learning and time in school. Starting with over 9,000 studies, 79 are selected as being of sufficient quality. Then an even higher bar is set in terms of econometric methods used, leaving 43 “high quality” studies. Finally, results are also shown separately for 13 randomized trials. The estimated impacts on time in school and learning of most school and teacher characteristics are statistically insignificant, especially when the evidence is limited to the “high quality” studies. The few variables that do have significant effects – e.g. availability of desks, teacher knowledge of the subjects they teach, and teacher absence – are not particularly surprising and thus provide little guidance for future policies and programs.

Development and initial validation of a postal survey evaluation of community pharmacists' opinion regarding falsified (counterfeit) medicines in Hampshire (UK)

Context: Falsified-medicines pose a worldwide problem to patients, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies, and governments. Community pharmacists are usually the last points of contact with patients and can protect them by quarantining falsified medicines. Hence, their opinions are valuable in exploring how the profession can combat this. Aims: To explore the opinion of pharmacists with respect to falsified medicines. Methods: A postal survey was developed and distributed to 359 pharmacies via the local pharmaceutical committee in Hampshire, UK. Descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing was conducted. Hypothesis testing (95% CI, α = 0.05) will be conducted to identify any gender differences, differences based on years of experience and differences based on number of working hours per week. Results: A 14% response rate was achieved. Pharmacists surveyed believe that falsified-medicines pose a significant problem to the profession on a five-point Likert scale (4.02 ± 1.078). A pharmacist’s intervention can prevent or disrupt the supply to patients (4.12 ± 0.824) and training courses can improve pharmacist’s knowledge (4.06 ± 0.843). Pharmacists are not confident and capable in identifying falsified-medicines (2.62 ± 1.105). This is surprising and unexpected because pharmacists are medicines-expert. A 10-item scale is validated (72.2% Cronbach alpha). Conclusions: Falsified-medicines pose a small but significant and growing challenge to the profession. There is underutilization of the high street community pharmacist in identifying falsified-medicines. Healthcare professionals should report suspect counterfeits to the MHRA

Halocarbon emissions from hazardous waste landfills: Analysis of sources and risks

Landfills are sources of fugitive volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions, including halocarbons. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of halogenated VOCs to the health risks associated with the exposure of workers operating in landfills, gathering information on the role of endogenous/exogenous sources present in anthropized areas. A hazardous waste landfill located in Turin, Italy was used as a case study. Ambient concentrations of 10 pollutants (BTEX, styrene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloropropane), measured in 10 points of the landfill area, were considered and analyzed. The data had a monthly frequency and covered two years. A cumulative health risk analysis was conducted by applying a Monte-Carlo method. The results showed that the contribution of 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,2-dichloropropane was 17.9% and 19.4% for the total risk and hazard index respectively. Benzene and ethylbenzene gave the highest contribution to the total risk (56.8% and 24.8%, respectively). In the second phase of the study, waste typologies that are possibly responsible for halocarbon emissions were investigated. Halocarbon concentration trends and waste disposal records were compared. Although further investigation is needed, some waste typologies were not excluded to contribute to halocarbon emissions, in particular sludge coming from wastewater treatment plants

Microbial characterization of a mine soil subjected to different remediation technologies combining organic and inorganic treatments and plant cultivation

RAMIRAN International ConferenceIn Portugal, additional research is needed if technologies based on the combined action of plants and the microbial communities they support within the rhizosphere are to be adopted in large-scale remediation actions (Nabais et al., 2008). Plants growing in abandoned mines are useful to indicate the mineral composition of the soil and they are able to accumulate or exclude toxic metals (Pratas et al., 2005). Taking into account that the mine degraded soils have low concentrations of plant nutrients, it is necessary to apply amendments to ensure plant cover when remediation technologies are present. But soil amendments and the development of a root system might induce shifts in the microbial community structure among the different treatments (Pérez-de-Mora et al., 2006). Moreover, data about the toxic effects of heavy metals on soil microorganisms indicated that heavy metal-sensitive bacteria are probably responsible for the decrease in bacterial activity and the competitive advantage of more tolerant ones resulted in a change in community composition (Díaz-Raviña and Bååth, 1996). Hence, relationships between the soil composition, plant species occurring above-ground and the soil microbial communities have been revealed in many research (Kourtev et al., 2003) providing an important link between above and below-ground processes in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbial community structure is increasingly being marketed as ecologically-relevant endpoint and it can realistically be incorporated for assessing the potential risks associated with soil amendment strategies on sustainability of soil ecosystems. Studies of different remediation technologies with mine soils in Portugal, including amendment materials from farming and industrial sources and the use of native plant species (Guiwei et al., 2008; de Varennes et al., 2009) revealed differential effects of treatments on soil enzymes and microbial respiration, suggesting a change in microbial communities. The information about this fact is scarce and had focused on soil biochemical properties, producing no clear results. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) patterns are sensitive indicators of changes in microbial community structure. This technique has been used to elucidate different strategies employed by microorganism to adapt to changed environmental conditions under wide ranges of soil types, management practices, climatic origins and different perturbations (Zelles, 1999). The present study is the first attempt to characterize, by means of the analysis of PLFA patterns, soil microbial population from a Pb-contaminated mine soil subjected to different remediation technologies including revegetation with native herbaceous species

Microbial community structure in a unlimed and limed mine contaminated soil (Pb, Cu, As) with different organic and inorganic treatments

RAMIRAN International ConferenceMine contaminated soils are very unfavourable environments with limiting factors, in particular residual high levels of heavy metals, soil acidity, lack of organic matter and poor substrate structure. Toxic effects of HM on soil microorganisms have been extensively studied (Frostegård et al., 1993; Bååth et al., 1998) and the measurements of community structure indicated that the HM had an effect resulting in a change in community composition (Ellis et al., 2003; Rajapaksha et al, 2004). Nowadays molecular biology techniques, such as the analysis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) patterns, make it possible to study the microbial community structure of soil microorganisms. The PLFA technique has been used to elucidate different strategies employed by microorganism to adapt to changed environmental conditions under wide ranges of soil types, management practices, climatic origins and different perturbations (Zelles, 1999). By phospholipid fatty acid analysis it is possible to examine broad scale patterns in microbial community structure (Bååth et al. 2005) and generally, after the application of multivariate statistical analyses, whole community fatty acids profiles indicate which communities are similar or different. Determination both microbial community composition and biomass size by this direct method gives results that very closely represent the in situ soil conditions and is currently used for soil monitoring purposes (Nielsen and Winding, 2002). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different remediation technologies in a mine contaminated soil including several organic and inorganic treatments combined with liming by the soil microbial community structure analysi

Shifts in the structure of a mine contaminated soil (Pb, Cu, As) following different organic and inorganic treatments

RAMIRAN International ConferenceSoil microbial community structure is increasingly being marketed as ecologically-relevant endpoint and it can realistically be incorporated for assessing the potential risks associated with anthropogenic disturbances and soil amendment strategies on sustainability of soil ecosystems. In Portugal, additional research is needed if technologies based on the combined action of plants and the microbial communities they support within the rhizosphere are to be adopted in large-scale remediation actions (Nabais et al., 2008). The information about this fact in mine soils is scarce and had focused on soil biochemical properties, producing no clear results. Furthermore, the effects of phytoremediation as soil remediation technique and metal contamination on microbial community structural would be achieved by PLFA studies. By phospholipid fatty acid analysis it is possible to examine broad scale patterns in microbial community structure (Bååth et al. 2005) and generally, after the application of multivariate statistical analyses, whole community fatty acids profiles indicate which communities are similar or different. Determination both microbial community composition and biomass size by this direct method gives results that very closely represent the in situ soil conditions and is currently used for soil monitoring purposes (Nielsen and Winding, 2002). The present investigation studies the medium-term response in the soil microbial community structure after the application of different remediation technologies including several organic and inorganic treatments

Evaluation of green coffee-roasting biogas with modeling valorization of possible solutions

According to the European Union Directive 2009/28/EC, the goals of obtaining 20% of all energy requirements from renewable sources and a 20% reduction in primary energy use must be fulfilled by 2020. In this work, an evaluation was performed, from the environmental and energy point of view, of anaerobic digestion as a valid solution for the treatment of the byproducts obtained from the coffee-roasting process. In particular, thermophilic anaerobic digestion tests were carried out. Output values from the laboratory were used as input for the MCBioCH4 model to evaluate the produced flow of biogas and biomethane and two different biogas valorization alternatives, namely, the traditional exploitation of biogas for heat/energy production and biomethane conversion. The results of the preliminary simulation showed that a full-scale implementation of the coffee waste biogas production process is technically feasible and environmentally sustainable. Furthermore, the performed analysis validates a general methodology for energy production compatibility planning

Sustainable energy management benchmark at wastewater treatment plant

Urban wastewater effluents bring large amounts of nutrients, organic matter, and organic microcontaminants into freshwater ecosystems. Ensuring the quality of wastewater treatment (WWT) is one of the main challenges facing the management of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). How-ever, achievement of high-quality standards leads towards significant energy consumption: usually the more intensive WWT process requires additional energies. Energy efficiency at WWTP is actual mainstream on the current sustainable development agenda. The WWTP processes and methods can be considered from the standpoint of material and energy flows according to circular economy paradigm, which offers great possibilities to reuse waste originating from WWT in order to receive renewable energy. The correlation between energy and quality issues to evaluate WWTP efficiency is of a great scientific and practical interest. The main goal of the paper is to check the dependency between these two main issues in WWTP management\u2014WWT quality and energy efficiency\u2014and to determine possible limits of such relation. The municipal sewerage system of Ekaterinburg, Russia was studied within this paper. The total length of centralized sewerage system in Ekaterinburg is over 1500 km of pipes within two main sewerage basins: northern and southern. The methodological framework for the current research consisted of three steps: (i) WWT quality evaluation, (ii) energy efficiency evaluation, and (iii) WWTP Quality/Energy (Q/E) efficiency dependency matrix. For the purpose of research, authors investigated the 2015\u20132018 period. The results showed that the outputs correlate with the technical conditions of WWTPs and the implementation of the best available techniques (BATs): most of the northern WWTP values are referred to the green zone (good rank), while the southern WWTP values are situated generally in the orange zone (unsatisfactory rank). The proposed methodological approach for Q/E dependency of WWT process creates a strong but simple tool for managers to evaluate the current success of the operation of WWTP and progress towards circular economy practices implementation

Urban wastewater treatment in african countries: Evidence from the hydroaid initiative

This study is based on the evidence collected during the “Technical e-Learning Course on Wastewater Treatment”, an international training project developed in 2020 in Italy by the Hydroaid Association, in collaboration with Turin Polytechnic. This work intended to address the sustainability of urban sanitation in various African countries, which the world of international cooperation has been looking at in recent years with growing interest. A comparative analysis of the current strategies and technological solutions was conducted. Data and information reported by the project participants were elaborated and verified. Four African countries—Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Malawi—were considered and two relevant case studies among those proposed by the participants were presented. Starting from this analysis, significant elements about the status and coverage of wastewater management were extracted and reported. The analysis of existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) allowed evaluating their design features and current status of operation. Considerations about the environmental, economic, social, and technical sustainability of wastewater treatment and management were finally reported. Conducting such an analysis provided support in identifying the best practices and the most recurrent problems linked to the various African contexts, which need to be considered for a complete definition of the planning strategy for accessible, efficient, and sustainable sanitation infrastructures