Lessons learned from a Tiger Worm Toilet implementation project in Sierra Leone

This paper discusses the implementation of Tiger Worm Toilets (TWTs) as a sustainable alternative to pit latrines in areas with challenging environmental conditions. The study was carried out in Koinadugu, Sierra Leone, where TWTs were installed in 200 households, providing safe sanitation for approximately 1,200 individuals within a 17-month period. The study reveals that TWTs offer several benefits over traditional pit latrines, including higher cost efficiency. Despite some setbacks, TWTs have been well-received by the local communities, resulting in a significant reduction in open defaecation in areas where latrines are not viable. The study presents areas of further research and concludes with recommendations for future TWT designs based on the lessons learned

Shedding light on humanitarian sanitation

Lighting should be provided for WASH facilities in Humanitarian contexts according to several standards. Evidence for this and the practical budget, operational and management responsibilities are less clear. A three-country research project looking at the impact of lighting on WASH use and Gender- Based Violence (GBV) required a multi-disciplinary approach, combining OXFAM’s practical implementing expertise with WEDC’s research-orientated approach. The research showed how much more is needed for safe sanitation than just building latrines. Lack of usage of latrines had implications for environmental health. A reason for not using latrines was due to fear of many things, including GBV. The location of the facility was a common concern, but simple lessons are not easy to distil as the context varies between settlements and changes rapidly overtime. The provision of lighting was welcomed by a wide range of stakeholders, but other factors still affect both GBV and WASH outcomes

Adherence to Point-of-Use Water Treatment over Short-Term Implementation: Parallel Crossover Trials of Flocculation-Disinfection Sachets in Pakistan and Zambia.

The health benefits of point-of-use (POU) water treatment can only be realized through high adherence: correct, consistent, and sustained use. We conducted parallel randomized, longitudinal crossover trials measuring short-term adherence to two single-use flocculant-disinfectant sachets in Pakistan and Zambia. In both trials, adherence declined sharply for both products over the eight week surveillance periods, with overall lower adherence to both products in Zambia. There was no significant difference in adherence between the two products. Estimated median daily production of treated water dropped over the crossover period from 2.5 to 1.4 L person-1 day-1 (46% decline) in Pakistan and from 1.4 to 1.1 L person-1 day-1 (21% decline) in Zambia. The percentage of surveillance points with detectable total chlorine in household drinking water declined from 70% to 49% in Pakistan and rose marginally from 28% to 30% in Zambia. The relatively low and decreasing adherence observed in this study suggests that these products would have provided little protection from waterborne disease risk in these settings. Our findings underscore the challenge of achieving high adherence to POU water treatment, even under conditions of short-term adoption with intensive follow-up

Cognitive Reserve in Parkinson’s Disease: The Effects of Welsh-English Bilingualism on Executive Function

PublishedJournal ArticleObjective. Bilingualism has been shown to benefit executive function (EF) and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This study aims at examining whether a bilingual advantage applies to EF in Parkinson's disease (PD). Method. In a cross-sectional outpatient cohort of monolingual English (n = 57) and bilingual Welsh/English (n = 46) speakers with PD we evaluated the effects of bilingualism compared with monolingualism on performance on EF tasks. In bilinguals we also assessed the effects of the degree of daily usage of each language and the degree of bilingualism. Results. Monolinguals showed an advantage in performance of language tests. There were no differences in performance of EF tests in monolinguals and bilinguals. Those who used Welsh less in daily life had better performance on one test of English vocabulary. The degree of bilingualism correlated with one test of nonverbal reasoning and one of working memory but with no other tests of EF. Discussion. The reasons why the expected benefit in EF in Welsh-English bilinguals with PD was not found require further study. Future studies in PD should include other language pairs, analysis of the effects of the degree of bilingualism, and longitudinal analysis of cognitive decline or dementia together with structural or functional neuroimaging.This study was funded by Economic and Social Research Council Grant RES-062-23-1931 awarded to Linda Clare (PI), John V. Hindle, Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole, Enlli M. Thomas, Ellen Bialystok, Fergus I. M. Craik, and Christopher J. Whitaker

Executive control in older Welsh monolinguals and bilinguals

Evidence for a bilingual advantage in executive control has led to the suggestion that being bilingual might protect against late-life cognitive decline. We assessed the performance of socially homogeneous groups of older (≥ 60 years) bilingual Welsh/English (n = 50) and monolingual English (n = 49) speakers on a range of executive control tasks yielding 17 indices for comparison. Effect sizes (> .2) favoured monolinguals on 10 indices, with negligible differences observed on the remaining 7 indices. Univariate analyses indicated that monolinguals performed significantly better on two of 17 indices. Multivariate analysis indicated no significant overall differences between the two groups in performance on executive tasks. Older Welsh bilinguals do not show a bilingual advantage in executive control, and where differences are observed, these tend to favour monolinguals. A possible explanation may lie in the nature of the sociolinguistic context and its influence on cognitive processing in the bilingual group

Parent’s management of their child’s postoperative pain

In spite of its benefits, day or minor surgery is not without complications; pain is a significant issue for some patients (Kotiniemi et al 1997, Grenier et al 1998). Having witnessed considerable variation in the discharge advice given to parents about pain control we were prompted to discover what evidence there is to suggest that parents can effectively manage their child’s postoperative pain at home following day or minor surgery. In this article we review the evidence and describe how review findings were used to inform practice