Detention basins for phosphorus and sediment control in Clark County, Nevada

Nonpoint source urban stormwater runoff degrades aquatic ecosystems, and causes flooding. To mitigate its effects on natural and human environments best management practices (BMPs) became popular strategies to protect the integrity of water quality. Similarly, to mitigate the effects of stormwater quantity, detention basins (DBs) were put into place as flood control structures. Water quality control remains an unexplored and important aspect of DB utility, particularly, in arid regions. Since DBs are depressions in the earth and retain water over the course of several hours to days after a rain event, they can potentially act as BMPs. A key pollutant that DBs serve to settle out is Phosphorus (P). This study examines P concentration, and its relationship to particle size of flooded and dry sediment microcosms obtained from pre and post-rain samples of six DBs located in Clark County, Nevada (NV). DBs were allotted a land use classification (high, mid, or low development) to determine if there was a correlation between P soil concentration and surrounding land use. The results from this study indicate that: 1) overall post rain sediment samples have higher P than pre rain samples and that outside vs. inside sediment P concentrations are variable based on the individual DB, 2) majority of the particulate sediment P comes from DBs in low developed areas while majority of the dissolved P comes from DBs in mid to high developed regions, 3) there was a correlation between particle size and sediment P concentration, with finer particles having higher P concentration than larger particles, and 4) a correlation between particle settling rate was found which, therefore, affects P accumulation within a DB. As management recommendations, installation of berms, conversation to a two stage formation and changes in riser/outlet structure are suggested for certain DBs. This research establishes a guideline for DB and BMP related research in arid regions, especially since these areas are characterized with infrequent rain events; making it difficult to monitor infrastructural water quality outcomes. Further research implications include a need to study BMP and DB inflow and outflow water pollution concentrations and a comparison between sediment nutrient concentrations of DBs with constructed wetland sediment concentrations as a control

RACIAL INEEUQALITY AND SEXIST OPPRESSION IN TONI MORRISON'S BELOVED

AbstractThis study examines the construction of racialized society and gendered identities in fictional text of Morrison's Beloved. The research aim is to analyze and explore how these identities are constructed in Beloved by using a feminist approach. We find that the imposed ideal of femininity is absorbed and patriarchy is assumed. Female’s black characteristics are repressed both intra-communally and inter-communally. In the former, black female characters are not ‘fitted’ to white femininity as they strive for identity crisis even among the blacks. In the latter, they are whim of male dominance-subject of incest, rape and seduction. Though, women are doubly repressed, it is not the racial discrimination that threatens and jeopardizes black women identity rather a sheer domination of patriarchal power from within and without exaggerating debasing women life among the whites. Therefore, this paper reflects on the manifestation of femininity and patriarchy in a radicalized society and how these two  interact in women life in Morison's Beloved.

Effect of sun-dry on nutritional and sensory acceptability of wilted African leafy vegetables: a case study of Morogoro Region, Tanzania

African leafy vegetables are rich in micronutrients that can help solve hidden hunger problems in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, their availability is limited due to seasonality and high post-harvest losses, which account for about 50%. In the field survey, we observed that wilted vegetables are usually discarded from the Morogoro Region, Tanzania markets. That loss also contributes to the loss of resources used to cultivate and transport the vegetables. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the commonly used sun-drying method on the nutritional and sensory properties of fresh and wilted African nightshade and cowpea leaves. The common practice of handling fresh vegetables by vendors was adopted by putting the freshly harvested vegetables in an open basin at 24 ± 2°C for 3 days. Then, the stored vegetables were either sprayed or dipped in water to reduce the wilting rate. Next, the fresh and the wilted vegetables were dipped into hot water at 100°C for 7 min. Afterwards, the vegetables were sundried (22.5 ± 5.5°C) for three consecutive days. To study the effect of wilting, blanching, and sun drying fresh and dried vegetables were analysed for moisture, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, antioxidant activity and nitrate contents. Fresh and dried vegetables were used to prepare sauces using traditional recipes. The vegetable sauces were analysed for their sensory attributes using 30 semi-trained panellists. After drying, ascorbic acid contents, antioxidant activity and nitrate were reduced. The β-carotene significantly increased in the African nightshade and decreased in the cowpea leaves. Ascorbic acid ranged from 17.40 to 2.22 mg/100 g, antioxidant activity from 37.30 to 19.78, nitrate 230 to 10 mg/100 g and β-carotene from 96.38 to 79.49 mg/100. The sensory results showed relative acceptability among the sauces prepared from the fresh, fresh-dried and wilted-dried vegetables. In conclusion, blanching before drying reduced the water-soluble nutrient content but improved the sauces’ sensory scores of fresh and wilted vegetables. Therefore, reducing the post-harvest loss of African leafy vegetables is possible by drying the wilted vegetables and preparing the sauces with acceptable quality

Patient Satisfaction Survey as a Tool Towards Quality Improvement

Over the past 20 years, patient satisfaction surveys have gained increasing attention as meaningful and essential sources of information for identifying gaps and developing an effective action plan for quality improvement in healthcare organizations. However, there are very few published studies reporting of the improvements resulting from feedback information of patient satisfaction surveys, and in most cases, these studies are contradictory in their findings. This article investigates in-depth a number of research studies that critically discuss the relationship of dependent and independent influential attributes towards overall patient satisfaction in addition to its impact on the quality improvement process of healthcare organizations

Effective extraction of cephalosporin C from whole fermentation broth of Acremonium chrysogenum utilizing aqueous two phase systems

The downstream processing of biotechnological products from fermentation broth is an important step of production and development of cost effective, efficient downstream processing of many biotechnological products. The present study was conducted by employing aqueous two phase systems (ATPSs) for the extraction of cephalosporin C (CPC) from whole fermentation broth of Acremonium chrysogenum. The biphasic system was prepared by mixing equal aliquots of 15% w/w polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 with 15% (NH4)2SO4. The effects of pH, neutral salts, temperature and centrifugal force on partitioning in ATPS to develop efficient extraction system for recovery of CPC from fermentation broth were also examined. The extraction efficiency was improved by enhancing the centrifugal force. Similarly centrifugation for 12.5 min also gave the maximum extraction. Improvement in the recovery yield was also observed by the addition of 0.1% NaCl. The concentration of CPC was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Slight modifications in the mobile phase from 10 to 5% MeOH improved CPC resolution. Further development of more inexpensive systems for extraction can be the future target of research.Keywords: Cephalosporin C, Acremonium chrysogenum, fermentation, aqueous two phase system (ATPS

Prevalence, Risk Factors and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Urinary Tract Infections among Pregnant Women: A Study in Damt District Yemen

Urinary tract infections are the most common illnesses that impact pregnant women. This study aimed to investigate bacterial urinary tract infections and antibiotic susceptibility profiles in pregnant women. This study was conducted on pregnant women between April and October 2021 in clinics and hospitals in the Damt district. Midstream urine samples were collected, cultured, identified and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. The prevalence of UTI in pregnant women was 210/350 (60%). Escherichia coli accounted for 90/210 (42.9%), Staphylococcus aureus 50/210 (23.8%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae 25/210 (11.9%). Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis exhibited 15/210 (7.1%) of each with the moderately identified bacterial species. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing showed that bacterial isolates were resistant to amoxicillin (80-100%), ceftriaxone (40-70%), gentamycin (0-60%), amikacin (0-50%), tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and amoxiclav (0-40%), and azithromycin (0-30%). Significant bacteriuria was associated with age (p = 0.01), pregnancy trimesters (p = 0.00), gestation (p = 0.00), and residence (p = 0.03), whereas there was no association with education (p = 0.05). Most isolates have become resistant toward antibiotic used in the study treatments, especially ceftriaxone and amoxicillin. Therefore, it is recommended that pregnant women undergo health education on the prevalence and causes of urinary tract infections

A phase I trial to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of low-dose methotrexate as an anti-malarial drug in Kenyan adult healthy volunteers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous investigations indicate that methotrexate, an old anticancer drug, could be used at low doses to treat malaria. A phase I evaluation was conducted to assess the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of this drug in healthy adult male Kenyan volunteers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty five healthy adult volunteers were recruited and admitted to receive a 5 mg dose of methotrexate/day/5 days. Pharmacokinetics blood sampling was carried out at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours following each dose. Nausea, vomiting, oral ulcers and other adverse events were solicited during follow up of 42 days.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of participants was 23.9 ± 3.3 years. Adherence to protocol was 100%. No grade 3 solicited adverse events were observed. However, one case of transiently elevated liver enzymes, and one serious adverse event (not related to the product) were reported. The maximum concentration (C_max) was 160-200 nM and after 6 hours, the effective concentration (C_eff) was <150 nM.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Low-dose methotraxate had an acceptable safety profile. However, methotrexate blood levels did not reach the desirable C_effof 250-400-nM required to clear malaria infection <it>in vivo</it>. Further dose finding and safety studies are necessary to confirm suitability of this drug as an anti-malarial agent.</p

Assessment of Eating Habits and Lifestyle during Coronavirus Pandemic in the MENA region: A Cross-Sectional Study

© The Authors 2020. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockdowns and strict social distancing measures. The aim of this study was to assess eating habits and lifestyle behaviors among residents of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the lockdown. A cross-sectional study among adult residents of the MENA region was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms during April 2020. A total of 2970 participants from 18 countries participated in the current study. During the pandemic, over 30% reported weight gain, 6.2% consumed five or more meals per day compared to 2.2% before the pandemic (p\u3c0.001), and 48.8% did not consume fruits on daily basis. Moreover, 39.1% did not engage in physical activity, over 35% spent more than five hours per day on screens. A significant association between the frequency of training during the pandemic and the reported change in weight was found (p \u3c 0.001). A significantly higher percentage of participants reported physical and emotional exhaustion, irritability, and tension either all the time or a large part of the time during the pandemic (p \u3c 0.001). Although a high percentage of participants reported sleeping more hours per night during the pandemic, 63% had sleep disturbances. The study highlights that the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a variety of lifestyle changes, physical inactivity, and psychological problems among adults in the MENA region