Characterization of a Continuous, In-situ, Near-Time Fluorescence Sensor for the Detection of Fecal Contamination in Drinking Water

A highly sensitive, continuous, in-situ, remotely reporting fluorescence sensor coupled with a machine learning model to predict high-risk fecal contamination was evaluated. The sensor behavior was characterized to multiple fluorescence quenching parameters through lab bench top analysis. The sensor's minimum detection limit of powdered tryptophan dissolved in deionized water was found to be 0.05 ppb, its minimum detection limit of E. coli present in wastewater effluent was 10 CFU/100 mL, and its minimum detection limit of lab grown E. coli in DI water was 33 CFU/100 mL. A correction factor was calculated to correct for the decline in fluorescence response to water temperature. Inner filter effects were shown to have negligible impact in an operational context. It was established that the fluorescence signal increases by approximately 82% with the formation of biofilm, while the sensitivity of the sensor is reduced by approximately 5% with the formation of mineral scaling. Four sensors were installed on Boulder Creek in Colorado and over the course of 88 days 298 ground truth samples were enumerated for E. coli through membrane filtration. This data built the training and validation data set for a machine learning model. The performance of this model was improved by incorporating a proxy feature for biofouling that was based on time since cleaning the cuvette. This model has the ability to predict high risk fecal contamination with 83% accuracy, has a sensitivity (true positive rate) of 80%, specificity (true negative rate) of 86%, and can distinguish between all risk categories established by the World Health Organization 64% accuracy. This sensor, combined with the highly skilled machine learning model, has the ability to provide a more consistent informative data set about fecal contamination risk in drinking water to water service providers and individual consumers.</p

Developing a Framework for Population Health in Interprofessional Training: An Interprofessional Education Module

Interprofessional education (IPE) is based on the concept that health professional students are best trained on the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that promote population health when they learn with and about others from diverse health science fields. Previously, IPE has focused almost exclusively on the clinical context. This study piloted and evaluated an IPE learning experience that emphasizes population health in a sample of public health undergraduate students. We hypothesized that students who completed the 2-hour online asynchronous module would better understand the value of public health's role in interprofessional teams, the benefit of interprofessional teamwork in improving health outcomes, and the value of collaborative learning with other interprofessional students. Students engaged in pre- and post-training assessments and individual reflections throughout the module. Sixty-seven undergraduate public health students completed the module and assessments. After completion, a greater proportion strongly agreed that students from different health science disciplines should be educated in the same setting to form collaborative relationships with one another (19 vs. 39% before and after completion, respectively). A greater proportion also strongly agreed that care delivered by an interprofessional team would benefit the health outcomes of a patient/client after the training (60 vs. 75% before and after, respectively). Mean scores describing how strongly students agreed with the above two statements significantly increased post-training. A greater proportion of students strongly agreed that incorporating the public health discipline as part of an interprofessional team is crucial to address the social determinants of health for individual health outcomes after taking the training (40 vs. 55% before and after, respectively). There was little change in attitudes about the importance of incorporating public health as part of an interprofessional team to address social determinants of health for population health outcomes, which were strongly positive before the training. Most students reported being satisfied with the module presentation and felt their understanding of interprofessional practice improved. This training may be useful for students from all health disciplines to recognize the benefits of engaging with and learning from public health students and to recognize the important role of public health in interprofessional practices

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Preceptors’ Experiences Training Public Health Interns in Remote Workplace Settings

Background: The discourse around COVID-19 related challenges to classroom instruction has been highly visible, but little has been published on learning experiences outside the classroom that prepare students to work in the “real world.” Method: We interviewed five Master of Public Health internship preceptors about their experience in 2020 with student interns to formulate pertinent survey questions to distribute to a larger sample. Our questionnaire included closed- and open-ended questions regarding student attributes and skills that shaped the success of the internship. Data were collected from internships sites of one midwestern university. Results: Nearly all 26 preceptors that responded to our survey supervised fully remote internships. Internship sites included academic centers, private companies, non-profits, health systems, and others. Self-motivation, flexibility and organizational skills were considered key student attributes essential to succeed in a remote internship. Being uncomfortable in an online environment or being hesitant or passive were considered student attributes that made remote internships challenging. Preceptors reported that 2020 interns developed different skills compared to previous years, notably, those related to working in an online environment, intrapersonal skills like resilience, and technical skills, such as spatial analysis. Conclusion: As modes of learning and work continue to evolve, internship preceptors will need to learn and adapt to what it takes to support interns to develop relevant skills for remote or hybrid public health work environments. In the meantime, offering clear communication, support, and normalizing remote work cultures may enhance interns’ ability to fully engage and while maintaining the attributes necessary to make internships a success

sj-docx-1-php-10.1177_23733799241235119 – Supplemental material for Brave New Words: A Framework and Process for Developing Technology-Use Guidelines for Student Writing

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-php-10.1177_23733799241235119 for Brave New Words: A Framework and Process for Developing Technology-Use Guidelines for Student Writing by Ella T. August, Olivia S. Anderson and Frederique A. Laubepin in Pedagogy in Health Promotion</p

Water Flow and Biofilm Cover Influence Environmental DNA Detection in Recirculating Streams

The increasing use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for determination of species presence in aquatic ecosystems is an invaluable technique for both ecology as a field and for the management of aquatic ecosystems. We examined the degradation dynamics of fish eDNA using an experimental array of recirculating streams, also using a “nested” primer assay to estimate degradation among eDNA fragment sizes. We introduced eDNA into streams with a range of water velocities (0.1–0.8 m s–1) and substrate biofilm coverage (0–100%) and monitored eDNA concentrations over time (∼10 d) to assess how biophysical conditions influence eDNA persistence. We found that the presence of biofilm significantly increased initial decay rates relative to previous studies conducted in nonflowing microcosms, suggesting important differences in detection and persistence in lentic vs lotic systems. Lastly, by using a nested primer assay that targeted different size eDNA fragments, we found that fragment size altered both the estimated rate constant coefficients, as well as eDNA detectability over time. Larger fragments (\u3e600 bp) were quickly degraded, while shorter fragments (\u3c100 \u3ebp) remained detectable for the entirety of the experiment. When using eDNA as a stream monitoring tool, understanding environmental factors controlling eDNA degradation will be critical for optimizing eDNA sampling strategies

Water Flow and Biofilm Cover Influence Environmental DNA Detection in Recirculating Streams

The increasing use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for determination of species presence in aquatic ecosystems is an invaluable technique for both ecology as a field and for the management of aquatic ecosystems. We examined the degradation dynamics of fish eDNA using an experimental array of recirculating streams, also using a “nested” primer assay to estimate degradation among eDNA fragment sizes. We introduced eDNA into streams with a range of water velocities (0.1–0.8 m s^–1) and substrate biofilm coverage (0–100%) and monitored eDNA concentrations over time (∼10 d) to assess how biophysical conditions influence eDNA persistence. We found that the presence of biofilm significantly increased initial decay rates relative to previous studies conducted in nonflowing microcosms, suggesting important differences in detection and persistence in lentic vs lotic systems. Lastly, by using a nested primer assay that targeted different size eDNA fragments, we found that fragment size altered both the estimated rate constant coefficients, as well as eDNA detectability over time. Larger fragments (>600 bp) were quickly degraded, while shorter fragments (<100 bp) remained detectable for the entirety of the experiment. When using eDNA as a stream monitoring tool, understanding environmental factors controlling eDNA degradation will be critical for optimizing eDNA sampling strategies

Reproduction and transplantation: report on the AST Consensus Conference on Reproductive Issues and Transplantation.

It has been almost 50 years since the first child was born to a female transplant recipient. Since that time pregnancy has become common after transplantation, but physicians have been left to rely on case reports, small series and data from voluntary registries to guide the care of their patients. Many uncertainties exist including the risks that pregnancy presents to the graft, the patient herself, and the long-term risks to the fetus. It is also unclear how to best modify immunosuppressive agents or treat rejection during pregnancy, especially in light of newer agents available where pregnancy safety has not been established. To begin to address uncertainties and define clinical practice guidelines for the transplant physician and obstetrical caregivers, a consensus conference was held in Bethesda, Md. The conferees summarized both what is known and important gaps in our knowledge. They also identified key areas of agreement, and posed a number of critical questions, the resolution of which is necessary in order to establish evidence-based guidelines. The manuscript summarizes the deliberations and conclusions of the conference as well as specific recommendations based on current knowledge in the field