Assessment and improvement of hydraulic disinfection efficiency of a live small drinking water system in South Africa

2018 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Since the implementation of chlorination, the most common method of water disinfection, diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid Fever, and Dysentery have been essentially eliminated in the U.S. and other industrialized countries (WHO 2017). However, these nations still experience challenges in meeting drinking water standards. In 2009, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment contracted Colorado State University (CSU)'s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to address the poor hydraulic disinfection efficiency of contact tanks of small-scale drinking water systems. From this research, the Baffling Factor Guidance Manual (2014) was published, which presents innovative modifications proven to increase the hydraulic disinfection efficiency of small-scale contact tanks. The proposed innovative technology has the potential to have a significant positive impact in developing nations since at least 2 billion people worldwide use a drinking water source that is contaminated with feces (WHO 2017). Historical experience suggests that simply transporting a technology does not necessarily equate to long-lasting impact, but how that technology is transferred is critical to its sustainability. A successful solution to the need for disinfected water must be holistic, taking into consideration culture, law, politics, economics, environment, etc. The focus of this thesis is to investigate further the application of the innovative contact tank modifications of an inlet manifold and random packing material (RPM) on live systems. A case study was conducted on a small waterworks in the rural town of Rosetta, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in collaboration with Umgeni Water. Physical tracer tests were conducted on a 10,000L cylindrical tank acting as the contact chamber to assess the hydraulic disinfection efficiency in terms of baffling factor (BF), before and after the installation of a 4-way inlet manifold modification. This modification resulted in a 37% improvement in the BF, increasing the contact time (CT), an important aspect of disinfection, in the cylindrical contact tank from 8.4 min-mg/L to 11.0 min-mg/L. In addition to the international case study, a pilot study was conducted at CSU to address the biofilm formation concerns of the innovative use of random packing material (RPM) in contact tanks. Preliminary results support the hypothesis that the presence of a disinfectant in the contact tank, though in the process of disinfecting the water, would mitigate the growth of a biofilm on the RPM

Growth Mindset and Its Effect on Math Achievement

Increasing mathematical skills in third graders is essential, as 55% of third graders in California tested below proficient in math on the standardized statewide test. Studies have shown that students with a growth mindset perform better in math. In this study, the hypothesis was that third-grade students who had been taught to have a growth mindset would perform better on math tests. This quantitative quasi-experimental study attempted to explicitly teach a growth mindset to third graders through ClassDojo lessons to replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset. The sample was 42 third grade students, of which 24 students received a sevenweek mindset intervention in addition to regular math instruction and 18 students received regular math instruction. Independent (control and treatment groups) and paired (pretest and posttest) sample t-tests were conducted to determine the significant difference in mathematical performance on Eureka Math Curriculum, Grade 3 Mathematics Module 5: Fractions as Numbers on the Number Line Test and change in mindset on Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale for Children. The study only partially confirmed the hypothesis, as the treatment group did not significantly change their mindset and the control group and treatment group did not have significantly different math test scores

Henderson News 3.3

In This Issue: Who\u27s Who at the Library: Charles Skewis Putting It All Together in the Learning Commons Henderson Library Invites Susan Orlean Delivers 14th Annual Normal Fries Distinguished Lecture 2015 Taxes: Do YOU e-file? Georgia Poetry Circuit Annual Donors\u27 Receptio

Influence of Social and Health Indicators on Pain Interference With Everyday Activities Among Older Black and White Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to determine the influence social and health factors have on pain interference with everyday activities among older patients receiving outpatient treatment services from a comprehensive cancer center. METHOD: Participants were surveyed on questions assessing pain interference, and social (communication), health (pain severity, comorbidities), behavioral (self-efficacy, affect), and demographic characteristics. Multivariate analyses were specified to examine determinants of pain interference, with items loading on separate cluster composites: physical interference and psychosocial interference. RESULTS: Pain severity was a significant indicator for physical interference. Similarly, pain severity, education, self-efficacy, negative affect, and communication were predictors of psychosocial interference. DISCUSSION: Factors defining the daily lived experiences of older adults are important in providing baseline information on functional status. This emphasizes the need to rigorously examine the association between pain, and clinical and psychosocial indicators, but more importantly indicators that contribute to the patient’s ability to perform normal everyday activities

Inter-laboratory validation of the measurement of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) after various lengths of frozen storage

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels are used clinically to evaluate infertility, pituitary and gonadal disorders. With increased frequency of research collaborations across institutions, it is essential that inter-laboratory validation is addressed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An inter-laboratory validation of three commercial FSH immunoassays was performed with human serum samples of varying frozen storage length (2 batches of 15 samples each) at -25 degree C. Percentage differences and Bland-Altman limits of agreement were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The inter- and intra-laboratory consistency of FSH values with the same assay manufacturer was much higher after shorter-term storage (frozen for less than 11 months, mean percentage degradation less than 4%) than after long-term storage (2-3 years, mean percentage degradation = 23%). Comparing assay results from different manufacturers, there was similar overall long term degradation as seen with the same manufacturer (-25%), however the degradation was greater when the original FSH was greater than 20 mIU/mL relative to less than 10 mIU/mL (p < 0.001 trend test).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings suggest that degradation of serum samples stored between 11 months and 2-3 years at -25 degrees C can lead to unstable FSH measurements. Inter-laboratory variability due to frozen storage time and manufacturer differences in assay results should be accounted for when designing and implementing research or clinical quality control activities involving serum FSH at multiple study sites.</p

Environmental attributes influencing the distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Northern Australia

Factors responsible for the spatial and temporal clustering of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the environment remain to be elucidated. Whilst laboratory based experiments have been performed to analyse survival of the organism in various soil types, such approaches are strongly influenced by alterations to the soil micro ecology during soil sanitisation and translocation. During the monsoonal season in Townsville, Australia, B. pseudomallei is discharged from Castle Hill (an area with a very high soil prevalence of the organism) by groundwater seeps and is washed through a nearby area where intensive sampling in the dry season has been unable to detect the organism. We undertook environmental sampling and soil and plant characterisation in both areas to ascertain physiochemical and macro-floral differences between the two sites that may affect the prevalence of B. pseudomallei. In contrast to previous studies, the presence of B. pseudomallei was correlated with a low gravimetric water content and low nutrient availability (nitrogen and sulphur) and higher exchangeable potassium in soils favouring recovery. Relatively low levels of copper, iron and zinc favoured survival. The prevalence of the organism was found to be highest under the grasses Aristida sp. and Heteropogon contortus and to a lesser extent under Melinis repens. The findings of this study indicate that a greater variety of factors influence the endemicity of melioidosis than has previously been reported, and suggest that biogeographical boundaries to the organisms' distribution involve complex interactions

Embrace the Hive Mind: Engaging ILL and Research Services in Unsubscribed and OA Content Discovery

Deciding whether to support discovery of unsubscribed and Open Access (OA) content raises questions for technical and public services librarians, from the philosophical to the pragmatic. Doing so requires careful curation and monitoring of resources, and benefits from library-wide input. This paper describes the process at Georgia Southern University for vetting unsubscribed and OA resources with ILL and liaison librarians for inclusion in the discovery layer and on the A-Z database list. For the discovery layer, this involves a three-step evaluation of collections for overall metadata quality, likelihood of ILL fulfillment, and value to the library collection. For the database list, this involves an evaluation of how liaison librarians integrate sources into reference and instruction. In each case, technical services, ILL, and liaison librarians weigh in on whether unsubscribed and OA content merits inclusion in the library collection. Furthermore, ILL and liaison librarians play a critical role monitoring these resources for continued inclusion and support

Creating the first indoor tan-free skin smart college campus

Given the prevalence and risk associated with indoor tanning among college students, university campuses constitute a prime target for skin cancer prevention. This report identifies the successes and challenges faced in promoting a campus-wide tan-free policy through the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP) Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus Initiative. Beginning in February 2016, we communicated with university faculty or staff members who have participated in skin cancer prevention via education, clinical care, or research at 20 universities regarding the steps to adopt the tan-free policy. One campus, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), successfully fulfilled all criteria and implemented the policy change to become the first US Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus. The greatest challenge faced in recruiting campuses was gaining administrative support. Reported reasons for not adopting the policy change included wanting to wait for other schools to join first and not seeing it as a top priority. Despite the importance of improving skin cancer awareness and decreasing tanning among university students, we faced several challenges in promoting campus-wide policy change. We identify a need for research on effective ways to disseminate university health policies and increased involvement of healthcare providers in policy-related work

Accuracy and consistency of grass pollen identification by human analysts using electron micrographs of surface ornamentation

• Premise of the study: Humans frequently identify pollen grains at a taxonomic rank above species. Grass pollen is a classic case of this situation, which has led to the development of computational methods for identifying grass pollen species. This paper aims to provide context for these computational methods by quantifying the accuracy and consistency of human identification. • Methods: We measured the ability of nine human analysts to identify 12 species of grass pollen using scanning electron microscopy images. These are the same images that were used in computational identifications. We have measured the coverage, accuracy, and consistency of each analyst, and investigated their ability to recognize duplicate images. • Results: Coverage ranged from 87.5% to 100%. Mean identification accuracy ranged from 46.67% to 87.5%. The identification consistency of each analyst ranged from 32.5% to 87.5%, and each of the nine analysts produced considerably different identification schemes. The proportion of duplicate image pairs that were missed ranged from 6.25% to 58.33%. • Discussion: The identification errors made by each analyst, which result in a decline in accuracy and consistency, are likely related to psychological factors such as the limited capacity of human memory, fatigue and boredom, recency effects, and positivity bias

Cerebral perfusion in chronic stroke: Implications for lesion-symptom mapping and functional MRI

Lesion-symptom mapping studies are based upon the assumption that behavioral impairments are directly related to structural brain damage. Given what is known about the relationship between perfusion deficits and impairment in acute stroke, attributing specific behavioral impairments to localized brain damage leaves room for speculation, as impairments could also reflect abnormal neurovascular function in brain regions that appear structurally intact on traditional CT and MRI scans. Compared to acute stroke, the understanding of cerebral perfusion in chronic stroke is far less clear. Utilizing arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, we examined perfusion in 17 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. The results revealed a decrease in left hemisphere perfusion, primarily in peri-infarct tissue. There was also a strong relationship between increased infarct size and decreased perfusion. These findings have implications for lesion-symptom mapping studies as well as research that relies on functional MRI to study chronic stroke