Improving Household Hazardous Waste Collection Options for East Central Illinois

This background report contains information compiled as part of a study effort to develop a strategy to improve household hazardous waste (HHW) collection options available to residents of a seven-county study area in East Central Illinois. The report includes an overview of HHW collection activity statewide and a detailed review of existing HHW collection options in the study area as of January 2013. The report summarizes federal and state regulations relevant to HHW collection, best management practices associated with HHW, and challenges associated with HHW collection in the study area. The report includes input from interested persons and stakeholders regarding preferred HHW collection options; a review of cost comparisons typical of start-up, operation, and processing of a HHW collection facility vs. a one-day HHW collection in Illinois; and a preliminary “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats” (SWOT) assessment regarding three potential HHW collection options for the study area.This research was funded in part by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (Grant No. HWR13229), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, and in part by The Lumpkin Family Foundation.Ope

Quad Recycling Containers Implementation Project

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center along with Facilities and Services approached the Student Sustainability Committee for financial assistance to add recycling containers at the Quad. The intent of the Zero Waste Illinois team is to improve the waste process in and around the Quad. The first step was to merge the existing 40 stand-alone refuse containers with twenty new recycling bins, creating a total of 30 combined waste/recycling stations. All containers were cleaned, painted, and color-coded to clearly indicate that one bin is for recycling and one is only for landfill-directed refuse. In addition to the expanded bin options, signage will be placed in the buildings on the Quad to launch the new standards and clarify what can be recycled. To measure the impact from this project, waste audits will be conducted before and after the proposed changes. This project looks to change the culture of campus, placing partial responsibility for a sustainable waste stream back on the shoulders of the consumer. By taking a systems approach to waste minimization, all individuals are involved from the moment they need to dispose of material. The choice regarding which bin to place the item in engages that individual in the process. By having recyclables sorted from landfill before the material is delivered to the Waste Transfer Station, the sort line will be more efficient, enabling more volume to be recycled per hour.University of Illinois Student Sustainability CommitteeOpe

Towards Selective Agglomeration Detection in Fluidized Beds Using Advanced Signal Analysis Methods

A new methodology of assessing large amounts of fluidized bed pressure fluctuation data with various signal analysis methods in combination with signal pre-treatment methods is presented. This approach can be used to find certain combinations that are selectively sensitive to certain physical effects in fluidized beds, such as agglomeration

Методологія визначення оптимальних технологічних параметрів транспортної інфраструктури при обслуговуванні зернових вантажопотоків

Комплексно проаналізовано на прикладі функціонування багатоканальної динамічної системи з кінцевим числом степенів свободи можливість покращення економічних показників транспортної системи при узгодженні інфраструктурних параметрів для обслуговування підприємств елеваторно-складського господарства. Охарактеризована залежність числового значення логістичних витрат в системі з двома вузлами обслуговування.Комплексно проанализирована на примере функционирования многоканальной динамической системы с конечным числом степеней свободы возможность улучшения экономических показателей транспортной системы при согласовании инфраструктурных параметров для обслуживания предприятий элеваторно-складского хазяйства. Охарактеризована зависимость числового значения логистических расходов в системе с двумя узлами обслуживания.In possibility of improving the economic indicators of a transport system is fully analyzed in the concordance of infrastructural parameters for maintenance of elevator-store enterprises with using, as an example, functioning of a multichannel dynamic system with the finite number of degrees of freedom. The numerical value of logistic charges for the system with two knots is described

The occupational success of young men who left school at sixteen

Digitised version produced by the EUI Library and made available online in 2020

Folate catabolites in spot urine as non-invasive biomarkers of folate status during habitual intake and folic acid supplementation.

Folate status, as reflected by red blood cell (RCF) and plasma folates (PF), is related to health and disease risk. Folate degradation products para-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and para-acetamidobenzoylglutamate (apABG) in 24 hour urine have recently been shown to correlate with blood folate. Since blood sampling and collection of 24 hour urine are cumbersome, we investigated whether the determination of urinary folate catabolites in fasted spot urine is a suitable non-invasive biomarker for folate status in subjects before and during folic acid supplementation. Immediate effects of oral folic acid bolus intake on urinary folate catabolites were assessed in a short-term pre-study. In the main study we included 53 healthy men. Of these, 29 were selected for a 12 week folic acid supplementation (400 µg). Blood, 24 hour and spot urine were collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks and PF, RCF, urinary apABG and pABG were determined. Intake of a 400 µg folic acid bolus resulted in immediate increase of urinary catabolites. In the main study pABG and apABG concentrations in spot urine correlated well with their excretion in 24 hour urine. In healthy men consuming habitual diet, pABG showed closer correlation with PF (rs = 0.676) and RCF (rs = 0.649) than apABG (rs = 0.264, ns and 0.543). Supplementation led to significantly increased folate in plasma and red cells as well as elevated urinary folate catabolites, while only pABG correlated significantly with PF (rs = 0.574) after 12 weeks. Quantification of folate catabolites in fasted spot urine seems suitable as a non-invasive alternative to blood or 24 hour urine analysis for evaluation of folate status in populations consuming habitual diet. In non-steady-state conditions (folic acid supplementation) correlations between folate marker (RCF, PF, urinary catabolites) decrease due to differing kinetics

Caribbean Corals in Crisis: Record Thermal Stress, Bleaching, and Mortality in 2005

BACKGROUND The rising temperature of the world's oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers' field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch's Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate.This work was partially supported by salaries from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program authors. NOAA provided funding to Caribbean ReefCheck investigators to undertake surveys of bleaching and mortality. Otherwise, no funding from outside authors' institutions was necessary for the undertaking of this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Multivariate genome-wide analyses of the well-being spectrum

We introduce two novel methods for multivariate genome-wide-association meta-analysis (GWAMA) of related traits that correct for sample overlap. A broad range of simulation scenarios supports the added value of our multivariate methods relative to univariate GWAMA. We applied the novel methods to life satisfaction, positive affect, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms, collectively referred to as the well-being spectrum (Nobs = 2,370,390), and found 304 significant independent signals. Our multivariate approaches resulted in a 26% increase in the number of independent signals relative to the four univariate GWAMAs and in an ~57% increase in the predictive power of polygenic risk scores. Supporting transcriptome- and methylome-wide analyses (TWAS and MWAS, respectively) uncovered an additional 17 and 75 independent loci, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses, based on gene expression in brain tissues and cells, showed that genes differentially expressed in the subiculum and GABAergic interneurons are enriched in their effect on the well-being spectrum

1 Personality Polygenes, Positive Affect, and Life Satisfaction

Approximately half of the variation in wellbeing measures overlaps with variation in personality traits. Studies of non-human primate pedigrees and human twins suggest that this is due to common genetic influences. We tested whether personality polygenic scores for the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) domains and for item response theory (IRT) derived extraversion and neuroticism scores predict variance in wellbeing measures. Polygenic scores were based on published genome-wide association (GWA) results in over 17,000 individuals for the NEO-FFI and in over 63,000 for the IRT extraversion and neuroticism traits. The NEO-FFI polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction in 7 cohorts, positive affect in 12 cohorts, and general wellbeing in 1 cohort (maximal N = 46,508). Meta-analysis of these results showed no significant association between NEO-FFI personality polygenic scores and the wellbeing measures. IRT extraversion and neuroticism polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction and positive affect in almost 37,000 individuals from UK Biobank. Significant positive associations (effect sizesPeer reviewe

The Felix-trial. Double-blind randomization of interspinous implant or bony decompression for treatment of spinal stenosis related intermittent neurogenic claudication

Abstract. Background. Decompressive laminotomy is the standard surgical procedure in the treatment of patients with canal stenosis related intermittent neurogenic claudication. New techniques, such as interspinous process implants, claim a shorter hospital stay, less post-operative pain and equal long-term functional outcome. A comparative (cost-) effectiveness study has not been performed yet. This protocol describes the design of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on (cost-) effectiveness of the use of interspinous process implants versus conventi