The Sustainable Eradication of Energy Poverty. A study of micro hydropower in Murung Raya, Indonesia

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the sustainability of a renewable village grid micro hydropower project in the Murung Raya district of Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, according to indicators for five dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, social, technical, and institutional. The theoretical discussion and subsequent analytical framework are rooted in dimensions of sustainable development based on a paper from Ilskog and Kjellström (2008), where they aim to conceptualisation sustainable development for off-grid rural electrification. This framework, which uses quantitative indicators, supported by qualitative data, aims to remove what some have argued are the arbitrariness of sustainable development, and reinforce its action guiding power (Christen and Schmidt 2012). The thesis explores, firstly, the extent to which the micro hydropower project in Murung Raya is sustainable according to criteria from Ilskog and Kjellström (2008), and, secondly, based on findings from the case study, it proposes additional indicators that could be included in future research on the sustainability of rural electrification. Mixed methods fieldwork was conducted in the Murung Raya district, specifically the villages of Kolam and Saruhung. Data was also collected from a third village, Olung Soloi; however, since this village experienced de-electrification in 2012, the data from this village will be used purely to compliment the main findings from the other two villages. Based on the Ilskog and Kjellström (2008) indicators economic, environmental, and social sustainability are achieved, whereas technical and institutional sustainability are not, resulting in an overall unsustainable project. Additional indicators are proposed in the economic, environmental, and institutional dimensions to bring more depth to the categories identified in each dimension, whereas additional indicators in the social and technical dimensions aim to capture components not explored by the Ilskog and Kjellström (2008) indicators

A broader flight season for Norway’s Odonata across a century and a half

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Testing the role of body size and litter depth on invertebrate diversity across six forests in North America

Ecologists search for rules by which traits dictate the abundance and distribution of species. Here we search for rules that apply across three common taxa of litter invertebrates in six North American forests from Panama to Oregon. We use image analysis to quantify the abundance and body size distributions of mites, springtails, and spiders in 21 1-m2 plots per forest. We contrast three hypotheses: two of which focus on trait–abundance relationships and a third linking abundance to species richness. Despite three orders of magnitude variation in size, the predicted negative relationship between mean body size and abundance per area occurred in only 18% of cases, never for large bodied taxa like spiders. We likewise found only 18% of tests supported our prediction that increasing litter depth allows for high abundance; two-thirds of which occurred at a single deciduous forest in Massachusetts. In contrast, invertebrate abundance constrained species richness 76% of the time. Our results suggest that body size and habitat volume in brown food webs are rarely good predictors of variation in abundance, but that variation in diversity is generally well predicted by abundance.publishedVersio

Prospectus, November 18, 2015

Honoring our Veterans, Parkland College hosts Veterans Day ceremony, Parkland\u27s rebranding positively impacting students, Accessibility at Parkland Part one: Mental illness and intellectual disability, Dual credit program offers chance to get ahead, Great American Smokeout, Respiratory Care Club and Wellness Center team up to end smoking, Paris attacks lead Americans to wonder about US safety(AP), The Great Opportunity(Instructor of Japanese Language Parkland College), House speaker calls for ‘pause’ in Syrian refugees(AP), \u27Noises Off\u27 Premieres at The Harold and Jean Miner Theatrehttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/1025/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, October 28, 2015

Art Theater\u27s \u27Shocktober\u27 a scream for community members, Rainy summer yields fewer pumpkins, Personal identity, gender and sexuality growing topics of discussion at Parkland, Aviation team makes nationals, Professors share experiences with visiting Finnish educators, Many jobs available to those with associate degrees, Area high schools visit arts dept. at Parkland, Are you reading this? Print news changing ways to remain relevant, GOP says Trump tops list of electable(AP), Women\u27s soccer dominates Lynx 10-0, Happy Halloween! Local Halloween haunts and fall activitieshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/1022/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, October 7, 2015

Black Student Success Project continues informative workshops, Parkland job fair invites women to consider law enforcement, Campus Sustainability Month highlighted, Science lectures open to students, community, Equestrian team starts fresh season with new coach, elected officers, Parkland offers innovative tech for students, Coast Guard: Missing ship sank, 1 body found, search ongoing(AP), Biden backs transgender military service(AP), Clinton pushing new gun controls after Oregon shooting(AP), What\u27s happening at the Giertz Gallery?, Women\u27s basketball begins quest for national championship, Women’s soccer beats SWIC 3-0,https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/1019/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, November 11, 2015

Collaboration provides comprehensive approach to education, Nursing program offers study abroad in Ecuador, Students lose MAP grant money, Ferguson protests influence actions at U. of Missouri(AP), Toys have best year in a decade(AP), Bubble yuck: Crews melt chewed gum off famed Seattle wall(AP), Clinton pushes back against GOP on veterans\u27 health issues(AP), Smaller cast of Republican candidates to face off in debate(AP), Escape room challenge sparks friendly competition, Parkland Theatre’s ‘Noises Off!’ extremely funny, Parkland volleyball advances to regional final, Parkland baseball puts priority on educationhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/1024/thumbnail.jp

Process design for optimizing text-based communication between physicians and nurses

Background and Aim Communication between physicians and nurses is a cornerstone of high-quality inpatient care. HIPAA-compliant text-based methods offer an alternative to the pager for communication between nurses and physicians. While messaging is popular in the personal setting, text-based professional communication in hospitals may increase the number of messages without improving coordination between care providers. (1) In addition, urgent messages that are more appropriately calls could be missed by the physician, leading to a delay in action. Other institutions use triage systems to communicate a question or clinical change by the urgency of expected physician response, which have attempted to mitigate this issue. (2) We aimed to improve bidirectional communication between housestaff and nursing with a communication process developed jointly by both parties using QI methods such as stakeholder analysis and a structured Work-Out session to brainstorm solutions

Changes in multi-segment foot biomechanics with a heat-mouldable semi-custom foot orthotic device

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Semi-custom foot orthoses (SCO) are thought to be a cost-effective alternative to custom-made devices. However, previous biomechanical research involving either custom or SCO has only focused on rearfoot biomechanics. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine changes in multi-segment foot biomechanics during shod walking with and without an SCO. We chose to investigate an SCO device that incorporates a heat-moulding process, to further understand if the moulding process would significantly alter rearfoot, midfoot, or shank kinematics as compared to a no-orthotic condition. We hypothesized the SCO, whether moulded or non-moulded, would reduce peak rearfoot eversion, tibial internal rotation, arch deformation, and plantar fascia strain as compared to the no-orthoses condition.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty participants had retroreflective markers placed on the right limb to represent forefoot, midfoot, rearfoot and shank segments. 3D kinematics were recorded using an 8-camera motion capture system while participants walked on a treadmill.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Plantar fascia strain was reduced by 34% when participants walked in either the moulded or non-moulded SCO condition compared to no-orthoses. However, there were no significant differences in peak rearfoot eversion, tibial internal rotation, or medial longitudinal arch angles between any conditions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A semi-custom moulded orthotic does not control rearfoot, shank, or arch deformation but does, however, reduce plantar fascia strain compared to walking without an orthoses. Heat-moulding the orthotic device does not have a measurable effect on any biomechanical variables compared to the non-moulded condition. These data may, in part, help explain the clinical efficacy of orthotic devices.</p

Black race as a predictor of poor health outcomes among a national cohort of HIV/AIDS patients admitted to US hospitals: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: In general, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) population has begun to experience the benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART); unfortunately, these benefits have not extended equally to Blacks in the United States, possibly due to differences in patient comorbidities and demographics. These differences include rates of hepatitis B and C infection, substance use, and socioeconomic status. To investigate the impact of these factors, we compared hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) between Blacks and Whites with HIV/AIDS while adjusting for differences in these key characteristics. METHODS: The 1996-2006 National Hospital Discharge Surveys were used to identify HIV/AIDS patients admitted to US hospitals. Survey weights were incorporated to provide national estimates. Patients < 18 years of age, those who left against medical advice, those with an unknown discharge disposition and those with a LOS < 1 day were excluded. Patients were stratified into subgroups by race (Black or White). Two multivariable logistic regression models were constructed with race as the independent variable and outcomes (mortality and LOS > 10 days) as the dependent variables. Factors that were significantly different between Blacks and Whites at baseline via bivariable statistical tests were included as covariates. RESULTS: In the general US population, there are approximately 5 times fewer Blacks than Whites. In the present study, 1.5 million HIV/AIDS hospital discharges were identified and Blacks were 6 times more likely to be hospitalized than Whites. Notably, Blacks had higher rates of substance use (30% vs. 24%; P < 0.001), opportunistic infections (27% vs. 26%; P < 0.001) and cocaine use (13% vs. 5%; P < 0.001). Conversely, fewer Blacks were co-infected with hepatitis C virus (8% vs. 12%; P < 0.001). Hepatitis B virus was relatively infrequent (3% for both groups). Crude mortality rates were similar for both cohorts (5%); however, a greater proportion of Blacks had a LOS > 10 days (21% vs. 19%; P < 0.001). Black race, in the presence of comorbidities, was correlated with a higher odds of LOS > 10 days (OR, 95% CI = 1.20 [1.10-1.30]), but was not significantly correlated with a higher odds of mortality (OR, 95% CI = 1.07 [0.93-1.25]). CONCLUSION: Black race is a predictor of LOS > 10 days, but not mortality, among HIV/AIDS patients admitted to US hospitals. It is possible that racial disparities in hospital outcomes may be closing with time