Ion Exchange-Precipitation for Nutrient Recovery from Dilute Wastewater

Regulated phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) discharges and the cost of fertilizer provide economic drivers for nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater. This study used ion exchange (IX) in dilute (domestic) wastewater to concentrate nutrients with subsequent recovery by struvite precipitation. This is the first tertiary wastewater treatment study directly comparing P removal using a range of Fe, Cu, and Al-based media followed by clinoptilolite IX columns for N removal and precipitation using the combined regenerants. Phosphate removal prior to breakthrough was 0.5–2.0 g P Lmedia−1, providing effluent concentrations −1 PO4-P and −1 NH4-N for ≥80 bed volumes. Dow-FeCu resin provided effective P removal, efficient neutral pH regeneration and 560 mg P L−1 in the regeneration eluate (≥100× concentration factor). Exchange capacity of clinoptilolite in column mode was 3.9–6.1 g N Lmedia−1 prior to breakthrough. Precipitation using the combined cation and anion regenerants resulted in a maximum of 74% P removal using Dow-FeCu. Precipitates contained impurities, including Al3+, Ca2+, and Fe. Overall, the IX-precipitation recovery process removed ≥98% P and 95% N and precipitates contained 13% P and 1.6% N. This sequential process can satisfy increasingly stringent wastewater standards and offers an effective alternative to traditional treatment technologies that simply remove nutrients. Approximately 84% of total P and 97% of total Kjeldahl N entering a treatment plant can be captured (accounting for primary clarifier removal), whereas most existing technologies target side streams that typically contain only 20–30% of influent P and 15–20% of influent N

Strengthening Grassroots Community Leadership in Detroit

Community Connections is a resident-centered grant program working to strengthen civic engagement and grassroots leadership in six Detroit neighborhoods: Brightmoor, Chadsey Condon, Cody Rouge, North End, Osborn, and Southwest. It awards grants of $500 to$5,000 to local projects that mobilize residents' energies to improve opportunities and conditions for youth. Community Connections was launched by the Skillman Foundation in 2006 as part of the Foundation's Good Neighborhoods initiative, and is operated by Prevention Network, a statewide organization experienced in running resident-focused small grants programs. Since 2012 it has also received major support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.Rooted in the conviction that local groups and leaders are essential if neighborhoods are to create safe environments where children and youth can grow up successfully, the program is guided by a four-fold impact framework. At its heart is a commitment to expand residents' civic engagement. Through its project support and related learning opportunities, Community Connections helps strengthen community leadership in these neighborhoods. Projects offer positive youth development opportunities to children and teens in these neighborhoods. And some projects contribute to systems change by connecting with kids in ways that larger institutional systems currently miss, by helping to create alternatives to those established institutional systems, and by engaging in neighborhood planning, policy advocacy and other efforts to reform those systems

Chapman Faculty Perceptions of Hiring Practices to Increase Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Historically, universities have been institutions primarily consisting of White males. While there have been significant improvements in racially and ethnically diversifying undergraduate student populations, faculty demographics have been slower to change. Researchers pose several explanations for this occurrence, including low numbers of qualified Ph.D. candidates from racially and ethnically underrepresented backgrounds as well as feelings of isolation that racial and ethnic minority faculty often face due to lack of available mentorship. This low representation of racially and ethnically underrepresented minorities is concerning as extensive research suggests that diversity among faculty appointments enhances the overall quality of a university, and, specifically, has a strong, positive impact on undergraduate education. In recognition of numerous benefits of a racially and ethnically diverse faculty body, this study draws particularly from research which suggests the hiring process is a viable mechanism through which to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity. Taking into consideration various resource guides that esteemed other universities have created detailing suggested best hiring practices, we created a survey that includes a variety of hiring strategies and invited Chapman faculty and/or individuals who served on search committees at Chapman University to complete it. Participants were given short, open-ended questions in addition to statements which they were asked to rate. The survey encompassed several aspects of the hiring process including preparing the search, writing the job description, recruiting candidates, interviewing, evaluating candidates, as well as retention and inclusion strategies. The results of this study lend themselves to offering empirically based recommendations that can be utilized and potentially implemented at Chapman University to increase the likelihood of racially and ethnically diversifying faculty demographics

The Long Road Back

This project is a documentary film about the criminal case of Lorenzo Johnson. Johnson was convicted of a murder in the mid-90s and sentenced to life imprisonment in the state of Pennsylvania. Johnson has always maintained his innocence. In 2012, a federal appeals court sided with Johnson and released him. He returned to his home state of New York to speak out against wrongful convictions. However, less than 6 months later, the Supreme Court decided Johnson\u27s original conviction should be upheld and he was forced to return to prison to serve the remainder of his life without the possibility of parole sentence

A bibliography and webliography of Chinese Chicago

This Lab Note reflects the first stage of a three-year research project known as eChicago. This project is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the full title of the project is Chicago community informatics: Places, uses, resources. Our interest here is to examine the population of Chicago, in particular a subset of ethnicities and community areas, and analyze how these communities are navigating the digital age. Stage one is to understand the communities today and discover how they are represented in cyberspace. Thus our initial products include a webliography and bibliography on each community and we are honored to partner with experts on these communities. Further work will entail surveying the communities for public access computing sites (Places), interviewing members of community organizations concerning how they use digital tools (Uses), and helping a subset of these groups create digital resources that represent their cultural heritage and identity (Resources). The project’s theoretical framework centers on social capital and social networks.Ope

The Effects of Postpartum Depression on Children\u27s Social Development

The increased incidence of postpartum depression has had significant effects on children’s social development. The purpose of this systematic review is to bring attention to the growing problem in such a vulnerable population. In addition, it was designed to shed light on the lack of research in this area of healthcare. The methods used to conduct the study include various peer reviewed, scholarly and evidenced based articles from databases such as Academic Search Complete, PsycNet, and Pubmed. Each article has been critically evaluated based on the following guidelines: a population group of children under the age of four, specifically maternal postpartum depression rather than paternal, and studies focused on childhood social development. The general consensus of the twenty articles conclude that maternal postpartum depression disrupts the social development of children. Specifically, decreased levels of attachment have been a common trend along with a developmental delay of communication. Based on the evidence collected during the systematic review future evidence-based practice should involve more rigorous screening of the mother child dyad in relation to promotion of mental health. How are children internationally, from birth to four years old, impacted by postpartum depression in relation to social development? Keywords: postpartum depression, development, social development, cognitive development, pediatrics, mental health, infan

The use of changing factors as part of the design of M.I.T. student activity facilities

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-116).Architects and urban designers must respond to many changing factors in the design of complex projects. Economic, governmental, user needs, community group, technical, and social issues can cause change. In completion of any complex project one crucial element is the ability of the designer to respond to these changes effectively. This thesis considers ways of utilizing these changing factors as part of the design. As such, the elements are seen as resources rather than as constraints for the designer. Some sources for such an approach are discussed. Three design case studies involving student activity facilities on the MIT campus are used to illustrate the approach. A comparison with other student activity designs is made. Finally, areas for future study and conclusions are offered.by Brooke Naramore Williams.M.S