A case study of the financial benefits of a credit union’s homeless prevention scheme

This paper examines the merits of homeless prevention loans offered by a credit union in the UK to the tenants of its housing association partners. Using a theoretical framework informed by the idea that social inclusion and social exclusion are multidimensional and dynamic, with each dimension impacting on all others, the paper examines the potential impact of loans of this type on both housing tenure and financial inclusion. The paper provides a rare case study of a credit union in the disciplines of accounting and financial management

Efficacy of single pass UVC air treatment for the inactivation of coronavirus, MS2 coliphage and Staphylococcus aureus bioaerosols

Publication history: Accepted - 20 April 2022; Published online - 26 April 2022There is strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is spread predominantly by airborne transmission, with high viral loads released into the air as respiratory droplets and aerosols from the infected subject. The spread and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in diverse indoor environments reinforces the urgent need to supplement distancing and PPE based approaches with effective engineering measures for microbial decontamination – thereby addressing the significant risk posed by aerosols. We hypothesized that a portable, single-pass UVC air treatment device (air flow 1254 L/min) could effectively inactivate bioaerosols containing bacterial and viral indicator organisms, and coronavirus without reliance on filtration technology, at reasonable scale. Robust experiments demonstrated UVC dose dependent inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus (UV rate constant (k) = 0.098 m2/J) and bacteriophage MS2, with up to 6-log MS2 reduction achieved in a single pass through the system (k = 0.119 m2/J). The inclusion of a PTFE diffuse reflector increased the effective UVC dose by up to 34% in comparison to a standard Al foil reflector (with identical lamp output), resulting in significant additional pathogen inactivation (1-log S. aureus and MS2, p < 0.001). Complete inactivation of bovine coronavirus bioaerosols was demonstrated through tissue culture infectivity (2.4-log reduction) and RT-qPCR analysis – confirming single pass UVC treatment to effectively deactivate coronavirus to the limit of detection of the culture-based method. Scenario-based modelling was used to investigate the reduction in risk of airborne person-to-person transmission based upon a single infected subject within the small room. Use of the system providing 5 air changes per hour was shown to significantly reduce airborne viral load and maintain low numbers of RNA copies when the infected subject remained in the room, reducing the risk of airborne pathogen transmission to other room users. We conclude that the application of single-pass UVC systems (without reliance on HEPA filtration) could play a critical role in reducing the risk of airborne pathogen transfer, including SARS-CoV2, in locations where adequate fresh air ventilation cannot be implemented.This research was partly funded through the Invest Northern Ireland Innovation Voucher Programme (IV130218200 and IV130232906). We are grateful to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) UK Research and Innovation (SAFEWATER; EPSRC Grant Reference EP/P032427/1) for supporting Mr Arsalan Afkhami, Dr William J Snelling and Dr Jeremy W.J. Hamilton. Research at AFBI is funded by US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership in Agriculture grants BRDC-Seq and BRDC-URTMVP. We wish to thank Jonathan McMaw at AFBI for acquisition of images

Efficacy of single pass UVC air treatment for the inactivation of coronavirus, MS2 coliphage and Staphylococcus aureus bioaerosols

Publication history: Accepted - 20 April 2022; Published online - 26 April 2022There is strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is spread predominantly by airborne transmission, with high viral loads released into the air as respiratory droplets and aerosols from the infected subject. The spread and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in diverse indoor environments reinforces the urgent need to supplement distancing and PPE based approaches with effective engineering measures for microbial decontamination – thereby addressing the significant risk posed by aerosols. We hypothesized that a portable, single-pass UVC air treatment device (air flow 1254 L/min) could effectively inactivate bioaerosols containing bacterial and viral indicator organisms, and coronavirus without reliance on filtration technology, at reasonable scale. Robust experiments demonstrated UVC dose dependent inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus (UV rate constant (k) = 0.098 m2/J) and bacteriophage MS2, with up to 6-log MS2 reduction achieved in a single pass through the system (k = 0.119 m2/J). The inclusion of a PTFE diffuse reflector increased the effective UVC dose by up to 34% in comparison to a standard Al foil reflector (with identical lamp output), resulting in significant additional pathogen inactivation (1-log S. aureus and MS2, p < 0.001). Complete inactivation of bovine coronavirus bioaerosols was demonstrated through tissue culture infectivity (2.4-log reduction) and RT-qPCR analysis – confirming single pass UVC treatment to effectively deactivate coronavirus to the limit of detection of the culture-based method. Scenario-based modelling was used to investigate the reduction in risk of airborne person-to-person transmission based upon a single infected subject within the small room. Use of the system providing 5 air changes per hour was shown to significantly reduce airborne viral load and maintain low numbers of RNA copies when the infected subject remained in the room, reducing the risk of airborne pathogen transmission to other room users. We conclude that the application of single-pass UVC systems (without reliance on HEPA filtration) could play a critical role in reducing the risk of airborne pathogen transfer, including SARS-CoV2, in locations where adequate fresh air ventilation cannot be implemented.This research was partly funded through the Invest Northern Ireland Innovation Voucher Programme (IV130218200 and IV130232906). We are grateful to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) UK Research and Innovation (SAFEWATER; EPSRC Grant Reference EP/P032427/1) for supporting Mr Arsalan Afkhami, Dr William J Snelling and Dr Jeremy W.J. Hamilton. Research at AFBI is funded by US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership in Agriculture grants BRDC-Seq and BRDC-URTMVP. We wish to thank Jonathan McMaw at AFBI for acquisition of images

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Soft x-ray emission studies of the electronic structure in silicon nanoclusters

Density of states changes in the valence and conduction band of silicon nanoclusters were monitored using soft x-ray emission and absorption spectroscopy as a function of cluster size. a progressive increase in the valence band edge toward lower energy is found fro clusters with decreasing diameters. A similar but smaller shift is observed in the near-edge x-ray absorption data of the silicon nanoclusters

Characterization of the calcification of cardiac valve bioprostheses by environmental scanning electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy

Bioprosthetic heart valve tissue and associated calcification were studied in their natural state, using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the various calcific deposits observed with ESEM. The major elements present in calcified valves were also analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy. To better understand the precursor formation of the calcific deposits, results from the elemental analyses were statistically correlated. ESEM revealed the presence of four broad types of calcium phosphate crystal morphology. In addition, two main patterns of organization of calcific deposits were observed associated with the collagen fibres. Energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis identified the crystals observed by ESEM as salts containing mainly calcium and phosphate with ratios from 1.340 (possibly octacalcium phosphate, which has a Ca/P ratio of 1.336) to 2.045 (possibly hydroxyapatite with incorporation of carbonate and metal ion contaminants, such as silicon and magnesium, in the crystal lattice). Raman and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy also identified the presence of carbonate and the analyses showed spectral features very similar to a crystalline hydroxyapatite spectrum, also refuting the presence of precursor phases such as β-tricalcium phosphate, octacalcium phosphate and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate. The results of this study raised the possibility of the presence of precursor phases associated with the early stages of calcification.</p