Oestrogen, testosterone, cytotoxin and cholinesterase inhibitor removal during reclamation of sewage to drinking water

Namibia is the driest sub-Saharan country in Africa. Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, reclaims sewage water for domestic use at the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP). Risks associated with sewage effluent and reclaimed sewage should be closely monitored; therefore water at the Gammams Sewage Treatment Plant (GSTP) inlet and outlet, as well as reclaimed water from the GWRP, were assayed using selected bioassays. Samples collected were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent-assays and chromogenic tests for steroid hormones, neurotoxicity, cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity. Estradiol level at the sewage treatment inlet was 78 pg/mℓ and the treated sewage level showed an 83% to 95% reduction in this, while after reclamation the level was below detection limit. Estrone concentrations at the sewage treatment inlet ranged from 10 to 161 pg/mℓ. Sewage treatment reduced estrone by between 85% and 92%. After reclamation the level of estrone was below detection limit. Testosterone ranged between 162 and 405 pg/mℓ at the sewage plant inlet. Sewage treatment removed 96% of the initial testosterone. The residual testosterone was effectively removed by processes in GWRP and after reclamation no testosterone was detected in water. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition at the sewage treatment inlet was 50% while it was only 27% after sewage treatment. After reclamation AChE inhibition was not detected. Only water at the sewage inlet in March and February showed cytotoxicity. High inflammatory activity was detected at the sewage plant inlet. Sewage treatment reduced inflammatory activity by 64%. After reclamation low inflammatory activity was induced. Treated sewage used for reclamation tested positive for most of the biomarkers and can pose a risk to human health. However, reclamation successfully removed these contaminants. Due to the presence of contaminants in the intake water at the reclamation plant, it is essential to routinely monitor the water produced by the reclamation plant for potential residues that can adversely affect human health.Web of Scienc

Luminescent and Swellable Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Detecting Nitroaromatic Explosives and Removing Harmful Organic Vapors

Four new conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) were synthesized by a Buchwald–Hartwig (BH) cross-coupling reaction of tri- and tetrafunctionalized precursors to yield materials with tunable surface area and pore size distribution. This approach yielded LPCMP1–4, CMPs with significantly higher Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas (more than 5 times higher) than other related BH-based CMPs. These CMPs possess not only high BET specific surface areas and high chemical and thermal stabilities, but also exhibit outstanding swellability. To the best of our knowledge, swellable behavior was studied in great detail for CMPs for the first time, with the greatest degree of swelling for methanol reaching 16.5 and 16.3 mL g–1 for LPCMP1 and LPCMP3, respectively. Owing to their excellent swellability, we further studied the adsorption capacity of these CMPs for different toxic organic vapors (including toluene and methanol). LPCMP1 and LPCMP3 adsorbed 124 and 117 mg g–1 toluene, respectively, at saturated vapor pressure. For methanol, the adsorption capacities of LPCMP1 and LPCMP3 were up to 250 and 215 mg g–1, respectively, which are the highest recorded values when compared with published data for CMPs, HCPs, MOFs, and porous carbons. These materials are promising candidates for the removal and elimination of hazardous organic vapors and chemical warfare agents. Moreover, all the polymers show high sensitivity to nitroaromatic explosives. LPCMP2 and LPCMP4 exhibit high selectivity for TNT and may be suitable as new candidates to selectively detect TNT for security or environmental applications

Design and Control of Perylene Supramolecular Polymers through Imide Substitutions

The number and type of new supramolecular polymer (SMP) systems have increased rapidly in recent years. Some of the key challenges faced for these novel systems include gaining full control over the mode of self‐assembly, the creation of novel architectures and exploring functionality. Here, we provide a critical overview of approaches related to perylene‐based SMPs and discuss progress to exert control over these potentially important SMPs through chemical modification of the imide substituents. Imide substitutions affect self‐assembly behaviour orthogonally to the intrinsic optoelectronic properties of the perylene core, making for a valuable approach to tune SMP properties. Several recent approaches are therefore highlighted, with a focus on controlling 1) morphology, 2) H‐ or J‐ aggregation, and 3) mechanism of growth and degree of aggregation using thermodynamic and kinetic control. Areas of potential future exploration and application of these functional SMPs are also explored

Acceptability of temporary suspension of visiting during norovirus outbreaks:investigating patient, visitor and public opinion

Background Noroviruses are a leading cause of outbreaks globally and the most common cause of service disruption due to ward closures. Temporary suspension of visiting (TSV) is increasingly a recommended public health measure to reduce exposure, transmission and impact during norovirus outbreaks; however, preventing patient–visitor contact may contravene the ethos of person-centred care, and public acceptability of this measure is not known. Aim To investigate the acceptability of TSV during norovirus outbreaks from the perspectives of patients, visitors and the wider public. Methods Cross-sectional survey of patients (N = 153), visitors (N = 175) and the public (N = 224) in three diverse areas in Scotland. Health Belief Model constructs were applied to understand ratings of acceptability of TSV during norovirus outbreaks, and to determine associations between these levels and various predictor variables. Findings The majority (84.6%) of respondents indicated that the possible benefits of TSV are greater than the possible disadvantages. Conversely, the majority (70%) of respondents disagreed that TSV ‘is wrong as it ignores people's rights to have contact with family and friends’. The majority (81.6%) of respondents agreed that TSV would be more acceptable if exceptions were made for seriously ill or dying patients. Correlational analysis demonstrated that overall acceptability was positively related to perceived severity (r = 0.65), identified benefits (r = 0.54) and implementing additional communication strategies (r = 0.60); acceptability was negatively related to potential barriers (r = −0.49). Conclusions There is greater service user and public support for the use of TSV than concerns around impinging upon patients' rights to have visitors. TSV should be considered as an acceptable infection control measure that could be implemented consistently during norovirus outbreaks

Photodisintegration of the triton with realistic potentials

The process $\gamma + t \to n + d$ is treated by means of three-body integral equations employing in their kernel the W-Matrix representation of the subsystem amplitudes. As compared to the plane wave (Born) approximation the full solution of the integral equations, which takes into account the final state interaction, shows at low energies a 24% enhancement. The calculations are based on the semirealistic Malfliet-Tjon and the realistic Paris and Bonn B potentials. For comparison with earlier calculations we also present results for the Yamaguchi potential. In the low-energy region a remarkable potential dependence is observed, which vanishes at higher energies.Comment: 16 pages REVTeX, 8 postscript figures included, uses epsfig.st

Designing Research

The aim of this chapter is to set out a process that researchers can follow to design a robust quantitative research study of occupant behavior in buildings. Central to this approach is an emphasis on intellectual clarity around what is being measured and why. To help achieve this clarity, researchers are encouraged to literally draw these relationships out in the form of a concept map capturing the theoretical model of the cause and effect between occupant motivations and energy use. Having captured diagrammatically how the system is thought to work, the next step is to formulate research questions or hypotheses capturing the relationship between variables in the theoretical model, and to start to augment the diagram with the measurands (things that can actually be measured) that are good proxies for each concept. Once these are identified, the diagram can be further augmented with one or more methods of measuring each measurand. The chapter argues that it is necessary to carefully define concepts and their presumed relationships, and to clearly state research questions and identify what the researcher intends to measure before starting data collection. The chapter also explains the ideas of reliability, validity, and uncertainty, and why knowledge about them is essential for any researcher

Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for Work-related Wellbeing and Job Performance: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Due to its potential to concurrently improve work-related wellbeing (WRW) and job performance, occupational stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in the applications of meditation. The present study conducted the first randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of meditation on outcomes relating to both WRW and job performance. Office-based middle-hierarchy managers (n = 152) received an eight-week meditation intervention (Meditation Awareness Training; MAT) or an active control intervention. MAT participants demonstrated significant and sustainable improvements (with strong effect sizes) over control-group participants in levels of work-related stress, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and employer-rated job performance. There are a number of novel implications: (i) meditation can effectuate a perceptual shift in how employees experience their work and psychological environment and may thus constitute a cost-effective WRW intervention, (ii) meditation-based (i.e., present-moment-focussed) working styles may be more effective than goal-based (i.e., future-orientated) working styles, and (iii) meditation may reduce the separation made by employees between their own interests and those of the organizations they work for

Spatial contrast sensitivity in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing (TD) controls underwent a rigorous psychophysical assessment that measured contrast sensitivity to seven spatial frequencies (0.5-20 cycles/degree). A contrast sensitivity function (CSF) was then fitted for each participant, from which four measures were obtained: visual acuity, peak spatial frequency, peak contrast sensitivity, and contrast sensitivity at a low spatial frequency. There were no group differences on any of the four CSF measures, indicating no differential spatial frequency processing in ASD. Although it has been suggested that detail-oriented visual perception in individuals with ASD may be a result of differential sensitivities to low versus high spatial frequencies, the current study finds no evidence to support this hypothesis

Structured oligo(aniline) nanofilms via ionic self-assembly

Conducting polymers have shown great potential for application in electronic devices. A major challenge in such applications is to control the supramolecular structures these materials form to optimise the functionality. In this work we probe the structure of oligo(aniline) thin films (of sub-μm thickness) drop cast on a silicon substrate using synchrotron surface diffraction. Self-assembly was induced through doping with an acid surfactant, bis(ethyl hexyl) phosphate (BEHP), resulting in the formation of well-ordered lamellae with the d-spacing ranging from 2.15 nm to 2.35 nm. The exact structural characteristics depended both on the oligomer chain length and film thickness, as well as the doping ratio. Complementary UV/Vis spectroscopy measurements confirm that such thin films retain their bulk electronic properties. Our results point to a simple and effective ionic self-assembly approach to prepare thin films with well-defined structures by tailoring parameters such as the oligomer molecular architecture, the nanofilm composition and the interfacial roughness

Influence of solvent polarity on the structure of drop-cast electroactive tetra(aniline)-surfactant thin films

The structure of drop-cast thin films of an electroactive oligomer–surfactant complex can be tuned through variation of solvent polarity.</p