Modeling microbial growth in carpet dust under diurnal variations in relative humidity

People spend 90% of their time indoors where resuspension of floor dust serves as a major source of human exposure. This exposure can be harmful to those who have weakened immune systems, especially those suffering from asthma. Studies have shown that when the relative humidity (RH) is elevated microbial communities grow at an exponential rate. It is still unknown however how diurnal variations in RH will affect this growth. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate how fungal and bacterial growth in house dust can be modeled using the "time-of-wetness" (TOW) concept from fungal growth on drywall. The TOW concept determined that as the TOW of the dust increased so too did the relative growth rate of fungi and bacteria. To begin this experiment carpet was collected from numerous homes across Ohio, cut in to 10 cm X 10 cm squares and embedded with dust from the same home. Three squares from the same home were placed inside an incubation chamber along with data loggers and a salt solution to regulate the RH for two weeks. RH was maintained at 50% and then increased to either 85% or 100% for a period of 0, 6, 12, 18 hours per day. 24 hours controls were kept at 85% and 100% RH for the two week period as well. Through analysis it was determined that the carpet was hydroscopic as indicated by the fact that after 6 hours at 50% , the RH did not lower to 50% but instead maintained at around 70% to 80%. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed on all dust DNA extractions from the carpet. These measurements revealed that the relative growth rate fit the TOW model within the determined Pearson Correlation Coefficient of 0.897. As this study continues certain aspects will be modified and refined. Ultimately, this data can be used to accurately model fungal growth in housing based on moisture and can be utilized in public health, policy, and epidemiological models.OSU Undergraduate Research OfficeAlfred P. Sloan FoundationA three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Environmental Engineerin

STEM Education as a Vital Preventive Response to a Pandemic

T he extraordinary work to develop feasible vaccines, effective medical treatments, and accurate epidemiological studies to alleviate the SARS-CoV2 pandemic would not have been possible without collaboration between academia, industry, government laboratories, and regulatory agencies that speak the common language researchers around the world know—science

LoCuSS: The Near-Infrared Luminosity and Weak-Lensing Mass Scaling Relation of Galaxy Clusters

We present the first scaling relation between weak-lensing galaxy cluster mass, $M_{WL}$, and near-infrared luminosity, $L_K$. Our results are based on 17 clusters observed with wide-field instruments on Subaru, the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, the Mayall Telescope, and the MMT. We concentrate on the relation between projected 2D weak-lensing mass and spectroscopically confirmed luminosity within 1Mpc, modelled as $M_{WL} \propto L_{K}^b$, obtaining a power law slope of $b=0.83^{+0.27}_{-0.24}$ and an intrinsic scatter of $\sigma_{lnM_{WL}|L_{K}}=10^{+8}_{-5}\%$. Intrinsic scatter of ~10% is a consistent feature of our results regardless of how we modify our approach to measuring the relationship between mass and light. For example, deprojecting the mass and measuring both quantities within $r_{500}$, that is itself obtained from the lensing analysis, yields $\sigma_{lnM_{WL}|L_{K}}=10^{+7}_{-5}\%$ and $b=0.97^{+0.17}_{-0.17}$. We also find that selecting members based on their (J-K) colours instead of spectroscopic redshifts neither increases the scatter nor modifies the slope. Overall our results indicate that near-infrared luminosity measured on scales comparable with $r_{500}$ (typically 1Mpc for our sample) is a low scatter and relatively inexpensive proxy for weak-lensing mass. Near-infrared luminosity may therefore be a useful mass proxy for cluster cosmology experiments.Comment: 9 Pages, 5 Figures, 3 Tables. Submitted to MNRA

Accountability for carbon emissions and health equity.

A new database of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions can improve the accountability of climate change mitigation actions, while promoting human health and equity, supporting a just transition to a net zero emission future and reducing the risks of climate change. Climate TRACE uses data from 300 satellites and more than 11,100 air-, land- and sea-based sensors, together with other commercial and public sources to map sources of greenhouse gas emissions

Triggers of Breathlessness in Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction and Asthma

BackgroundInducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) is often misdiagnosed as, or may coexist with, asthma. Identifying differences in triggering factors may assist clinicians to differentiate between the two conditions, and could give mechanistic insights.ObjectiveTo identify and compare patient‐reported triggers in ILO and asthma.MethodsThis was a two‐part study. Initially we conducted a retrospective case note review of the triggers of ILO from endoscopically‐confirmed ILO patients to generate a Breathlessness Triggers Survey (BrTS). Triggers were categorised as: scents, environmental factors, temperature, emotions, mechanical factors and daily activities. Secondly, ILO and/or asthma patients completed the BrTS prospectively, rating the likelihood of each item triggering their symptoms using a five‐point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Chi‐square testing was performed to compare responses by cohort.ResultsData from 202 patients with ILO [73% female, mean (SD) age 53(16) years] were included in the case note review. For the prospective study, 38 patients with ILO‐only [63% females, age 57(16) years], 39 patients with asthma‐only [(56% female, age 53(13) years] and 12 patients with both ILO and asthma [83% female, mean age, 57 (14) years)] completed the BrTS. The triggers identified in the case note review were confirmed in the independent sample of patients with ILO and/or asthma and identified several difference in prevalence of the triggers between disease types. Mechanical factors [talking (

Campus Energy Management via the IP Network: A Feasibility Study for Achieving Energy Efficiency via EnergyWise

As energy prices rise and more attention is focused on human environmental impacts, organizations of all types are interested in reducing their energy consumption in order to lower costs, curtail greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and improve the overall sustainability of their operations. In response to that demand, a number of companies are developing technologies to help organizations to better manage their energy use. This paper explores the potential for one such technology, Cisco Systems’ EnergyWise software, to monitor and manage the energy consumption of network-connected IT devices on a university campus. Examining a pilot implementation of this technology at two schools on the University of Michigan campus, the paper describes the organizational and technical challenges that arose, discusses the reductions in energy use that were achieved, and presents the project team’s recommendations and conclusions.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83667/1/Cisco Final Project_2011.pd

Peer support in critical care: a systematic review

Objectives: Identifying solutions to improve recovery after critical illness is a pressing problem. We systematically evaluated studies of peer support as a potential intervention to improve recovery in critical care populations and synthesized elements important to peer support model design. Data Sources: A systematic search of Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychINFO, and Excertpa Medica Database was undertaken May 2017. Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews identification number: CRD42017070174. Study Selection: Two independent reviewers assessed titles and abstracts against study eligibility criteria. Studies were included where 1) patients and families had experienced critical illness and 2) patients and families had participated in a peer support intervention. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus and a third independent reviewer adjudicated as necessary. Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers assessed study quality with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and data were synthesized according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews guidelines and interventions summarized using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication Checklist. Data Synthesis: Two-thousand nine-hundred thirty-two studies were screened. Eight were included, comprising 192 family members and 92 patients including adults (with cardiac surgery, acute myocardial infarction, trauma), pediatrics, and neonates. The most common peer support model of the eight studies was an in-person, facilitated group for families that occurred during the patients’ ICU admission. Peer support reduced psychologic morbidity and improved social support and self-efficacy in two studies; in both cases, peer support was via an individual peer-to-peer model. In the remaining studies, it was difficult to determine the outcomes of peer support as the reporting and quality of studies was low. Conclusions: Peer support appeared to reduce psychologic morbidity and increase social support. The evidence for peer support in critically ill populations is limited. There is a need for well-designed and rigorously reported research into this complex intervention

A Multi-Year Longitudinal Study of Water Quality Parameters in Four Salmon-Bearing and Recreational Streams on Mount Hood, Oregon

Four streams–Clear Fork, Lost Creek, Camp Creek and Still Creek–in northwestern Oregon’s Sandy River Basin were monitored for temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, and fecal bacterial concentrations in a multi-year analysis examining stream health for recreational users and anchor habitat for Pacific Salmon.Temperatures were recorded using micro –T temperature loggers at 15 locations, during 22 July - 5 September 2006, 2 July - 4 September 2007, 20 June - 7 September 2008, 23 June - 9 September 2009, and 2 July –9 September 2010. The Seven-Day Average Maximum water temperature (7-DAM) of 13°C was used as a reference value for the biological limit governing suitable salmonid spawning and egg incubation conditions. The maximum 7-DAM temperatures occurred on different dates and all streams neared or exceeded the 13°C standard at least once each summer. Dissolved oxygen levels were measured at weekly or longer intervals in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Dissolved oxygen levels fell below the 9.0 ppm standard for Clear Fork on almost half the sampling dates in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Concentrations of the bacterial genus Enterococcus were measured as an indicator of fecal contamination.Samples were collected at 15 sites along the four streams. Weekly samples were collected during a 9 week period from July - September 2007, an 11 week period from June - September 2008, and an 11 week period from June - September 2009. Enterococcus counts exceeded the federal recommended national criterion value of 61 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 mL every year in Camp Creek and occasionally elsewhere, with exceedances trending towards late summer