Risk assessment to groundwater of pit latrine rural sanitation policy in developing country settings

Parallel global rise in pit-latrine sanitation and groundwater-supply provision is of concern due to the frequent spatial proximity of these activities. Study of such an area in Malawi has allowed understanding of risks posed to groundwater from the recent implementation of a typical developing-country pit-latrine sanitation policy to be gained. This has assisted the development of a risk-assessment framework approach pragmatic to regulatory-practitioner management of this issue. The framework involves water-supply and pit-latrine mapping, monitoring of key groundwater contamination indicators and surveys of possible environmental site-condition factors and culminates in an integrated statistical evaluation of these datasets to identify the significant factors controlling risks posed. Our approach usefully establishes groundwater-quality baseline conditions of a potentially emergent issue for the study area. Such baselines are foundational to future trend discernment and contaminant natural attenuation verification critical to policies globally. Attribution of borehole contamination to pit-latrine loading should involve, as illustrated, the use of the range of contamination (chemical, microbiological) tracers available recognising none are ideal and several radial and capture-zone metrics that together may provide a weight of evidence. Elevated, albeit low-concentration, nitrate correlated with some radial metrics and was tentatively suggestive of emerging latrine influences. Longer term monitoring is, however, necessary to verify that the commonly observed latrine-borehole separation distances (29–58 m), alongside statutory guidelines, do not constitute significant risk. Borehole contamination was limited and correlation with various environmental-site condition factors also limited. This was potentially ascribed to effectiveness of attenuation to date, monitoring of an emergent problem yet to manifest, or else contamination from other sources. High borehole usage and protective wall absence correlated with observed microbiological contamination incidence, but could relate to increased human/animal activity close to these poorly protected boreholes. Additional to factors assessed, a groundwater-vulnerability factor is recommended that critically relies upon improved proactive securing of underpinning data during borehole/latrine installations. On-going concerns are wide ranging, including poorly constrained pit-latrine input, difficulties in assessing in-situ plume natural attenuation and possible disposal of used motor oils to latrines

The Dualism of Contemporary Traditional Governance and the State

In many parts of the world, people live in “dual polities”: they are governed by the state and organize collective decision making within their ethnic community according to traditional rules. We examine the substantial body of works on the traditional–state dualism, focusing on the internal organization of traditional polities, their interaction with the state, and the political consequences of the dualism. We find the descriptions of the internal organization of traditional polities scattered and lacking comparative perspective. The literature on the interaction provides a good starting point for theorizing the strategic role of traditional leaders as intermediaries, but large potentials for inference remain underexploited. Studies on the consequences of “dual polities” for democracy, conflict, and development are promising in their explanatory endeavor, but they do not yet allow for robust conclusions. We therefore propose an institutionalist research agenda addressing the need for theory and for systematic data collection and explanatory approaches

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy, genetics and function of meiofaunal taxa into global change impact research

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Models of classroom assessment for course-based research experiences

Course-based research pedagogy involves positioning students as contributors to authentic research projects as part of an engaging educational experience that promotes their learning and persistence in science. To develop a model for assessing and grading students engaged in this type of learning experience, the assessment aims and practices of a community of experienced course-based research instructors were collected and analyzed. This approach defines four aims of course-based research assessment—(1) Assessing Laboratory Work and Scientific Thinking; (2) Evaluating Mastery of Concepts, Quantitative Thinking and Skills; (3) Appraising Forms of Scientific Communication; and (4) Metacognition of Learning—along with a set of practices for each aim. These aims and practices of assessment were then integrated with previously developed models of course-based research instruction to reveal an assessment program in which instructors provide extensive feedback to support productive student engagement in research while grading those aspects of research that are necessary for the student to succeed. Assessment conducted in this way delicately balances the need to facilitate students’ ongoing research with the requirement of a final grade without undercutting the important aims of a CRE education

Reproducibility of [11C]choline-positron emission tomography and effect of trastuzumab

Abstract Purpose: This study sought to evaluate the reproducibility of [11C]choline-positron emission tomography and the effect of trastuzumab in breast cancer. Experimental Design: Twenty-one patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent breast cancer stage II-IV had a baseline dynamic [11C]choline-PET scan, 10 patients had a second [11C]choline-PET scan to examine reproducibility, and 6 patients had a second scan within a month after trastuzumab. Analysis of [11C]choline uptake was measured as the semiquantitative standardized uptake value at 30 and 60 minutes (SUV30 and SUV60), and quantitatively as the net irreversible retention of the radiotracer at steady-state (Ki) and plasma to tissue exchange at 60 minutes (IRF60min). Results: Breast tumor lesions in all patients were visualized by [11C]choline PET. The difference in tumor versus normal tissue uptake was significant for SUV30, SUV60, Ki, and IRF60 minutes (Wilcoxon P &amp;lt; 0.0001). At 60 minutes postinjection, 15.1 ± 2.16% of plasma radioactivity was due to unmetabolized [11C]choline radioactivity. [11C]Choline uptake was reproducible in breast tumor lesions (r2 = 0.9 for SUV, 0.9 for Ki, and 0.8 for IRF60). Early responses to trastuzumab measured by [11C]choline-PET were significant in three lesions occurring in two patients who responded clinically. Conclusions: [11C]Choline-PET uptake variables can be reproducibly assessed. Initial studies show that trastuzumab decreases [11C]choline uptake. Clin Cancer Res; 16(16); 4236–45. ©2010 AACR.</jats:p

A Pretreatment Prognostic Score to Stratify Survival in Pancreatic Cancer

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Large Binocular Telescope Search for Companions and Substructures in the (Pre)transitional Disk of AB Aurigae

International audienceMultiwavelength high-resolution imaging of protoplanetary disks has revealed the presence of multiple, varied substructures in their dust and gas components, which might be signposts of young, forming planetary systems. AB Aurigae bears an emblematic (pre)transitional disk showing spiral structures observed in the inner cavity of the disk in both the submillimeter (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA); 1.3 mm, 12CO) and near-infrared (Spectro-polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research; 1.5-2.5 μm) wavelengths, which have been claimed to arise from dynamical interactions with a massive companion. In this work, we present new deep K s (2.16 μm) and L' (3.7 μm) band images of AB Aurigae obtained with the L/M-band Infrared Camera on the Large Binocular Telescope, aimed for the detection of both planetary companions and extended disk structures. No point source is recovered, in particular at the outer regions of the disk, where a putative candidate (ρ = 0.″681, PA = 7.°6) had been previously claimed. The nature of a second innermost planet candidate (ρ = 0.″16, PA = 203.°9) cannot be investigated by the new data. We are able to derive 5σ detection limits in both magnitude and mass for the system, going from 14 M Jup at 0.″3 (49 au) down to 3-4 M Jup at 0.″6 (98 au) and beyond, based on the ATMO 2020 evolutionary models. We detect the inner spiral structures (<0.″5) resolved in both CO and polarimetric H-band observations. We also recover the ring structure of the system at larger separation (0.″5-0.″7) showing a clear southeast/northwest asymmetry. This structure, observed for the first time at L' band, remains interior to the dust cavity seen at ALMA, suggesting an efficient dust trapping mechanism at play in the disk

Suicide attempts in U.S. Army combat arms, special forces and combat medics

Background: The U.S. Army suicide attempt rate increased sharply during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Risk may vary according to occupation, which significantly influences the stressors that soldiers experience. Methods: Using administrative data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS), we identified person-month records for all active duty Regular Army enlisted soldiers who had a medically documented suicide attempt from 2004 through 2009 (n = 9650) and an equal-probability sample of control person-months (n = 153,528). Logistic regression analyses examined the association of combat occupation (combat arms [CA], special forces [SF], combat medic [CM]) with suicide attempt, adjusting for socio-demographics, service-related characteristics, and prior mental health diagnosis. Results: In adjusted models, the odds of attempting suicide were higher in CA (OR = 1.2 [95% CI: 1.1–1.2]) and CM (OR = 1.4 [95% CI: 1.3–1.5]), but lower in SF (OR = 0.3 [95% CI: 0.2–0.5]) compared to all other occupations. CA and CM had higher odds of suicide attempt than other occupations if never deployed (ORs = 1.1–1.5) or previously deployed (ORs = 1.2–1.3), but not when currently deployed. Occupation was associated with suicide attempt in the first ten years of service, but not beyond. In the first year of service, primarily a time of training, CM had higher odds of suicide attempt than both CA (OR = 1.4 [95% CI: 1.2–1.6]) and other occupations (OR = 1.5 [95% CI: 1.3–1.7]). Discrete-time hazard functions revealed that these occupations had distinct patterns of monthly risk during the first year of service. Conclusions: Military occupation can inform the understanding suicide attempt risk among soldiers. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1350-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users