Converting rain into drinking water: Quality issues and technological advances

With growing pressures on water supplies worldwide, rainwater harvesting is increasingly seen as a viable option to provide drinking water to an ever expanding population, particularly in developing countries. However, rooftop runoff is not without quality issues. Microbiological and chemical contamination have been detected in several studies, well above local and international guidelines, posing a health risk for consumers. Our research explores the use of silver ions, combined with conventional filtration and settling mechanisms, as a safe and affordable model for purification that can be applied on a small scale. The complete systems were installed and tested in rural communities in a Mexican semi-arid region. Efficiencies up to 99.9% were achieved in the removal of indicator microorganisms, with a marked exception where cross-contamination from external seepage occurs. Sites without overhanging branches or with relatively clean surfaces show an absence of total coliforms in the untreated runoff, compared with others where values as high as 1,650 CFU/100 ml were recorded. Thus, given adequate maintenance, the system can successfully deliver high quality drinking water, even when storage is required for long periods of time. © IWA Publishing 2011

The Place of Widening Participation

This chapter reports on a small-scale study to explore the learning careers of mature, non-traditionally qualified students. It reveals how they (re)engage with learning, and their transition from studying on a bespoke access course delivered in a university to study at undergraduate level. The study highlights the barriers and challenges students overcome and identifies their motivations and dispositions to learning. Whilst the majority of access courses are delivered in further education colleges, a small number of universities deliver bespoke access courses. These courses, which are usually designed to facilitate progression within the institution, enable students to experience teaching and learning in a university setting, facilities and support services. The research adopted a qualitative approach, using interviews as the main method of data collection. Emerging findings reveal that (re)engaging with education and the transition from ‘access student’ to undergraduate student is not seamless and without challenges. Such students ‘often undergo a unique and profound experience’ (Burnell, 2015:6) as they enter this new space which provides an opportunity to create new social and class-related identities. The transition to undergraduate study is easier when learners are familiar with the routines and rhythms of higher education in general and the facilities and services of a particular institution

Alien Registration- Ellis, Maude I. (Bath, Sagadahoc County)

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SOYBEANS QUALITY PRICE DIFFERENTIALS FROM AN ELEVATOR'S PERSPECTIVE

Soybean prices are determined by interaction between various factors. At an elevator, discount prices for unique characteristics can range from 0.02 cents per bushel to 7.71 cents per bushel of soybeans. This variation suggests that producers of soybeans need quality-characteristic specific information concerning soybeans pricing at the market. This study uses a hedonic model to evaluate price differentials associated with soybean quality based on grain elevator data during the 1998 production period. Foreign material, moisture, bean damage, and net weight were found to significantly influence the cash price of soybeans.hedonic, quality, discount, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis,