The social ecology of water in a Mumbai slum: failures in water quality, quantity, and reliability

Background: Urban slums in developing countries that are not recognized by the government often lack legal access to municipal water supplies. This results in the creation of insecure “informal” water distribution systems (i.e., community-run or private systems outside of the government’s purview) that may increase water-borne disease risk. We evaluate an informal water distribution system in a slum in Mumbai, India using commonly accepted health and social equity indicators. We also identify predictors of bacterial contamination of drinking water using logistic regression analysis. Methods: Data were collected through two studies: the 2008 Baseline Needs Assessment survey of 959 households and the 2011 Seasonal Water Assessment, in which 229 samples were collected for water quality testing over three seasons. Water samples were collected in each season from the following points along the distribution system: motors that directly tap the municipal supply (i.e., “point-of-source” water), hoses going to slum lanes, and storage and drinking water containers from 21 households. Results: Depending on season, households spend an average of 52 to 206 times more than the standard municipal charge of Indian rupees 2.25 (US dollars 0.04) per 1000 liters for water, and, in some seasons, 95% use less than the WHO-recommended minimum of 50 liters per capita per day. During the monsoon season, 50% of point-of-source water samples were contaminated. Despite a lack of point-of-source water contamination in other seasons, stored drinking water was contaminated in all seasons, with rates as high as 43% for E. coli and 76% for coliform bacteria. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, monsoon and summer seasons were associated with significantly increased odds of drinking water contamination. Conclusions: Our findings reveal severe deficiencies in water-related health and social equity indicators. All bacterial contamination of drinking water occurred due to post-source contamination during storage in the household, except during the monsoon season, when there was some point-of-source water contamination. This suggests that safe storage and household water treatment interventions may improve water quality in slums. Problems of exorbitant expense, inadequate quantity, and poor point-of-source quality can only be remedied by providing unrecognized slums with equitable access to municipal water supplies

Characteristics of Internet Addiction/Pathological Internet Use in U.S. University Students: A Qualitative-Method Investigation

Studies have identified high rates and severe consequences of Internet Addiction/Pathological Internet Use (IA/PIU) in university students. However, most research concerning IA/PIU in U.S. university students has been conducted within a quantitative research paradigm, and frequently fails to contextualize the problem of IA/PIU. To address this gap, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study using the focus group approach and examined 27 U.S. university students who self-identified as intensive Internet users, spent more than 25 hours/week on the Internet for non-school or non-work-related activities and who reported Internet-associated health and/or psychosocial problems. Students completed two IA/PIU measures (Young’s Diagnostic Questionnaire and the Compulsive Internet Use Scale) and participated in focus groups exploring the natural history of their Internet use; preferred online activities; emotional, interpersonal, and situational triggers for intensive Internet use; and health and/or psychosocial consequences of their Internet overuse. Students’ self-reports of Internet overuse problems were consistent with results of standardized measures. Students first accessed the Internet at an average age of 9 (SD = 2.7), and first had a problem with Internet overuse at an average age of 16 (SD = 4.3). Sadness and depression, boredom, and stress were common triggers of intensive Internet use. Social media use was nearly universal and pervasive in participants’ lives. Sleep deprivation, academic under-achievement, failure to exercise and to engage in face-to-face social activities, negative affective states, and decreased ability to concentrate were frequently reported consequences of intensive Internet use/Internet overuse. IA/PIU may be an underappreciated problem among U.S. university students and warrants additional research

The Effect of U.S. University Students' Problematic Internet Use on Family Relationships: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

This is the first study to investigate how college students in the U.S. with problematic Internet use perceive the role the Internet plays within their families of origin. The sample included 27 U.S. university students who self-identified as excessive Internet users. Participants reported spending more than 25 hours a week on the Internet on non-school or non-work-related activities and reported Internet-associated health and/or psychosocial problems. This study provides descriptive statistics from participants' completion of two problematic Internet use measures (i.e., Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire and the Compulsive Internet Use Scale) and reports findings from four focus groups. Three themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) family connectedness, (2) family conflict/family disconnection, and (3) family Internet overuse. The findings of this study are a first step toward the design of effective interventions for problematic Internet use among U.S. college students and serve to inform clinical practice and health policy in this area

Simple Guide to Using Generative Artificial Intelligence Writing Tools in Research & Scholarship at UNH

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have existed for years, the recent arrival of widespread generative AI writing tools such as ChatGPT has provoked varied reactions in the scholarly community worldwide. Undoubtedly easy access to such tools may help to level the scholarly playing field for certain groups, particularly those with limited writing skills or proficiency with English as the primary language for written and oral communication of research and scholarship. There are, however, concerns about these tools, including, but not limited to, the accuracy, consistency, and bias of the information generated, appropriate acknowledgement of source material, and the tools’ lack of ability to reason or to understand meaning when generating output. This simple guide was developed to assist researchers and trainees to understand the fundamental issues with these technologies regarding research integrity

Llama-Derived Single Domain Antibodies Specific for Abrus Agglutinin

Llama derived single domain antibodies (sdAb), the recombinantly expressed variable heavy domains from the unique heavy-chain only antibodies of camelids, were isolated from a library derived from llamas immunized with a commercial abrin toxoid preparation. Abrin is a potent toxin similar to ricin in structure, sequence and mechanism of action. The selected sdAb were evaluated for their ability to bind to commercial abrin as well as abrax (a recombinant abrin A-chain), purified abrin fractions, Abrus agglutinin (a protein related to abrin but with lower toxicity), ricin, and unrelated proteins. Isolated sdAb were also evaluated for their ability to refold after heat denaturation and ability to be used in sandwich assays as both capture and reporter elements. The best binders were specific for the Abrus agglutinin, showing minimal binding to purified abrin fractions or unrelated proteins. These binders had sub nM affinities and regained most of their secondary structure after heating to 95 °C. They functioned well in sandwich assays. Through gel analysis and the behavior of anti-abrin monoclonal antibodies, we determined that the commercial toxoid preparation used for the original immunizations contained a high percentage of Abrus agglutinin, explaining the selection of Abrus agglutinin binders. Used in conjunction with anti-abrin monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, these reagents can fill a role to discriminate between the highly toxic abrin and the related, but much less toxic, Abrus agglutinin and distinguish between different crude preparations

Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in Children, Malawi, 2004–2006

Of 176 invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from children in Malawi, common serotypes were 1 (23%), 6A/B (18%), 14 (6%), and 23F (6%). Coverage with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was 39%; PCV10 and PCV13 increased coverage to 66% and 88%, respectively. We found chloramphenicol resistance in 27% of isolates and penicillin nonsusceptibility in 10% (by using meningitis breakpoints); all were ceftriaxone susceptible

The effects of anthropogenic noise and urban habitats on song structure in a vocal mimic; the gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) sings higher frequencies in noisier habitats

In urban and human-modified landscapes, animals face novel selection pressures resulting from differences in habitat structure and increased anthropogenic noise. Urban noise pollution can negatively impact songbirds because low-frequency noise often masks portions of birds’ mating signals and reduces signal transmission. Previous research has demonstrated that the songs of birds in more urban habitats have structural differences that can enhance signal transmission when noise is present. The majority of these studies have focused on species that deliver short, stereotyped songs and have limited repertoires. Gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis, family: Mimidae) sing long bouts containing imitated, improvised, and invented song elements, and therefore may have an increased ability to vary songs in response to noise. We hypothesized that aspects of developed habitats including loud anthropogenic noise and changes to land cover would impact catbirds’ song structural parameters, including song minimum, peak, and maximum frequency, frequency bandwidth, and entropy. We recorded and processed songs from 42 male catbirds and analyzed over 18,000 song elements from sites along an urban gradient from western Virginia to the Washington, DC metropolitan region. We quantified the urban intensity at each site-centroid based on percent canopy cover, percent impervious surface, and noise level. Song features such as minimum, maximum, and peak frequency increased significantly as noise levels increased, demonstrating that catbirds in noisier areas sing higher frequency songs compared to individuals in quieter habitats. Land cover variables also significantly predicted certain song features such as maximum frequency (impervious surface) or entropy (canopy cover). These structural differences in catbird song can limit the negative effects of environmental noise-masking, even for their long song bouts, and suggest that vocal mimics respond to anthropogenic noise. Future studies could investigate repertoire size and composition along an urban gradient and if these structural differences lead to functional consequences for the songs of vocal mimics

Opportunities for organoids as new models of aging.

The biology of aging is challenging to study, particularly in humans. As a result, model organisms are used to approximate the physiological context of aging in humans. However, the best model organisms remain expensive and time-consuming to use. More importantly, they may not reflect directly on the process of aging in people. Human cell culture provides an alternative, but many functional signs of aging occur at the level of tissues rather than cells and are therefore not readily apparent in traditional cell culture models. Organoids have the potential to effectively balance between the strengths and weaknesses of traditional models of aging. They have sufficient complexity to capture relevant signs of aging at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, while presenting an experimentally tractable alternative to animal studies. Organoid systems have been developed to model many human tissues and diseases. Here we provide a perspective on the potential for organoids to serve as models for aging and describe how current organoid techniques could be applied to aging research

Genetic Characterization of Feline Leukemia Virus from Florida Panthers

The emergent strain of FeLV, a novel subgroup A, was probably transmitted to panthers by a domestic cat