An Analysis of Horizontal Flow Treatment Well Applicability for the Treatment of Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Groundwater at United States Forces Korea Installations

Past research has shown that there is a rising public concern with environmental issues in the Republic of Korea (ROK). As Korean government and public interest in the environment grow, there is likely to be increased pressure to remediate environmental contamination at United States Department of Defense (DoD) installations in Korea. Impacting DoD\u27s ability to remediate contaminated sites overseas is the fact that limited environmental funds must compete with high priority mission requirements. Thus, particularly at overseas bases, there is an urgent need for inexpensive and effective groundwater remediation technologies. Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) systems have been demonstrated in the U.S. to be an effective technology for managing groundwater contamination. However, the problem of finding a technology that is appropriate for use in Korea is particularly challenging due to the fractured aquifer systems that are ubiquitous throughout the Korean peninsula. The model analyses conducted in this study found that HFTWs have the potential to be a cost effective alternative to conventional technologies for contaminant management in the fractured media found in Korea. This study focused on the containment of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents in the fractured rock aquifers that are commonly encountered at DoD installations in the ROK. Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells were analyzed as a potentially cheaper, safer, and more effective technology for the containment of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater. In this study, an HFTW numerical model that was developed for porous media was applied to the fractured systems encountered in the ROK. It was concluded that at the scale of interest, use of a porous media model was appropriate. Both hydrogeologic and design parameters were varied to determine their effects on the technology performance

Extending awareness of healthcare ethics at Cabrini Health: Junior clinicians\u27 perspectives

As Catholic healthcare organizations form a substantive part of healthcare delivery in the USA and Australia, ethical standards for Catholic health care were developed to guide practice. This study examined junior staff’s understanding of Catholic ethics. Using a qualitative descriptive design, we recruited 22 medical and nursing staff to interviews/focus groups. Though Catholic ethics seldom informed ethical approaches, the principles were acknowledged as being useful to support development of confident and respectful care approaches. Findings provide early insights into challenges faced in considering implementation of ethical codes across both secular and religious healthcare organizations, suggesting that a more creative and pastoral approach to dialoguing and implementing Catholic ethics is required

The impact of a school-based gardening intervention on intentions and behaviour related to fruit and vegetable consumption in children

A total of 77 children (34 boys, 43 girls, mean age ± standard deviation = 9 ± 1 years) participated in this study; 46 children (intervention) undertook a 12-week school gardening programme and 31 children acted as controls. Measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and fruit and vegetable consumption were taken pre- and post-intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variance and hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the intervention group increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased intentions, attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioural control related to fruit and vegetable consumption. Attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control significantly predicted changes in fruit and vegetable consumption

Multi-component physical activity interventions in the UK must consider determinants of activity to increase effectiveness

Interventions to increase physical activity in children have adopted broad approaches and achieved varying success. There is a need to adopt approaches underpinned with a theoretical basis. Accordingly, the aim here was to implement and evaluate a 12-week intervention designed using the concepts of the COM-B model to determine the effect this has on physical activity levels. One hundred and forty-seven school-age children (mean age 8.9 ± 1.3 years) took part in a 12-week program delivered in a school setting. Topics included physical activity, healthy eating, sleep quality and reducing screen time/sedentary activities when not in school. A sample of participants wore a wrist-worn accelerometer for seven days pre-and post-intervention (N = 11). The physical activity frequency was unchanged (2.9 ± 1.0 AU) when compared with post-intervention values (3.1 ± 0.8 AU, mean increase 6.8 ± 3.7%, p > 0.05). Changes were observed in the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables (pre-intervention 44.6% vs. post-intervention 60.2%, p p > 0.05). There is a need to adopt a broader approach that incorporates a theoretical basis and considers the complex ways by which physical activity behaviours are influenced

Opportunities to improve feedback to reduce blood component wastage: Results of a national scheme evaluation

Background: Blood components are costly and scarce. The Blood Stocks Management Scheme (BSMS) was established in the United Kingdom (UK) to support hospital transfusion services and national blood services through collection, analysis, and monthly feedback of data on blood component inventory and wastage management. There is a growing evidence base on how best to deliver feedback for quality improvement. We assessed the quality and utility of the monthly BSMS component reports. Methods: We assessed the content of BSMS reports issued in March 2023 against established criteria for effective feedback. Two researchers independently rated whether criteria spanning the five domains of goal setting, data collection, feedback content, feedback display and feedback delivery were fully, partially or not met. Disagreements were resolved through discussion. We conducted an online questionnaire survey of recipients of BSMS reports during March 2023 to assess their use of reports and seek suggestions for improvement. Results: Five out of 20 criteria for effective feedback were fully met. Areas for improvement included placing more emphasis in the feedback on positive change, linking data and summary messages, and including specific suggestions for action. Respondents highlighted the value of benchmarked comparisons with other hospital transfusion services. Conclusion: There is scope for enhancing the effectiveness and utility of BSMS feedback reports and hence reducing wastage of blood components. This methodology for evaluation of feedback could be utilized to improve other areas of transfusion practice

The neurophysiological relationship between number anxiety and the EEG gamma-band

The development of math anxiety is thought to originate at a young age, as a form of number anxiety, but has not been investigated extensively. Research has shown greater levels of EEG gamma-band activity are experienced during threat perception and attentional bias. This has been identified in high math anxious individuals when confronted with math-based tasks, but has not yet been explored for number anxiety specifically. Single-digit numbers and letters were presented to 15 high and 15 low math anxious participants, who were required to observe the stimuli. High math anxious participants displayed significantly greater levels of gamma activity during number observation compared to letter observation. Findings suggest high math anxious individuals may have a threat-related response to observation of simple numerical stimuli. Further behavioural investigations are needed, but high math anxious individuals may display avoidance towards number and math due to a threat response associated with increased gamma activity.N/

Exploring the relationship between gamma-band activity and maths anxiety

Previous research has outlined high anxiety in connection with gamma modulation, identifying that gamma-band activity (40–100 Hz) correlates with processing of threat perception, attention and anxiety. Maths anxiety research has also noted the involvement of these aspects, yet this has not been investigated from a neurophysiological standpoint. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to research gamma-band activity in relation to maths anxiety over two studies. The first measured gamma differences during the processing of complex addition and multiplication stimuli. Results identified differences between high and low maths anxious individuals; significantly greater gamma power was observed in those with high maths anxiety than those with low maths anxiety. As a control condition was not used, the second study replicated the design, but also applied a non-numerical control condition amongst the other stimuli sets. This showed significantly greater gamma activity in high maths anxious individuals across numerical conditions, but not in the non-numerical condition. High maths anxious individuals likely show attentional bias and threat perception to numerical-based stimuli, as indexed by gamma power. This study provides the first evidence of greater gamma-band activity in high maths anxious individuals and serves as a foundation for the exploration of gamma activity in high maths anxious individuals.N/

Exercise-induced hypoxemia in heart transplant recipient

AbstractObjectives. The purpose of this study was to determine whether heart transplantation has an adverse effect on pulmonary diffusion and to investigate the potentially deleterious effects of impaired pulmonary diffusion on arterial blood gas dynamics during exercise in heart transplant reciplents.Background. Abnormal pulmonary diffusing capacity is reported in patients after orthotopic heart transplantation. Abnormal diffusion may be caused by cyclosporlne or by the persistence of preexisting conditions known to adversely affect diffusion, such as congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Methods. Eleven patients (mean age 50 ± 14 years) performed pulmonary function tests 3 ± 1 months before and 18 ± 12 (mean ± SD) months after heart transplantation. Transplant patients were assigned to groups with diffusion > 70% (n = 5) or diffusion < 70% of predicted values (n = 5). The control group and both subsets of patients performed 10 min of cycle exercise at 40% and 70% of peak power output. Arterial blood gases were drawn every 30 s during the 1st 5 min and at 6, 8 and 10 min.Results. Significant improvements in forced vital capacity (17,4%), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (11.7%) and diffusion capacity (6.6%) occurred in the patients; however, posttransplantation vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and diffusion were lower (p ≤ 0.05) compared with values in 11 control subjects. Changes in blood gases were similar among groups at 40% of peak power output. At 76% of peak power output, arterial blood gases and pH were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower in transplant patients with low diffusion (arterial oxygen pressure 15 to 38 mm Hg below baseline) than in patients with normal diffusion and control subjects. Cardiac index did not differ (p ≥0.05) between transplant patients with noramal and low diffusion at rest or during exercise. Posttransplantation mean pulmonary artery pressure was significantly related to exercise-induced hypoxemia (r = 0.71; p = 0.03).Conclusions. Abnormal pulmonary diffusion observed in patients before heart transplantation persists after transplantation with or without restrictive or obstructive ventilatory defects. Heart transplant recipients exprience exercise-induced hypoxemia when diffusion at rest is < 70% of predicted. Our data also suggest that abnormal pulmonary gas exchange possibly contributes to diminished peak oxygen consumption in some heart transplant recipients; however, direct testing of this hypothesis was beyond the scope of the present study. This possibility needs to be investigated further