Building a Stronger Regional Safety Net: Philanthropy's Role

Examines nonprofit organizations' capacity to serve the fast-growing low-income suburban populations in the Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and Detroit areas and local philanthropic communities' strategies for boosting regional service capacity

Water Treatment Experiments

•The water industry spends a lot of money and effort on removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from drinking waters •Problems with NOM (the more NOM the bigger problem) –NOM interferes with the ability of water treatment systems to remove substances that cause disease •Pathogenic organisms •Toxic chemicals –NOM reacts with chlorine‐based disinfectants forming carcinogenic organic byproduct

Soil-Transmitted Nematode Infections Among School-Age Children In Rakai District, Uganda

One billion people are currently infected with at least one soil-transmitted nematode (STN), and over 161,600 school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa live in areas where the prevalence exceeds 20%. STN infections cause malnutrition and cognitive deficits that limit productivity and may contribute to endemic poverty. Despite this significant and recognized disease burden, research on these diseases remains piecemeal; the majority of scientific understanding of these conditions is derived from a handful of small studies. Data regarding prevalence, intensity, and effectiveness of treatment of STN infections in Rakai District, Uganda is particularly limited, and the Ministry of Health has discontinued surveillance in the area due to financial constraints. A cross-sectional study of 269 school-aged children was conducted in Rakai District to address this knowledge gap. Fecal samples were collected by household and analyzed using light microscopy. Demographic and behavioral risk factors for infection were assessed via questionnaire. Subjects who were infected with any of the three major soil-transmitted nematodes (hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura) were offered treatment with single dose oral albendazole (400 mg). The prevalence of hookworm, Ascaris, and Trichuris, was 55.0%, 49.4%, and 21.2%, respectively, with 70.6% of all subjects infected with at least one STN. In a univariate analysis, young age was associated with hookworm (p = 0.0239), Ascaris (p = 0.0186), and any STN (p = 0.0010) infection. Having a recent history of malaria was a risk factor for hookworm (p = 0.0308), Ascaris (p = 0.0301), and any STN (p = 0.0251). Moderate/heavy infection intensity was associated with increasing poly-parasitism (OR = 5.2) and treatment failure (OR = 2.3). In a multivariate analysis, recent history of malaria and low weight/height were significant predictors of hookworm (adjusted OR: 1.86, 0.95) or Ascaris (adjusted OR: 1.93, 0.94) infections. Pig ownership was a strong predictor of Trichuris infection (adjusted OR: 3.38). The cure rate/egg reduction rates following albendazole treatment were as follows: hookworm: 58/79%; A. lumbricoides: 74/92%; T. trichiura: 82/98 %. In conclusion, this study confirms a high prevalence of three major STN infections in Rakai District, as well as an association with malaria and poor nutritional status. Single dose albendazole therapy exhibited reduced effectiveness, especially against hookworm, in this polyparasitized population. We recommend that future deworming programs in Rakai integrate efforts to modify behavioral risk factors, along with monitoring for treatment effectiveness and emerging anthelminthic resistance

Joint Report of Peer Review Panel for Numeric Nutrient Criteria for the Great Bay Estuary New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services June, 2009

This peer review was authorized through a collaborative agreement sponsored by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the Cities of Dover, Rochester and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The purpose was to conduct an independent scientific peer review of the document entitled, “Numeric Nutrient Criteria for the Great Bay Estuary,” dated June, 2009 (DES 2009 Report)

Drought Indicator Assessment In Lake Management Using A Bayesian Network Model

To implement more integrated and effective drought management under the consideration of uncertainties, it is essential to identify and assess the underlying interactions and impacts of drought indicators to the economic and ecological systems in a lake. In this study, a Bayesian network model was developed to facilitate the assessment and response of drought indicators in the context of economic and environmental utilities

Rain Rain Flush Away: Evaluating Rainwater Catchment First Flush Volumes

Rainwater harvesting systems often include quality control systems such as a diverted first flush volume to improve the collected water quality. The first flush volume has traditionally been defined as a set volume of rain based on the first 1-2 millimeters of rain that falls on a roof. Diverting a volume of water can be seen as a waste when rainwater is a main source of potable water, sometimes leading to lack of implementation, and thus contaminating the final collected water. Understanding the variability of first flush volume required due to environmental parameters can be used to develop an optimized first flush system. This study evaluated rainwater catchment first flush volumes by assessing the rainwater quality over volume and time. To study these effects, we built a rainwater collection system on a test site in Amherst, Massachusetts. We performed a tracer study with the rainwater collection system to model the first flush volume required to wash out a dissolved contaminant. We collected four rain events using a fractionation first flush design. We measured water quality parameters in the atmospheric rain, first flush, and collection tank samples for each rain event. Our first flush samples resulted in elevated dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations up to 40 mg/L, although there was high variation between the rain events. UV 254, DOC, and conductivity all trended together within each rain event, demonstrating a uniform wash off, of contaminants. Indicator bacteria up to 200 MPN/100 mL within rain event 1 and 2, indicates the need for disinfection if the water is to be potable. The high levels of DOC and SUVA characterization presented a concern for disinfection by-products (DBP) potential if the water were treated with chlorine. Higher intensity storms seem to increase roof wash-off deposition in the first flush. The majority of contaminants washed off in the first flush seemed to originate from roof wet and dry deposition, demonstrating the need for variable first flush volumes. Hydraulic parameters that affect wash-off, such as rain intensity and collection location, also led to varied first flush volumes. Considering these factors in the first flush volume required, could decrease treatment needs, system maintenance, and concern from treatment by-products

Building consensus: idea brokerage in teacher policy networks

This is the author accepted manuscript.We show how policy makers converged to support similar reforms on a major educational issue: teacher effectiveness. Our study demonstrates the importance of idea brokers—actors that facilitate connections between preferences in policy networks and promote consensus around new policy ideas. Our study is based on analysis of testimony from 200 Congressional hearingsfrom 2001 to 2015. We use discourse network analysis to examine network ties based on policy preferences expressed in hearings. We visualize policy networks, identify brokers, and estimate exponential random graph models to examine policy changes between the Bush and Obama administrations. We show how idea brokerage is associated with a convergence of policy preferences around teacher effectiveness among a coalition of political actors.William T. Grant Foundatio