Picric Acid Degradation in Sterilized Sediments from the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, Minden, Louisiana

Picric acid is an explosive historically produced and disposed of at the Louisiana Army Ammunitions Plant (LAAP). The potential for natural degradation was investigated in two studies by creating picric acid slurries with four LAAP samples of sediment of variable composition. While the first study combined the sediment with picric acid without alteration to the sediment, the second study sterilized the sediment before the slurries were created. The purpose of the soil sterilization was to quantify the role of microbes in the degradation process. In the first study, picric acid concentrations decreased 10 to 18% the first day, attributed to adsorption, followed by slower decreases attributed to degradation. Near complete degradation was observed in two of the slumes within eight weeks. No correlation was found between degradation and grain size, clay organic content, or element concentrations in the sediment. The only exception was manganese, which was higher in the two samples which exhibited high degradation. In the second study, initial concentration decreases ranged from 5 to 25%, which can be attributed to adsorption, and minimal degradation was observed for the remainder of the 100-day study. The difference in the degradation between the two studies is attributed to the removal of the microbial communities by sterilization

Suspended sediment transport in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River System, Bangladesh

An examination of suspended sediment concentrations throughout the Ganges-Brahmaputra River System was conducted to assess the spatial variability of river sediment in the world’s largest sediment dispersal system. During the high-discharge monsoon season, suspended sediment concentrations vary widely throughout different geomorphological classes of rivers (main river channels, tributaries, and distributaries). An analysis of the sediment loads in these classes indicates that 7% of the suspended load in the system is diverted from the Ganges and Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers into southern distributaries. Suspended sediment concentrations are also used to calculate annual suspended sediment loads of the main river channels. These calculations show that the Ganges carries 262 million tons/year and the Brahmaputra carries 387 million tons/year. These calculations are lower than published values because of either interannual variability and/or sampling artifacts and assumptions in the homogeneity of flow and sediment concentration. The conjoined Ganges-Brahmaputra River carries 530 million tons annually, or only 80% of the sum of the loads that the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers carry upstream of the confluence. The remaining 20% of sediment is diverted from the main river by the distributaries and deposited along the main river channel during overbank flooding. Suspended sediment concentration is also examined in the north-south oriented tidal channels on the Bay of Bengal to determine whether sediment is delivered to the channels by one of two pathways: (1) sediment is discharged into the Bay of Bengal by the main river channel, carried west by coastal currents, and advected northward into the channels by tidal currents or (2) diverted from the main river bed through the distributaries, migrating southward into the tidal channels. Suspended sediment concentration and salinity data are inconclusive in determining sediment source. Beryllium-7 radioisotope data indicate that newly transported sediment is present in the tidal channels and offshore despite values in the Ganges and Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers being below detection. Sampling artifacts are likely caused by the below detection readings in the Ganges and Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers. Newly transported sediment is observed in a distributary south of the Ganges River and indicates that sediment is actively being transported to the distributary region

Bring Your Online Students Closer: Instructional Design Tips to Create Engaging Videos

How can online students feel inclusive and engaged in their learning environment? This presentation will focus on the techniques and tips of creating engaging educational videos with your laptop, cell phone or other type of video device. This session will address ways to create more interactive and interesting online experiences for students through the use of instructional videos. It will also discuss best practices for creating engaging online learning and establishing a supportive online course community

Pregnancy management in a patient with stickler syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Stickler syndrome is a collagen disorder that can affect multiple organ systems. It is characterized by ocular abnormalities, hearing loss, midfacial hypoplasia, hypermobility, and joint abnormalities. The phenotypic expression of Stickler syndrome can vary among those affected. Since Stickler syndrome is a collagen disorder, it is possible to expect pregnancy complications similar to those reported in other collagen disorders. To our knowledge, there is only one case report in the literature on the management of pregnancy and delivery of a patient with Stickler syndrome. METHODS/CASE REPORT: A 37-year-old primigravid woman with a diagnosis of Stickler syndrome presented at 9 weeks gestation for prenatal genetic consultation. At 26, the patient had prophylactic laser therapy for lattice degeneration of the retina. At 32, she was found to be heterozygous for the c.1527 G\u3eT variant in the COL2A1 gene, which is associated with ocular abnormalities and autosomal dominant form of Stickler syndrome. Subsequently, she desired to pursue prenatal diagnostic testing for the familial variant. The patient voiced that the results would impact pregnancy management. Amniocentesis was performed at 16 weeks gestation. Results were negative for the maternal COL2A1 variant. Karyotype was normal (46, XX). RESULTS: A multidisciplinary team using a patient-centered approach including obstetrics, ophthalmology, maternal-fetal medicine, and genetics determined that there were no contraindications for vaginal delivery. At 39 weeks, the patient underwent spontaneous vaginal delivery with no complications. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of data available regarding the maternal outcomes of women affected with collagen disorders, especially Stickler Syndrome. This case highlights the importance of accurate genetic diagnosis in the prenatal period and provides information to physicians caring for patients with Stickler syndrome

Family Saving and Community Assets: Designing and Implementing Family-Centered, Place-Based Individual Development Account Programs

Family Saving and Community Assets: Designing and Implementing Family-Centered, Place-Based Individual Development Account Program

Nutrition Campaign Knowledge and Dietary Behavior in Middle School Students

Background and Purpose: Federal nutrition campaigns are designed to make dietary recommendations accessible but have not been extensively evaluated. This paper explores whether knowledge of nutrition campaigns is associated with dietary behavior among young adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 4,773 middle school students in Southern California. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to assess the association between dietary behaviors and nutrition campaign knowledge, controlling for gender and ethnicity. Results: Knowledge of the Fruit & VeggiesMore Matters campaign was associated with increased odds of high fruit and vegetable consumption, knowledge of the MyPlate campaign was associated with neither, and both were associated with increased odds of not consuming soda. Conclusion: Overall, low percentages of students demonstrated knowledge of nutrition campaigns, and knowledge was associated with some dietary behaviors. More research is needed to examine the impact of nutrition campaigns while also accounting for other psychosocial and environmental factors that may affect soda, fruit, and vegetable consumption