Regulation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) in Drinking Water: A Comprehensive Review

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are receiving global attention due to their persistence in the environment through wastewater effluent discharges and past improper industrial waste disposal. They are resistant to biological degradation and if present in wastewater are discharged into the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued drinking water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS at 70 ng/L each and for the sum of the two. The need for an enforceable primary drinking water regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is currently being assessed. The USEPA faces stringent legal constraints and technical barriers to develop a primary drinking water regulation for PFOA and PFOS. This review synthesizes current knowledge providing a publicly available, comprehensive point of reference for researchers, water utilities, industry, and regulatory agencies to better understand and address cross-cutting issues associated with regulation of PFOA and PFOS contamination of drinking water.</jats:p

The utilization of chicken bones as heterogeneous catalyst (CaO) in the production of fatty acid ethyl ester from crude palm oil by using ethanol as solvent

Abstract Fatty acid ethyl ester is one of the most potential alternative energy because it is renewable and environmentally friendly. Fatty acid ethyl ester is usually made by transesterification using heterogeneous alkali catalyst. Chicken bones ash (CaO) is heterogeneous alkali catalyst which is non-corrosive and environmentally friendly. It can also be separated easily from the product by filtration and less removal problem than homogeneous catalyst. This catalyst was made by grinding and calcination the chicken bones. Others variables used in this research were the dosage of the catalyst, molar ratio of ethanol to crude palm oil and reaction temperature. The best yield of the fatty acid ethyl ester was 90.052% at the condition of 17:1 ethanol to crude palm oil molar ratio, 70 °C reaction temperature, 7% of catalyst (w/w), 7 hours of reaction time and 500 rpm stirring speed.</jats:p

Technical Report: Monitoring and Communicating Changes in Disturbance Regimes (Version 1.0)

Shifts in disturbance patterns across the Northeast are of increasing concern as the climate continues to change. In particular, changes in patterns of frequency, severity and extent of disturbance event may have detrimental cascading impacts on forest ecosystems and human communities. To explore how changing disturbance regimes might impact future forest health and management it is necessary to understand the historical trends and impacts of disturbance in the region. Although individual types of disturbance have already been analyzed, there is a need for a consolidated overview of the current state of disturbance in northeastern forests. To address this need, the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) developed the FEMC: Tracking Shifts in Disturbance Regimes web portal for users to explore changes over time of key disturbance drivers, identify important disturbance responses, and discover where monitoring is happening for both drivers and responses. In collaboration with our advisory committee, we identified key disturbance drivers—flood, high winds, fire, drought, pests—and responses—macroinvertebrates, cold-water fisheries, invasive plants—that are of particular concern in the region. For each of the drivers we identified a suitable regional dataset and analyzed changes over time in frequency, severity, and extent. We also created a structured framework to catalogue programs across the region that are monitoring for these disturbance drivers and responses. Version 1.0 of the FEMC: Tracking Shifts in Disturbance Regimes (https://uvm.edu/femc/disturbance) web portal, first released in October 2021, contains 272 data programs, 11 drivers and three responses. Through the web portal users can browse programs by state, driver type or response type, and explore where monitoring is happening across the region. Driver-specific analyses allow users to quickly see the trends in severity, frequency and extent of selected disturbances and compare the impacts in selected states to regional data. We hope that this collection of programs and the analysis of trends provide researchers and land managers with an easy way to understand the current state of disturbance in northeastern forests that enables them to analyze and plan for future impacts.</jats:p

A MULTI-COMPONENT IMPLANT FOR USE IN TIBIAL OSTEOTOMY TO CORRECT VARUS DEFORMITY IN THE MORBIDLY OBESE

Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) offers an alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for patients with varus knee deformity. This report describes a novel, modular implant intended to occupy the wedge osteotomy space via a small medial incision to reduce surgical complications associated with patients having a BMI of 40 or greater (morbidly obese). The wedge-shaped, 3-D laser-sintered titanium alloy implant consists of interlocked components to be assembled in situ. Components were fabricated with a continuous laser-sintered surface lattice structure for bone ingrowth. The sliding resistance of a range of geometrically scaled lattices was assessed to determine the optimal lattice structure for initial implantation. The lattice structure had a 550mm surface opening (150mm internal pore size). Finite element models were created to evaluate three OWHTO scenarios including a medial restraining T-plate and implant combination, a T-plate alone as commonly seen clinically, and a model of only the implant within the osteotomy. Axially loaded models revealed implant stresses to be well below titanium fatigue strength, but the model of the T-plate alone indicated large plate and screw stresses comparable to the fatigue strength. Investigations are ongoing to assess multifunctional loading and experimental strain measurement. These results suggest this modular implant design may provide BMI &gt; 40 patients an effective treatment option to early TKA.</jats:p

519-P: “What Can I Eat?” Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives with T2D: Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial Outcomes from a Nutrition Diabetes Education Program

“What Can I Eat? (WCIE) Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) with T2D” is a 5-lesson diabetes nutrition education program culturally adapted for AI/ANs with T2D. Classes were taught synchronously via Zoom at 5 reservation-based or urban inter-tribal clinical sites nationwide in 2021. Classes were taught by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN) and topics included the diabetes plate, sugar sweetened beverages, heart healthy choices, food label reading. Class activities included didactic sessions, hands-on interactive learning, physical activity, mindful eating, and goal setting. Participants were recruited through diabetes registries at each collaborating site and randomized to either the immediate or the wait list group. The former group started classes immediately upon randomization; the latter started classes 3 months after randomization. Participants (N=58) were AI/AN adults with T2D (baseline data: mean age 58.6 +/-11.1 years, 26% male; BMI 33.8 (+/- 7.1)) . Before participation, each enrollee received a “class kit” including class activity resources and tools to collect evaluation data (i.e., scale, A1C kit, blood pressure monitor, and paper impact surveys) . Classes 1-4 were taught weekly for 4 weeks; the 5th class was taught 3 months after class #1. Data were collected at 3 timepoints: baseline, 1 month (after class 4) and 3 month (after class 5) . Outcomes included diabetes self-efficacy, behavior (physical activity and diet) , and clinical measures (BMI, blood pressure, A1c) . Linear mixed models were used to assess intervention effects on changes in outcome measures from baseline. No significant changes from pre to post were observed in behavior or clinical outcomes. Compared to the wait list group, the immediate group had greater increase in self-efficacy for using the diabetes plate at 1 and 3 months (ps&amp;lt;0.01) and for making healthy food choices at 1 month (p=0.047) . Disclosure K.R.Moore: Consultant; Novo Nordisk. D.Pavli: None. H.Pontius: None. J.Yanson: None. L.Jiang: None. Ai/an wcie study group: n/a. S.A.Stotz: n/a. A.G.Brega: None. M.C.Mcnulty: None. I.Adedoyin: None. G.Austin: None. N.Couture: None. H.Garrow: None. N.O'banion: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (4-18-SMSC-01) </jats:sec

518-P: “What Can I Eat?” Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives with T2D: Facilitators’ and Participants’ Voices from a Virtual Diabetes Nutrition Education Program

“What Can I Eat? (WCIE) Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) with T2D is a 5-lesson diabetes nutrition education program culturally adapted for AI/ANs with T2D. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) taught classes synchronously via Zoom at 5 reservation-based or urban inter-tribal sites nationwide throughout 2021. Each class included a didactic session, interactive learning activities, physical activity, a mindful eating activity, and goal setting. Participants were recruited through diabetes registries at each collaborating site. Participants were randomized to either the immediate or wait list control group. Virtual classes were taught weekly for 4 weeks (classes 1-4) with a 5th class 3 months after class 1. Participants and facilitating RDNs completed short answer feedback surveys after each class. A sample of participants (n=24) and all RDN/site coordinators (n=10) engaged in virtual focus groups after completing WCIE to understand their experiences of the program. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis, as were the short answer post-class feedback surveys from participants (n=186) and RDNs (n=58) . Key themes emerged: 1) class satisfaction largely focused on peer-to-peer interaction, camaraderie, and broader support (e.g., tribe) ; 2) pros, cons, and tips to improve virtual classes; 3) preference for AI/AN RDN educator; 4) recommendations to improve recruitment and retention. These findings will guide program modifications prior to piloting in-person and peer-educator-led WCIE classes. Disclosure S.A.Stotz: n/a. N.O'banion: None. D.Pavli: None. H.Pontius: None. L.Scarton: None. J.Yanson: None. K.R.Moore: Consultant; Novo Nordisk. Ai/an wcie study group: n/a. A.G.Brega: None. M.C.Mcnulty: None. I.Adedoyin: None. G.Austin: None. K.R.Begay: None. N.Couture: None. H.Garrow: None. L.Jiang: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (4-18-SMSC-01) </jats:sec