Occurrence and Distribution of Cyanobacteria and their Toxins in Silver Lake, New Hampshire

A study of Silver Lake, NH was performed as part of a 5-lake assessment of cyanobacteria prevalence and distribution. Multi-parameter fluorescence probe measurements of chlorophyll a and cyanobacteria concentrations (PC, phycocyanin fluorescence) were evaluated in addition to physical and chemical characteristics of the lake. Silver Lake did not exhibit summer stratification suggesting a recent mixing event. It had oligotrophic levels of Chlorophyll a (1.93 ± 0.06 mg L-1) and of TP (10.10 mg L-1), yet PC levels were the highest of all the lakes studied (248691 ± 963 Microcystis cell equivalents mL-1). The cyanobacteria Microcystis dominated the phytoplankton community. Microcystin levels varied from a mean 72.43 ± 21.21 pg mL-1 in transect water to 137.69 ± 46.9 pg mL-1 in sediment water. Chlorophyll distribution was rather homogeneous while cyanobacteria levels were highest towards the shallow, embayed NE part of the lake where a section of a State Park beach is located. Implications include potential increase in exposure to toxins by water users. Heterogeneous distribution of cyanobacteria emphasizes the importance of extensive sampling beyond pelagic sampling sites to more accurately inform decision-making regarding health and safety of water bodies

Interviewing children for the purposes of research in primary care

Interviewing can provide unique opportunities for professionals to gain some understanding of the child's subjective experience, where other means of data collection are inappropriate and other sources of data are less valid. This article is concerned with the principles and practicalities of interviewing children for the purposes of health-related research. It draws on the knowledge gained from three decades of research involving interviewing young people in many contexts, including health care, social welfare and child protection. A conceptual framework is presented to illustrate the interactive and iterative processes that occur between interviewer and interviewee, and the pivotal importance of context in shaping any interaction. The influences of the young person's linguistic, cognitive and social skills are discussed. The effects of the gender and ethnicity of both the researcher and the researched are considered in relation to the conduct of the interview, and the influence of adult biases and perspectives on the evaluation and interpretation of data is explored

A review of progressive collapse research and regulations

History has demonstrated that buildings designed to conventional design codes can lack the robustness necessary to withstand localised damage, partial or even complete collapse. This variable performance has led governmental organisations to seek ways of ensuring all buildings of significant size possess a minimum level of robustness. The research community has responded by advancing understanding of how structures behave when subjected to localised damage. Regulations and design recommendations have been developed to help ensure more consistent resilience in all framed buildings of significant size, and rigorous design approaches have been specified for buildings deemed potentially vulnerable to extreme loading events. This paper summarises some of the more important progressive collapse events, to identify key attributes that lead to vulnerability to collapse. Current procedures and guidelines for ensuring a minimum level of performance are reviewed and modelling methods for structures subjected to localised damage are described. These include increasingly sophisticated progressive collapse analysis procedures, including linear static and non-linear static analysis, as well as non-linear static pushover and linear dynamic methods. Finally, fully non-linear dynamic methods are considered. Building connections potentially represent the most vulnerable structural elements in steel-framed buildings; their failure can lead to progressive collapses. Steel connections also present difficulties with respect to frame modelling and this paper highlights benefits and drawbacks of some modelling procedures with respect to their treatment of connections

Simulated breath waveform control

Subsystem was developed which provides twelve waveform controls to breath drive mechanism. Twelve position, magnetically actuated rotary switch is connected to one end of crankshaft drive, such that it makes one complete revolution for each simulated breath. Connections with common wired point are included in modifications made to standard motor speed controller