Development and characterization of a peanut-shell based activated carbon and the outcomes of a hands-on approach to chemical education

Heavy metals are a recognized toxic environmental contaminant, even at very low concentrations. There have been well-known events in the last decade within the US of high amounts of lead in the drinking water supplies of cities, leading to detrimental effects within its population. Ways have been found to remove this metal, and others, from water with expensive adsorbents. The aim of the first part of this research was to create an inexpensive adsorbent from a waste material and modify it in such a way that it would be adept at removing heavy metals from water. In Chapter I, we were able to remove lead, copper, and cadmium using our peanut shell-based activated carbon, getting a high amount of metal adsorption when the activated carbon was activated with phosphoric acid, pyrolyzed, and then cooled under a nitrogen atmosphere. The activated carbon was characterized and found to have a BET surface area of 781 m2g-1 and a Langmuir maximum isotherm capacity of 100.2 mg/g. By using the data obtained in this work, it could lead to the development of further economically made adsorbents to be used to provide more people with clean drinking water. The second part of our work focused on the benefit of a hands-on approach to chemical education. In Chapter IV, we discuss the development and implementation of our NSF-funded summer research experience for undergraduates program, as well as the student-reported results from their 10-week research experience. These surveys showed consistent self-reported growth among the student cohort in the skill sets that were focused on during the program. Chapter V focuses on the development, application, and analysis of results for a novel home-based laboratory component for a semester-long organic chemistry course. It featured 12 lab activities: 8 hands-on experiments and 4 online modeling exercises. By developing and sharing this off-campus approach, we hope to provide an option for other universities that are looking for at-home laboratory experiences for their own students. Overall, we found that these approaches to experiencing chemistry in a hands-on way were beneficial to students and provided them with a greater interest in chemistry

Quality assurance and assessment frameworks of biosystems engineering studies

Regulatory instruments at the national level to ensure high quality are crucial to achieve and maintain a regional hub of higher education in Malta. While The Malta Qualifications Council and the National Commission for Higher Education are established and operational, the legal framework to set up a quality assurance agency and a quality assurance and licensing framework is in place, but the legislations is still awaiting approval. The University of Malta has set up internal quality assurance structures, The Programme Validation Committee monitors, reviews and recommends programmes for approval by Senate, The formation of the INSTITUTE OF EARTH SYSTEMS will facilitate the means through which a Bio Systems Engineering course could be offered, Furthermore the recent establishment of a Maltese Chamber of Agrologists could in theory eventually take up the role to grant professional accreditation,peer-reviewe

Intimate partner violence-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States

The highly rural region of Appalachia faces considerable socioeconomic disadvantage and health disparities that are recognized risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States for 2007–2011 and compare hospitalizations in each region by clinical and sociodemographic factors. Data on IPV-related hospitalizations were extracted from the State Inpatient Databases, which are part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Hospitalization day, year, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, average and total hospital charges, sex, age, payer, urban-rural location, income, diagnoses and procedures were compared between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. Poisson regression models were constructed to test differences in the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations between both regions. From 2007–2011, there were 7,385 hospitalizations related to IPV, with one-third (2,645) occurring in Appalachia. After adjusting for age and rurality, Appalachian counties had a 22% higher hospitalization rate than non-Appalachian counties (ARR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14–1.31). Appalachian residents may be at increased risk for IPV and associated conditions. Exploring disparities in healthcare utilization and costs associated with IPV in Appalachia is critical for the development of programs to effectively target the needs of this population

Intimate partner violence-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States

The highly rural region of Appalachia faces considerable socioeconomic disadvantage and health disparities that are recognized risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States for 2007–2011 and compare hospitalizations in each region by clinical and sociodemographic factors. Data on IPV-related hospitalizations were extracted from the State Inpatient Databases, which are part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Hospitalization day, year, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, average and total hospital charges, sex, age, payer, urban-rural location, income, diagnoses and procedures were compared between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. Poisson regression models were constructed to test differences in the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations between both regions. From 2007–2011, there were 7,385 hospitalizations related to IPV, with one-third (2,645) occurring in Appalachia. After adjusting for age and rurality, Appalachian counties had a 22% higher hospitalization rate than non-Appalachian counties (ARR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14–1.31). Appalachian residents may be at increased risk for IPV and associated conditions. Exploring disparities in healthcare utilization and costs associated with IPV in Appalachia is critical for the development of programs to effectively target the needs of this population

Intimate partner violence-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States

The highly rural region of Appalachia faces considerable socioeconomic disadvantage and health disparities that are recognized risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV). The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and the non-Appalachian United States for 2007–2011 and compare hospitalizations in each region by clinical and sociodemographic factors. Data on IPV-related hospitalizations were extracted from the State Inpatient Databases, which are part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Hospitalization day, year, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, average and total hospital charges, sex, age, payer, urban-rural location, income, diagnoses and procedures were compared between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. Poisson regression models were constructed to test differences in the rate of IPV-related hospitalizations between both regions. From 2007–2011, there were 7,385 hospitalizations related to IPV, with one-third (2,645) occurring in Appalachia. After adjusting for age and rurality, Appalachian counties had a 22% higher hospitalization rate than non-Appalachian counties (ARR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14–1.31). Appalachian residents may be at increased risk for IPV and associated conditions. Exploring disparities in healthcare utilization and costs associated with IPV in Appalachia is critical for the development of programs to effectively target the needs of this population

Top fifteen comorbid diagnoses for IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.

<p>Top fifteen comorbid diagnoses for IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.</p

IPV-related hospitalizations for Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.

<p>IPV-related hospitalizations for Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.</p

Top fifteen primary procedures for IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.

<p>Top fifteen primary procedures for IPV-related hospitalizations in Appalachia and non-Appalachian counties in the US, 2007–2011.</p

Sociodemographic variables and hospitalization characteristics^a.

<p>Sociodemographic variables and hospitalization characteristics<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0184222#t001fn001" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p