GERMS JOURNEY: co-creation of resources for addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals in education & health in developing countries

Following a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model, this study evaluates whether specifically developed resources (‘A Germ’s Journey’) aid children in India’s understanding of hand-hygiene principles. Furthermore, it discusses how the findings can inform the future development of culturally relevant resources for developing countries. Educational health-hygiene workshops were conducted with schools and community centres in collaboration with organisations in Ahmedabad, India in areas of considerable socio-economic disadvantage. Children’s and teacher-trainer workshops were delivered to ten Case Studies. Mixed-method data was collected from children using quasi-experimental methods, using pre-workshop questions, follow-up questions, observations and baseline and post-workshop assessments. Data was collected from teachers using questionnaires. Following teacher-trainer workshops during Phase 1 of the study, 100% of teachers stated that they would use the resources with their pupils in the future. Two months after participating in the workshops, 60-73% of children knew how germs can cause illness, and 76-80% knew how to remove germs from hands. When assessed during Phase 2 of the study, 55% of children scored higher after the intervention, showing an increased understanding of microbiology after using the resources. The results indicate that children have an improved understanding of the cause of bacterial disease and the health implications of not using adequate health-hygiene practices. Recommendations for the future development of resources include adopting a PAR model of research, co-creation with end users and working alongside local organisations and participants in order to access the ‘hard-to-reach’ areas

Master of Arts

thesisAt the outbreak of World War I, women in Britain and South Africa formed groups of volunteer police women who patrolled the streets for indecent behavior, found homes for runaway children, and encouraged moral behavior of young women and girls. Despite their success at penetrating one of the most male-dominated professions, historians almost unanimously regard the movement as a betrayal of feminist values and goals. A careful reading of contemporary sources, however, reveals that the women police were attempting to work within the system to better the lives of females. With the movement headed by social purity feminists, a group now largely decried as antifeminist for their conservative and protectionist agendas, the approach was rather to protect women from the full impact of sexist laws, as opposed to actually changing those laws. These women saw the prevention of immoral behavior as not simply an imposition of conservative middle class values, but an expedient measure to protect females from a justice system whose very structure was designed to find them guilty. Feminists tend to discount social purists' impact on the modern feminist movement, but the transnational presence of the women police, as shown by this thesis' study of the Cape Town group, reminds scholars that the feminist movement has always been riddled with ambivalence and dilemmas. This thesis demonstrates that the social purity movement was a force to be reckoned with, and succeeded where suffragists had failed in opening the door to women in law enforcement

The Effects of Heart Rate Variability, Measures of Impulsivity, and Activity Level in College Students

The objectives of this study were to assess the relationships of breathingassociated heart rate variability and measures of impulsivity using EKG-derived heart rate, the BaiTatt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11), and the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT-II). To measure activity level as a proxy for fitness. activity monitors were worn by most participants and all participants completed the International Physical Activity Questiomiaire (IPAQ). Fifty-two college students (23 male and 29 female, ages 18-22) participated in the study. Auscultatory blood pressure, EKG-derived heart rate, and mean successive difference of interbeat intervals were collected during 2 ten-minute rest periods and during the CPT-II. Participants were then asked to wear an activity monitor for 24 hours. It was hypothesized that (1) the measures of impulsivity generated by the Barratt would be significantly correlated with CPT-II- derived impulsivity measures; (2) the self-report and activity measures of activity level would both accurately track an individual’s activity; (3) Heart rate variability during either rest or task periods would show significant relationships with impulsivity in males only. No significant correlations were found between the BIS-11 and the CPT-II, and no significant correlations were found between measures of the IPAQ and the activity monitor. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of commissions on the CPT-II and resting HRV, a result opposite from that predicted based upon previous studies. This was found for males only. No significant correlations were found for HRV measures and impulsivity for all participants combined or for females alone. These results suggest a complex relationship between HRV and impulsivity

Resolving the H-alpha-emitting Region in the Wind of Eta Carinae

The massive evolved star Eta Carinae is the most luminous star in the Milky Way and has the highest steady wind mass-loss rate of any known star. Radiative transfer models of the spectrum by Hillier et al. predict that H-alpha is mostly emitted in regions of the wind at radii of 6 to 60 AU from the star (2.5 to 25 mas at 2.35 kpc). We present diffraction-limited images (FWHM ~25 mas) with Magellan adaptive optics in two epochs, showing that Eta Carinae consistently appears ~2.5 to 3 mas wider in H-alpha emission compared to the adjacent 643 nm continuum. This implies that the H-alpha line-forming region may have a characteristic emitting radius of 12 mas or ~30 AU, in very good agreement with the Hillier stellar-wind model. This provides direct confirmation that the physical wind parameters of that model are roughly correct, including the mass-loss rate of 10^-3 M_sun/yr, plus the clumping factor, and the terminal velocity. Comparison of the H-alpha images (ellipticity and PA) to the continuum images reveals no significant asymmetries at H-alpha. Hence, any asymmetry induced by a companion or by the primary's rotation do not strongly influence the global H-alpha emission in the outer wind.Comment: Published in ApJ

High-contrast imaging in the Hyades with snapshot LOCI

To image faint substellar companions obscured by the stellar halo and speckles, scattered light from the bright primary star must be removed in hardware or software. We apply the "locally-optimized combination of images" (LOCI) algorithm to 1-minute Keck Observatory snapshots of GKM dwarfs in the Hyades using source diversity to determine the most likely PSF. We obtain a mean contrast of 10^{-2} at 0.01", 10^{-4} at <1", and 10^{-5} at 5". New brown dwarf and low-mass stellar companions to Hyades primaries are found in a third of the 84 targeted systems. This campaign shows the efficacy of LOCI on snapshot imaging as well as on bright wide binaries with off-axis LOCI, reaching contrasts sufficient for imaging 625-Myr late-L/early-T dwarfs purely in post-processing.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, to appear in SPIE Astronomy 2012, paper 8447-16

Shape-dependent antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles on Escherichia.coli and Enterococcus.faecium bacterium

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been shown to exhibit strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria including antibiotic resistant strains. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs against Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans (S. Mutans) has been reported and found to be size dependent. This study aims to compare the bactericidal effect of different shaped AgNPs (spherical and truncated octahedral) against E.coli and E.faecium. The antimicrobial activity of a range of concentrations (50, 100, 1000μg/ml) was determined over 24 hours using both optical density and viable counts. Truncated octahedral AgNPs (AgNoct) were found to be more active when compared with spherical AgNPs (AgNS). The difference in shape resulted in differences in efficacy which may be due to the higher surface area of AgNOct compared to AgNS, and differences in active facets and surface energies, with AgNPs having a bacteriostatic effect and AgNOct is being bactericidal after 4 hours. The results suggest that AgNPs can be used as effective growth inhibitors in different microorganisms, rendering them applicable tovarious medical devices and antimicrobial control systems

Synergistic Combinations of Antibiotics with Cumin, Oregano and Rosewood Oils as a Strategy to Preserve the Antibiotic Repertoire.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Background: Formulations employing synergistic combinations of antibiotics with Essential Oils (EOs) could help to preserve the antibiotic repertoire by improving their activity against resistant bacteria. Objective: This study was aimed to screen the antibiotics oxacillin and ciprofloxacin for synergistic interactions with cumin, oregano and rosewood EOs and the EO components cuminaldehyde, carvacrol and linalool against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (antibiotic sensitive and resistant isolates). This will provide information on formulations with synergistic combinations of EOs and antibiotics that might resensitise antibiotic resistant bacteria. Method: Antimicrobial interactions between double and triple combinations of EOs, EO components and antibiotics were determined using the checkerboard method with calculation of Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Indexes (FICIs). The most active triple combinations were then assessed by a time-kill assay. Results: Two synergistic EO-antibiotic combinations and eight additive EO-antibiotic combinations reduced the antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration below clinical sensitivity breakpoints according to the checkerboard method. However, all tested combinations were additive according to the time-kill assay; while the combinations completely killed S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa cells in 2 h, at least one EO compound from the combination alone completely killed the cells of test species. Conclusion: Positive interactions support the use of EOs or EO components to enhance antibiotic efficacy against antibiotic resistant bacteria. The EO-antibiotic combinations tested by the time kill assay were indifferent; therefore, the observed antimicrobial activity did not arise from synergistic mechanisms as indicated by the checkerboard method. Investigation of other synergistic combinations identified by the checkerboard method could reveal more promising candidates

Microencapsulation for improved mosquitoes' repellent efficacy of cotton fabrics

open access articleIn recent years, mosquitoes that can transfer viruses causing vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika and West Nile virus have dramatically increased and reached Europe. In 2018, a higher number of 1503 human cases were reported in the EU/EEA and EU neighbouring countries. The current research was involved in the development of mosquito repellent cotton fabrics with natural essential oils and further improvement of mosquitoes repellent efficacy by microencapsulation of repellents on cotton Fabrics. The repellents efficacy for Anopheles spp. is calculated by using the results of WHO modified test method CTD/WHO PES/IC/96.1. Mosquito-repellency of the treated cotton fabrics against Aedes aegypti mosquito species were tested by using Y-tube Olfactometer. SEM images of treated cotton fabrics were also represented in this paper