Fates of nutrient elements and heavy metals during thermal conversion of cattle slurry-derived anaerobic digestates.

Thermal processes are emerging as promising solutions to recovering phosphorus and other nutrient elements from anaerobic digestates. The feasibility of nutrient element recovery depends largely on the fates of nutrient elements and heavy metals during thermal processing. This study assesses the partitioning of macronutrients (N, P, K, Na, Ca and Mg) and heavy metals (Zn, Cu, and Mn) between condensed and gaseous phases during thermal conversion of cattle slurry digestates in gas atmospheres of pyrolysis, combustion, and gasification processes.

Remote surveillance and detection of SARS-CoV-2 transmission among household members in King County, Washington.

Background: Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to better understand transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Household contacts of infected individuals are particularly at risk for infection, but delays in contact tracing, delays in testing contacts, and isolation and quarantine posed challenges to accurately capturing secondary household cases.

Methods: In this study, 346 households in the Seattle region were provided with respiratory specimen collection kits and remotely monitored using web-based surveys for respiratory illness symptoms weekly between October 1, 2020, and June 20, 2021.

Ground-state electron transfer in all-polymer donor:acceptor blends enables aqueous processing of water-insoluble conjugated polymers.

Water-based conductive inks are vital for the sustainable manufacturing and widespread adoption of organic electronic devices. Traditional methods to produce waterborne conductive polymers involve modifying their backbone with hydrophilic side chains or using surfactants to form and stabilize aqueous nanoparticle dispersions. However, these chemical approaches are not always feasible and can lead to poor material/device performance.

nasal carriage patterns with and without common respiratory virus detections in households in Seattle, WA, USA before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Respiratory viruses might influence nasal carriage and subsequent disease risk. We estimated the association between common respiratory viruses and semiquantitative nasal carriage density in a household setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: From November 2019-June 2021, we enrolled participants in a remote household surveillance study of respiratory pathogens.

A modular systematic review of antenatal interventions targeting modifiable environmental exposures in improving low birth weight.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) increases the risk of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality from early life to adulthood. Despite research effort to improve birth outcomes the progress has been slow.

Objective: This systematic search and review of English language scientific literature on clinical trials aimed to compare the efficacy antenatal interventions to reduce environmental exposures including a reduction of toxins exposure, and improving sanitation, hygiene, and health-seeking behaviors, which target pregnant women to improve birth outcomes.

Antenatal interventions to address harmful behaviors and psychosocial risk factors in the prevention of low birth weight.

Background: Risk factors related to the harmful behaviors, psychosocial wellbeing, and socio-economic circumstances in the lives of pregnant women can lead to adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight (LBW).

Objective: This systematic search and review aims to provide a comparative evidence synthesis on the effect of eleven antenatal interventions targeted to address psychosocial risk factors on adverse birth outcomes.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL Complete between March 2020 and May 2020.

Exploring the Documentation of Delirium in Patients After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Patient Record Study.

Delirium is a common disorder for patients after cardiac surgery. Its manifestation and care can be examined through EHRs. The aim of this retrospective, comparative, and descriptive patient record study was to describe the documentation of delirium symptoms in the EHRs of patients who have undergone cardiac surgery and to explore how the documentation evolved between two periods (2005-2009 and 2015-2020).

Improving birth weight measurement and recording practices in Kenya and Tanzania: a prospective intervention study with historical controls.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant public health concern given its association with early-life mortality and other adverse health consequences that can impact the entire life cycle. In many countries, accurate estimates of LBW prevalence are lacking due to inaccuracies in collection and gaps in available data. Our study aimed to determine LBW prevalence among facility-born infants in selected areas of Kenya and Tanzania and to assess whether the introduction of an intervention to improve the accuracy of birth weight measurement would result in a meaningfully different estimate of LBW prevalence than current practice.

Work-related head injury and industry sectors in Finland: causes and circumstances.

Objective: Despite the continuous development of occupational safety, the prevalence of work-related head injuries is excessive. To promote prevention, we conducted a study evaluating the risks and pathways that precede head injuries in different economic activity sectors.

Methods: In Finland, more than 90% of employees are covered by inclusive statutory workers' compensation.

Phytoextraction and recovery of rare earth elements using willow (Salix spp.).

Soil and water contaminations are caused by rare earth elements (REEs) due to mining and industrial activities, that threaten the ecosystem and human health. Therefore, phytoremediation methods need to be developed to overcome this problem. To date, little research has been conducted concerning the phytoremediation potential of Salix for REEs.

Child growth and neurodevelopment after maternal antenatal antibiotic treatment.

Objective: To assess whether intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant women (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and azithromycin (AZI) in a malaria-endemic area leads to sustained gains in linear growth and development in their offspring.

Design: Follow-up study of a randomised trial.

Setting: Mangochi District in rural southern Malawi.

Incidence of Medically Attended Acute Respiratory Illnesses Due to Respiratory Viruses Across the Life Course During the 2018/19 Influenza Season.

Background: Although multiple respiratory viruses circulate in humans, few studies have compared the incidence of different viruses across the life course. We estimated the incidence of outpatient illness due to 12 different viruses during November 2018 through April 2019 in a fully enumerated population.

Methods: We conducted active surveillance for ambulatory care visits for acute respiratory illness (ARI) among members of Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPWA).

Evaluating Specimen Quality and Results from a Community-Wide, Home-Based Respiratory Surveillance Study.

While influenza and other respiratory pathogens cause significant morbidity and mortality, the community-based burden of these infections remains incompletely understood. The development of novel methods to detect respiratory infections is essential for mitigating epidemics and developing pandemic-preparedness infrastructure. From October 2019 to March 2020, we conducted a home-based cross-sectional study in the greater Seattle, WA, area, utilizing electronic consent and data collection instruments.

Remote Household Observation for Noninfluenza Respiratory Viral Illness.

Background: Noninfluenza respiratory viruses are responsible for a substantial burden of disease in the United States. Household transmission is thought to contribute significantly to subsequent transmission through the broader community. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, contactless surveillance methods are of particular importance.

Thermal treatment of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash: Impact of gas atmosphere on the volatility of major, minor, and trace elements.

Development of thermal processes for selective recovery of Zn and other valuable elements from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash requires comprehensive knowledge of the impact of gas atmosphere on the volatile behaviour of the element constituents of the ash at different reaction temperatures. This study assesses the partitioning of 18 elements (Al, As, Bi, C, Ca, Cd, Cl, Cu, K, Mg, Na, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, Ti, and Zn) between condensed and gaseous phases during thermal treatment of MSWI fly ash in both oxidising gas and reducing gas atmospheres, at different temperatures spanning the range 200-1050 °C. The operating atmosphere had major impacts on the partitioning of the following elements: As, Bi, C, Cd, Cu, Na, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, and Zn.

Effect of stimulus height on cockroach optomotor response.

Using tethered American cockroaches walking on a trackball in a spherical virtual reality environment, we tested optomotor responses to horizontally moving black-and-white gratings of different vertical extent under six different light intensities. We found that shortening the vertical extent of the wide-field stimulus grating within a light level weakened response strength, reduced average velocity and decreased angular walking distance. Optomotor responses with the vertically shortened stimuli persisted down to light intensity levels of 0.

The effect of vertical extent of stimuli on cockroach optomotor response.

Using tethered American cockroaches walking on a trackball in a spherical virtual reality environment, we tested optomotor responses to horizontally moving black-and-white gratings of different vertical extent under six different light intensities. We found that shortening the vertical extent of the wide-field stimulus grating within a light level weakened response strength, reduced average velocity, and decreased angular walking distance. Optomotor responses with the vertically shortened stimuli persisted down to light intensity levels of 0.

Volatilisation of major, minor, and trace elements during thermal processing of fly ashes from waste- and wood-fired power plants in oxidising and reducing gas atmospheres.

This study assesses the volatility of 15 elements (As, Bi, C, Cd, Cl, Cu, K, Mn, Na, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, and Zn) during thermal processing of fly ashes obtained from four waste-to-energy plants and one wood-combustion plant. Differences in volatility in oxidising and reducing atmospheres (air and 10% H/90% N) were assessed at two temperatures, 700 and 1000 °C. P and Mn were predominately retained in all ashes regardless of the operating atmosphere and temperature.

Redesigning a Sentinel Surveillance System for Collecting and Disseminating Near Real-Time Agricultural Injury Reports: System Usability Study.

Background: Injury data and reports provide valuable information for both public and private organizations to guide programming, policy, and prevention, but in the increasingly complex and dangerous industry of US agriculture, the injury surveillance needed to produce this data is lacking. To address the gap, AgInjuryNews was established in 2015. The system includes fatal and nonfatal injury cases derived from publicly available reports, including occupational and nonoccupational injuries, occurring in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing (AFF) industry.

An Argument Against Cross-Platform Development: Lessons From an Augmented Reality App Prototype for Rural Emergency Responders.

Background: Mobile augmented reality (MAR) apps offer potential support for emergency responders in rural areas.

Objective: In this report, we described lessons learned from the development process of augmented reality (AR) Farm Mapping to Assist, Protect and Prepare Emergency Responders (MAPPER), a MAR app that provides emergency responders onsite information about the agricultural operation they enter.

Methods: Cross-platform frameworks were used to create AR MAPPER to accommodate budget constraints and overcome issues with markerless MAR technologies.

Pain process of patients with cardiac surgery-Semantic annotation of electronic patient record data.

Aims And Objectives: To describe and compare the pain process of the patients' with cardiac surgery through nurses' and physicians' documentations in the electronic patient records.

Background: Postoperative pain assessment and management should be documented regularly, to ensure optimal pain care process for patients. Despite availability of evidence-based guidelines, pain assessment and documentation remain inadequate.