Combined sewer overflow (CSO) is a significant environmental concern and public health risk (e.g., water contamination, eutrophication, and beach closure). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program to regulate and address this matter. This program mandates the control of CSOs for more than 700 municipalities obligated to devise Long-term Control Plans (LTCPs) to curb combined sewer overflows and reduce them to safe levels. The LTCP involves diverse strategies, including sewer separation, green infrastructure improvements, and conventional gray infrastructure upgrades. This study investigates several municipalities’ solutions for CSO problems that use conventional methods and wireless sensor technology as real-time control, mainly focusing on a comparative analysis of two cities, Richmond, Virginia, and South Bend, Indiana, such as their average rainfall, the frequency of overflows, and the capacity of treatment plants. The findings indicate that integrating sensor technology could significantly enhance modeling endeavors, bolster the capacity of existing structures, and substantially enhance preparedness for storm events. The EPA’s Storm Water Management Modeling (SWMM) software is utilized. Through an analysis of SWMM data, the study suggests the potential for leveraging wireless sensor technology to achieve more robust control over CSOs and significant cost savings as a part of LTCPs.

Measuring the impact of information literacy instruction in higher education is essential to support teaching and learning and demonstrate the value of information literacy instruction. This article reports on the findings from a cross-institutional study using resources from the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Project Outcome Toolkit. A survey from the toolkit was implemented to measure student perceptions across four outcomes: increased knowledge, increased confidence, application of new knowledge/skills, and increased awareness of resources. The data provides insight on what students value from library instruction sessions at both a research university and state college. Students at both institutions indicated that they value information literacy instruction, as demonstrated by the similar ratings across the four outcomes.

The newly released “Plant This Not That: A Guide to Avoiding Invasive Plant Species in Florida” booklet emerges as a crucial tool in cultivating a comprehensive understanding of invasive species, facilitating informed decision-making in plant selection. Its unique focus on illustrating alternatives to invasive plants, coupled with its accessible format, can empower individuals to contribute to the preservation of Florida, USA, ecosystems. The booklet’s impact was displayed through an in-service training for 58 University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences extension personnel. Following the in-service training, attendees demonstrated statistically significant improvements in their perceived knowledge of four key invasive species concepts. This study highlights the booklet and accompanying training’s potential as a valuable resource for mitigating the impacts of invasive plant species.

Although ultrasound technology has long been used in the hospital setting, portable ultrasound devices have recently started to be utilized by pre-hospital providers. This technology is still in its preliminary stages of documented use in the pre-hospital setting, but pre-hospital providers have shown improvements in patient outcomes with its utilization. This study is a literature review of the pre-hospital use of ultrasound technology and its effectiveness. Pre-hospital providers have effectively utilized ultrasound on multi-system trauma patients, and it has been demonstrated that an initial one-day training enables pre-hospital providers to be proficient in utilizing ultrasound examinations for trauma patients. Multiple studies have shown that 95% of paramedics can proficiently conduct a FAST examination within 5 minutes. Furthermore, 100% of students participating in the initial training passed the examination and were able to proficiently utilize ultrasound technology and properly interrogate the ultrasound images. More research needs to be performed with pre-hospital providers from multiple agencies to yield more precise results. Further study is also needed to provide more information on the exact amount of time saved in the trauma bay by examination results provided by pre-hospital providers prior to the patient’s arrival to the trauma bay. Keywords: Pre-hospital, Ultrasonography, Trauma, Ultrasound education, Paramedic

In 1963, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons administered the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE), the first and longest running yearly medical specialty examination. There have been no recent studies to evaluate the content of the musculoskeletal trauma section of the OITE. We analyzed all questions that were classified by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as musculoskeletal trauma from 2012 to 2019. We recorded the number of musculoskeletal trauma questions in each examination, the topics and imaging modalities tested, the references cited, and the taxonomy classification of each question. We extrapolated from a similar musculoskeletal trauma study published in 2011 to create the previous examination cohort for comparison. For the current cohort, the average number of musculoskeletal trauma questions was 43.5 questions per examination (18.4%). The most frequently tested topics were proximal tibia fractures, pediatric trauma, hip fractures, and diaphyseal femur fractures, respectively. In previous examinations, questions from T1 and 2 were tested significantly more frequently compared with the current examinations (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively). In the current cohort, T3 questions were tested significantly more frequently than previous examinations (P = 0.001). Previous examinations had significantly more questions without an image (36 questions per year versus 25 questions per year, P < 0.001). In current versions of the examination, radiographs are tested significantly more frequently than other imaging modalities (P < 0.001). The musculoskeletal trauma section of the OITE has evolved. To improve and focus study efforts, residents may use this study as a guide when preparing for the examination.

AbstractIn November 1995, the Laboratory of Archaeology at the University of Georgia submitted inventories and summaries of Indigenous ancestors and funerary objects in its holdings to comply with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). However, after this submission, the Laboratory attempts at consultation with federally recognized descendant Tribal communities who have cultural ties in the state of Georgia were not successful, and NAGPRA-related activities essentially stalled at the Laboratory. Beginning in 2019, the Laboratory's staff recognized a lack of formal NAGPRA policies or standards, which led to a complete reevaluation of the Laboratory's approach to NAGPRA. In essence, it was the Laboratory's renewed engagement with NAGPRA and descendan tribal communities that became the catalyst for change in the Laboratory's philosophy as a curation repository. This shift in thinking set the Laboratory on a path toward building a descendant community–informed institutional integrity (DCIII) level of engagement with consultation and collaborative efforts in all aspects of collections management and archaeological research. In this article, we outline steps that the Laboratory has taken toward implementing meaningful policies and practices created with descendant Tribal communities that both fulfill and extend bounds of NAGPRA compliance.

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this case series was to observe physical performance changes following an 8-week nonlinear periodization training program on firefighters currently on light duty who were cleared to participate in full physical activities. Methods Two firefighters underwent an 8-week nonlinear periodization program. Participant 1 was returning from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and participant 2 from a non-surgical low back injury. The Incumbent Physical Ability Test (IPAT), 2-minute push-up test, 300-yard shuttle, and Gerkin protocol testing were assessed at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Outcomes Both participants demonstrated improvement in assessments of physical performance and fitness across each assessment point, with exception of the Gerkin protocol, and were able to return to full duty at the conclusion of their rehabilitation training program. Conclusion The physical demands of tactical professionals such as firefighters exceed those of the general population. As such, these individuals require both job-specific programming and assessments when transitioning from an injury to full duty. An 8-week nonlinear periodization program yielded improvements in performance of firefighting tasks and physical fitness in two firefighters returning to full duty after injury and highlighted effective interprofessional collaboration between the physical therapy and fitness team.