Empty Bottles Research Articles

Public Perception to Littering in Greenspaces: A Case Study in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia

Greenspaces are central to the success of cities. However, what is normally found while walking in local parks or greenspaces are empty cans, bottles, food wrappers and other litters that ruin the aesthetic beauty of the site. Increase in the number of visitors visiting parks in Malaysia has resulted in a growing littering problem. Some parks even received numerous complaints regarding litter. In order to understand the problem of littering in parks, a study was conducted with the objective of identifying factors influencing peoples’ littering behaviour in Pantai Temasya Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 178 set of questionnaires were distributed to visitors at Pantai Temasya Bintulu, Sarawak, which is a popular recreational park in Bintulu. Data collected was encoded into the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and analysed accordingly. The study found more male (61.8%) than female (38.2%) respondents have done littering in the past. While more Chinese (73.1%) respondents admitted to littering than any other races. With regards to marital status, singles (64.2%) and those without children (64.4%) top the list for littering. Respondents of the age group of 17 to 25-year-old (70.6%) recorded a high percentage for littering as compared to other age groups. Respondents with only a primary school (66.7%) education have a higher tendency to litter. Besides, jobless adults and students also dominated the chart for littering for the occupation profile. Parallel with that, the income group which those without any source of income (65.3%) was the highest to admit to littering. The study identified attitude to be the highest factor influencing littering among visitors with nearly 65% respondents agreeing to it. Meanwhile, beverage containers such as aluminium cans, glass and plastic bottles were found to be the type of litter most frequently found in Pantai Temasya Bintulu. Studies on public perception towards littering are essential for administrative and strategic planning of litter control. In the case of Pantai Temasya Bintulu, early education and awareness campaigns are seen to be the best approach to instil good attitudes among the visitors.

Performance of plastic waste for soil improvement

Recycling plastic waste from water bottles has become one of the main challenges worldwide. The aim of this study is to recycle empty plastic water bottles as reinforcing material for the improvement of sandy soil. The laboratory tests were performed on both natural and reinforced sands with different plastic waste percentages: 0, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 of the dry weight of sand at relative density states of 30% and 60%. Direct shear box and the California Bearing Ratio, CBR tests were performed to determine the effect of the plastic waste on the shear strength and the penetration resistance of the reinforced sand. Test results indicated that plastic waste reinforcement contributed to the improvement of the shear strength and the CBR number of the reinforced sand. Higher shear strength and higher penetration resistance were obtained with plastic waste reinforcement. The optimum percentage of plastic waste required for enhancing the shear strength and the CBR number was found to be 0.75%. With the optimum percentage of plastic waste, the improvement in the shear strength and the penetration resistance of the reinforced sand increased to at least 9% compared to natural soil at relative density states of 30% and 60%.

ARTERIAL VS SERUM LACTIC ACID DISCREPANCY

SESSION TITLE: Unusual Cases and Treatments in the ICU SESSION TYPE: Fellow Case Reports PRESENTED ON: 10/22/2019 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM INTRODUCTION: We are presenting a case where a significant difference was noticed between lactate levels measured by arterial blood gas (ABG) analyzer and serum chemistry analyzer; Lactate gap. Why does that happen? How does it help in supporting a diagnosis and monitoring a treatment? CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old female was brought to the Emergency Department (ED) after her family called 911 for altered mental status and abnormal behavior. Emergency Medical Services personnel found the patient next to an empty bottle of Oxycodone/Acetaminophen and beer cans. In the ED, She was oriented only to person, unable to provide significant history regarding her medication/alcohol consumption. She denied homicidal or suicidal ideation. Few hours later, she progressively became more lethargic prompting intubation for airway protection. Physical exam was within normal limits except for the lethargy and tachypnea. Initial blood workup showed severe high anion gap metabolic acidosis, serum bicarbonate level of 5, anion gap of 24, calculated serum osmolality of 281, measured serum osmolality of 334, making an osmolal gap of 53. Serum lactate 1.2, Serum alcohol, acetone, salicylate and acetaminophen levels were undetectable. ABG, with lactate level, revealed a pH of 7.0, PaCO2 of 13, PaO2 of 151, bicarbonate of 3.2 and lactate of 20. Serial lactate discrepancies were noticed between measuring lactate by the ABG and the serum chemistry analyzers. Due to encephalopathy, high anion gap and osmolar gap, there was a high suspicion that she ingested methanol or ethylene glycol, so she was started on Sodium bicarbonate drip, fomepizole infusion and an emergent hemodialysis was initiated. After 1 session, her mental status improved and was extubated. Lactate gap, anion gap, osmolar gap and metabolic acidemia normalized. DISCUSSION: Ethylene glycol toxicity is known to cause a high anion gap and osmolal gap, especially early in presentation. The new thing to our knowledge, which was confirmed by published literature was that it may cause a lactate gap; a discrepancy between lactate levels measured by the ABG analyzer and the serum chemistry analyzer. This discrepancy is explained by the cross reactivity of the ABG analyzer with glycolate, a byproduct of ethylene glycol, resulting in high ABG lactate levels. This false positive result of lactate gap by the ABG analyzer can help to support the diagnosis of the ethylene glycol toxicity and monitor the treatment, that includes administration of Sodium bicarbonate to correct the severe academia, fomepizole to prevent conversion of ethylene glycol to the toxic metabolites and emergent dialysis to clear these metabolites before they cause acute tubular necrosis resulting in acute renal failure. CONCLUSIONS: Lactate gap noted through discrepancy between Lactate level on ABG and serum chemistry analyzers can be used to diagnose and monitor treatment for Ethylene Glycol toxicity. Reference #1: DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(01)06799-X DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Moayyad Alziadat, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Mohd Hazem Azzam, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Anish Samuel, source=Web Response

Automatic Cold Drink Vending Machine with Reverse Vending System for Empty Bottles and Monitoring System using VLSI

now days the Plastic is one of the most versatile material. These days the waste generated by humans. In this paper we develop the VM and RVM . A VM is an automated machine that provides three different types of items such as coca cola, sprite and thumbs-up etc. the money is inserted to consumers in to the machine. The reverse vending machine is the machine that accepts empty plastic bottles and credits discount offer. The collected empty plastic bottles are sent for further recycling which is environment friendly. Operation of the machine exhibited accuracy in recognizing barcode data, distinguishing between vend plastic bottle and other plastic bottles, storage update. The machine is able to run on commercial power. All the mentioned process will be controlled by a PIC microcontroller. Throughout the process barcode sensor is responsible to Identify vend plastic bottles. The developed project is environment friendly and cost effective.

Wine consumers’ willingness to adopt environmentally friendly packaging practices at tasting rooms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ wine preferences, recycling attitudes and behaviors and socio-demographic data in an effort to build market segment profiles of those willing to transport wine bottles back to winery tasting rooms to be recycled, interest in standard-weight glass-alternative packaging and, various cork-alternative bottle closures.Design/methodology/approachA two-stage online survey was administered to 714 wine consumers residing in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA during two periods in March 2016. Exhaustive chi-square automatic interaction detector (ECHAID) decision tree predictive analysis was used to identify the market segments.FindingsA majority of survey participants were willing to bring empty wine bottles to a winery for recycling (85 percent). Collectively, 77 percent of participants were members of just three of the eight segments developed using a decision tree predictive algorithm, with 90 percent of participants in these segments willing to bring empty wine bottles to a winery tasting room to be recycled. Two segments were comprised of Millennials and Generation X, and the third of Baby Boomers, two having a moderate to extreme interest in natural cork used to seal wine bottles, and similar.Originality/valueAn ECHAID classification tree method was used to develop eight consumer segments. Identifying characteristics that describe consumers likely to return empty wine bottles to a winery benefits recycling efforts and could possibly encourage additional sales.

Patterns of drinking in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as self-reported on the Grog Survey App: a stratified sample

BackgroundThe Grog Survey App is a visual and interactive tablet computer-based survey application. It has been shown to be an accurate and acceptable tool to help Indigenous Australians describe what they drink.MethodsThe Grog Survey App was used to enquire into patterns of drinking in a stratified sample of Indigenous Australians in urban and remote/regional sites during testing of the App. The App asked about the last four drinking occasions in the past 12 months, including preferred alcohol types and containers; and symptoms of alcohol dependence, based on ICD-11 descriptions. Drinking patterns are presented here using medians and interquartile ranges, and the thresholds set out by the Australian National and Health and Medical Research Council guidelines. Patterns of consumption are compared by gender and remoteness, using Wilcoxon rank-sum test to compare medians. Logistic regressions tested whether alcohol types and drinking containers varied by remoteness.ResultsIn this stratified sample most people either consumed nothing (21.7%), or consumed quantities which placed them at short- (95.6%) or long-term risk (47.8%) of harms. Drinkers in remote areas were more likely to drink beer, but less likely to drink pre-mixed spirits. ‘Stubbies’ and other beer glasses were popular in urban areas, compared with ‘slabs’ (cases of beer) in remote/regional areas. The use of improvised containers (i.e. empty juice bottles) did not vary by remoteness. Nearly one in six (15%) current drinkers reported experiencing at least two symptoms of alcohol dependence at least monthly. Average drinks per day was the consumption measure most highly correlated with each dependence symptom (r = 0.34–0.38).ConclusionsThe App was able to capture a wide range of preferred alcohol types and containers, and demonstrate a diversity in how alcohol is consumed. This detail was captured in a relative brief survey delivered using an interactive and appealing tablet computer-based application.

The fungal problem in thermal processed beverages

Fungal spoilage of thermally processed beverages by heat-resistant moulds (HRM), heat-sensitive moulds (HSM) and yeasts is a widespread problem for the beverage and juice industries. These beverages and juices can be classified as hot-filled and aseptically-filled or cold-filled. Since they are heat-processed, both groups can be spoiled by heat-resistant microorganisms such as the HRM. These fungi produce ascospores that can not only survive the heat treatment given to these beverages but also be activated and grow in the product during storage. These ascospores have been found in several ingredients such as sweeteners, juice concentrates, juice purees and powders, pectin, protein powders, vitamin powders, and so on. Hot-filled beverages can incur additional spoilage due to the activation of ascospores of HRM found in the empty PET bottles or in the beverage processing environment. Hot-filled as well as cold-filled or aseptically filled beverages can also be environmentally contaminated by heat-sensitive fungi causing several types of spoilage. HSM and yeasts may be introduced to the processing facilities through ingredients, air, water and packaging and potentially contaminate the beverages. The eradication of some of these microorganisms from the equipment presents a big challenge since they are involved in biofilm formation which protects them from the effect of sanitizers. This manuscript provides a short review of the fungal problems in thermal processed beverages including the sources of contamination as well as spoilage prevention and highlights the need for further research in this field.

The package barrier to user adherence: Comparative analysis of various types of opening instructions on the ease of opening comprising effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction.

Adequate user access to drug therapy can only be ensured when the drug can be removed from its package. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a variety of opening instructions on the ease of opening a user package and user satisfaction. This experiment was conducted according to CEN/TS 15945. Ease of opening was defined as the ability to open a package within a defined time frame (effectiveness) and the learning effect by repeated opening (efficiency). (Dis)satisfaction ranged from -2 to +2. Empty bottles with left threat screw caps (rather than the standard right) were studied following 4 different types of instructions: none, arrow in the screw cap, package leaflet, video. Each instruction was studied in a group of 20 different healthy older adult volunteers (65-80years). No opening aid was permitted. Data were captured in forms and on video. Nine (45%) participants could open the package without any instruction, 19 (95%) with an arrow marked bottle and 20 (100%) with a package leaflet or video. No notable differences were observed in median times for first and repeated opening. Participants were most often (n=11) dissatisfied (score-2) without any instruction and neutral to most satisfied (0-2) with a video (n=17). The effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction to open a package is strongly influenced by the type of opening instruction. This conclusion requires further consideration in drug product packaging and labelling.

Object manipulation with a variable-stiffness robotic mechanism using deep neural networks for visual semantics and load estimation

In recent years, the computer vision applications in the robotics have been improved to approach human-like visual perception and scene/context understanding. Following this aspiration, in this study, we explored the possibility of better object manipulation performance by connecting the visual recognition of objects to their physical attributes, such as weight and center of gravity (CoG). To develop and test this idea, an object manipulation platform is built comprising a robotic arm, a depth camera fixed at the top center of the workspace, embedded encoders in the robotic arm mechanism, and microcontrollers for position and force control. Since both the visual recognition and force estimation algorithms use deep learning principles, the test set-up was named as Deep-Table. The objects in the manipulation tests are selected from everyday life and are common to be seen on modern office desktops. The visual object localization and recognition processes are performed from two distinct branches by deep convolutional neural network architectures. We present five of the possible cases, having different levels of information availability on the object weight and CoG in the experiments. The results confirm that using our algorithm, the robotic arm can move different types of objects successfully varying from several grams (empty bottle) to around 250 g (ceramic cup) without failure or tipping. The proposed method also shows that connecting the object recognition with load estimation and contact point further improves the performance characterized by a smoother motion.

Empirical Framework of Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) with Material Identification Capability to Improve Recycling

Recycling is one of the important approaches to manage the waste effectively. Nowadays, many recycle bins were placed in school, university, shopping complex and housing area. Although most of them have good awareness to support these activities, yet there are still who abuse the usage of recycling bin by inserting prohibited items. To cater such an issue, a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) with material identification module is proposed to accept only empty recycle items and reject the rest. The constructed system consists of rotating mechanism and collection of sensors to detect empty PET bottle and aluminum can respectively. From the experiment, it can be shown that the module capable to reject unwanted material with an average of 82.5% of accuracy. Such capability shows a promising outcome for preventing the abuse of recycling bins, and can be used to realize the RVM concept by introducing a reward to the person who recycle properly.

Alterations of PET material physical properties during storage of olive oil

Abstract Olive oil in PET bottles as well as empty bottles were stored at 15, 30 and 40 °C, at light or dark, for 12 months. Oxygen transmition rate and light transmission were estimated in addition to thermographic parameters, color, crystallinity and sorption. Results indicated that oxygen transmission rates for both the control (empty) and the oil-containing PET bottles depend on time/conditions of storage. Significant differences of thermal properties were observed within the first four months, among PET materials in contact to olive oil and the control ones. Sorption of humidity was also reported for all containers, revealing the effect of the simultaneous presence of olive oil on the results. Apparently, olive oil has a significant impact on the properties of PET, while the reported alterations of its properties may affect the food preservation it self and its prediction methodology if not appropriately considered.

عمالة النساء وميكانيزمات التكيف بحث تحليلي على العاملات بالمهن الهامشية في قضاء الديوانية

The marginal work here on a number of different activities that women find themselves forced to exercise to meet the demands of their families and their living in a society where the narrowing employment opportunities for a large segment of its members they needed him most
 Thus, these women are forced to engage in some non-core business and is necessary for life such as collecting empty bottles of soft drinks and inspection at the landfill in search of some materials such as ( Alvavon and zero ) , and some plastics damaged .
 The reasons that prompted the Iraqi women in general to create a kind of adaptive mechanisms of action in order to face rejection from some cultures masculine outlook of low for Iraqi women , both through the business entrusted to it or look through it man
 In the works of certain than others and there are no acts reserved for men and another for women, but the culture and the social environment is responsible for the marginalization of women's capabilities and identify potential acts of marginal bring sometimes humiliation and degradation to the status and role of women in society, and therein lies the problem

“It would definitely make you think twice, even after you’ve finished the drink, it's in your car, like the empty bottle, you’d look at it”: Young adults’ reactions to warning labels on the bottles of sugary drinks

“It would definitely make you think twice, even after you’ve finished the drink, it's in your car, like the empty bottle, you’d look at it”: Young adults’ reactions to warning labels on the bottles of sugary drinks

Characterization of suicide involving insulin analog injection: Interest of injection site analysis by LC/HRMS

To provide evidence of the role of insulin in the occurrence of death is always challenging: glycemic state can be estimated only in vitreous matrix, and postmortem blood sample detection of insulin or its analogs is known to be problematic. This case report is of a death involving insulin analog injection characterized at the injection site on liquid chromatography coupled to an exactive high-resolution/high accuracy mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS). A 56-year-old nurse with suicidal tendencies was found dead in her car 24 hours after disappearing. An empty bottle of whiskey, empty alprazolam blisters and insulin pens were found near the corpse. Autopsy showed common signs of toxic death. Three needle marks were found on the left arm, and were sampled along with the usual toxicological matrices. General toxicological screening was performed to screen for ethanol, carbon monoxide, medical drugs and drugs of abuse. Glucose and lactate in vitreous humor (VH) and glycated hemoglobin (HBA1c) in whole blood were quantified by an enzymatic method on a Cobas ® analyzer. Immunoassay (Cobas ® ) was performed on femoral blood (FB) serum to screen for insulin and C-peptide. For insulin assay in injection site tissue, 1 g of tissue was pretreated by grinding and ultrasonic bath in an acid ethanol solution; then solid phase extraction by anion exchange was performed before analysis on LC/HRMS. Ethanol was detected only in urine, at 0.11 g/L. Ethylglucuronide was quantified at 0.06 μg/mL and 133 μg/mL in FB and urine, respectively. Alprazolam (45 ng/mL) and tramadol (270 ng/mL) were found in FB. Morphine and codeine were quantified in urine at 102 ng/mL and 290 ng/mL respectively, but not detected in FB. HBA1c level was 4.5%. Glucose assay was negative (< 0.10 mmol/L) in both VH samples. Lactate was quantified at 10.3 and 9.9 mmol/L in right and left VH, respectively. Serum immunoassays were negative for insulin (< 1 mU/L) and C-peptide (< 0.03 nmol/L). Analysis of suspected injection site tissue identified aspart, an insulin analog. Alprazolam and tramadol concentrations were subtoxic in blood; opiates and ethanol were detected only in urine. Toxic death was not demonstrated from these Results. The values of glucose and lactate in vitreous humor suggested a potentially lethal hypoglycemic state, according to the reference values proposed by Karlovsek [1] . However, despite the insulin pens found in the car, insulin immunoassay was negative in blood. Injection site analysis by LC/HRMS allowed identification of the insulin analog, aspart. This finding of insulin analog intake in a non-diabetic subject, associated with the glucose and lactate concentrations in VH, suggested severe hypoglycemia induced by insulin analog injection. Various hypotheses could explain the failure to detect aspart in serum: the poor ability of immunoassay to detect analogs, metabolism during the time between injection and death, and/or degradation by hemolysis during the postmortem interval. Demonstration of death by insulin injection is difficult and should not be limited to blood immunoassay. Estimation of glycemic status at time of death and identification of insulin or analogs by injection site analysis by LC/HRMS are fundamental to characterizing death involving insulin injection. In the present case, the medicolegal examiner diagnosed a hypoglycemic state with fatal outcome secondary to aspart injection as cause of death, and suicide as the manner.

Substance Use Among Older Adults: Ethical Issues.

Substance Use Among Older Adults: Ethical Issues.

Novel bifunctional dispersing agents from waste PET packaging materials and interaction with cement

Modified polyethylene terephthalate polymers (MPETs), as a novel dispersing agent, were successfully prepared from polyethylene terephthalate (PET (flakes of empty bottles in order to recycle waste from one particularly abundance packaging material. Different techniques were used to characterize the MPETs samples, including attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area. The fluidity and mini-slump retention of fresh cement paste were tested to evaluate the dispersion capability of the MPETs. The effect of MPETs on the setting time and compressive strength of the cement paste were studied. The adsorptive behavior of the MPETs dispersions was examined using total organic carbon (TOC) and zeta potential to interpret the interaction of the MPETs with cement. The results show that the MPETs can be adsorbed on the cement particles and improve the flowability, setting time and the compressive strength of cement paste. Adding value by generating a cheap and effective dispersing agent from recycling waste polymers is a great approach toward eco-friendly waste management.

Dogs of Silver Sands

Dogs of Silver Sands John Mancini (bio) Carmen Murphy wasn’t the only girl in Sister Janet’s class who felt a sense of relief when Dirty Dotty stopped coming to school. The fifth-grade homeroom smelled much better without her. Everyone had heard a different story about what had happened to Dotty—all agreed it must have been something bad. Some said she fell into Stoney Creek just before it froze, and others said she accepted a ride from a stranger while walking alone on Solley Road, or that she ran away from home because her father, Mr. Peterson, had “done things” to her. There were so many children in Silver Sands that one or two always seemed to go missing, but Dotty hadn’t been seen for several weeks now, and even the local newspaper had reported on her disappearance. The Peterson house was one of the oldest in Silver Sands—a clapboard shack that sat all by itself at the bottom of the hill where the creek dead-ended and was still. In the summer, algae covered the surface in the shallows like a green furry blanket, and in the winter the water froze straight through. In the backyard, near the woods, was a small family grave boxed in by a low chainlink fence where all the other Petersons had been buried going back more than a hundred years. In the front yard were the dogs. Most of the children in Silver Sands were afraid of the Peterson dogs—a shepherd and two boxer mixes—but Carmen, who felt a special connection with animals, knew there was something different about these dogs, who seemed to bark at everyone except for her. She was sure they felt the connection too. If it weren’t for Mr. Peterson she would have visited them more often, but she knew to stay away from the house when she saw Dotty’s father sitting on the porch with his head in his hands, sleeping off the afternoon with an empty bottle in his lap. There was no Mrs. Peterson—as far as Carmen knew—but there were plenty of stories about Dotty’s father, about his drinking and how he had once bruised Dotty’s arm while attempting to pry her loose from the swing set at the tot lot. And how he had once gone to sleep on the broad hood of Carmen’s father’s brand new Buick Riviera, and Carmen could still remember waking in the middle of the night and seeing the strange man staggering out on the lawn, her father yelling at him, trying desperately to point him toward the other end of Solley Road. Carmen’s father said that people in Silver Sands had nothing better to do than tell stories about one another and that she ought to know better than to believe them. He stood at the window counting the blackbirds gathered on [End Page 109] the lawn and said it meant there was going to be a long winter. Already they’d seen the third snow of the year, and again schools had been canceled because the buses couldn’t make it up the hill. If the snow held through the weekend, schools would be closed again Monday. Carmen hoped it would. She loved the snow and hated the fifth grade. She was pulling on her boots and buttoning her green wool coat and matching mittens when her father turned from the window and announced that she could do him a favor and walk a notarized document down to the Peterson house. Carmen’s father was the only Notary Public in Silver Sands, and he was always offering his services to neighbors, for a fee, and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d asked Carmen to deliver a letter. Carmen’s mother did not approve of her walking the neighborhood alone, but her father always said, “What’s the point of having daughters if you can’t put them to work?” Carmen hadn’t been to the Peterson house since the day Mr. Peterson had drummed his fingers on the neck of his bottle and warned her...

Pitcairn

Pitcairn Peter Clegg The islands of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno (commonly known as Pitcairn) make up a single territory, the last remaining United Kingdom Overseas Territory (ukot) in the Pacific Ocean. But much of the period under review (1 July 2017–30 June 2018) was concerned with Pitcairn's relationship with the European Union (EU), which has been highly advantageous to the territory. However, a long shadow has been cast over these relations due to the upcoming departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit), which was officially scheduled for 29 March 2019. Pitcairn is an Overseas Country and Territory (oct) of the European Union. octs are not part of the European Union and thus are not directly subject to EU law, but they do have associate status and thus receive various forms of assistance from Brussels. As a consequence, the limited resources of the Pitcairn Island Council were focused on securing as much EU funding as possible before Brexit, while also lobbying London to ensure the territory's interests were safeguarded in the longer term. A crucial meeting for Pitcairn was the European Union Overseas Countries and Territories Ministerial Conference held in Brussels between 20 and 23 February 2018. A range of issues were discussed, including climate change, sustainable energy, and biodiversity, and what EU funding could best support initiatives in these areas (octa 2018). The highlight for Pitcairn was the signing of a European Development Fund (edf)–11 Focal Sector agreement, worth €2.35 mil-lion (us$2.72 million), to upgrade the island's medical center and to support several tourism-related activities, including "improving accessibility to Pitcairn, specifically by developing the Bounty Bay and Tedside landings and improving on-shore facilities" and "constructing a shelter and information centre for tourists and other visitors" (European Commission 2018a). A further €480,000 (us$556,000) was allocated under the EU's Pacific Regional Funding to cover two-thirds of the preliminary budgeted cost of the introduction of solar-powered renewable energy to Pitcairn (Pitcairn Miscellany 2018b). Because of the frequent time lag in getting EU funds disbursed, Pitcairn also benefitted from some edf-10 money during the period under review. For example, a number of local road improvement projects were undertaken through the European Union's integre (Territories Initiative for Regional Management of the Environment) program (Pitcairn Miscellany 2017a). integre also supported a glass recycling project, whereby [End Page 219] empty glass bottles were recycled into souvenirs for the tourist market (Pitcairn Miscellany 2017b). The projects linked into integre's focus on building resilience and sustainable development in the Pacific octs in the face of climate change. In addition, funds from edf-10 paid for a new goods shed (Pitcairn Miscellany 2017a). The importance of these funds was made clear in July 2017, when Pitcairn Islands Councillor Leslie Jaques gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union on the likely impacts of Brexit. He noted that the European Union provides "a significant amount" of funding—accounting for about 30 percent of Pitcairn's overall budget (House of Lords 2017, 6). He also explained the importance of being part of a regional envelope of funding, which helps to facilitate cooperation with French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and New Caledonia. Pitcairn gains benefits in other respects too; the European Union is one of Pitcairn's largest markets for its honey exports, and the free movement of Pitcairners to French Polynesia, and particularly Tahiti, for medical treatment is crucial. As a consequence, Pitcairn has much to lose from Brexit, and Jaques did not mince words during his time with the House of Lords committee. He said that the loss of EU funding and freedom of movement to other European Union territories would be "catastrophic"; he went on to say that "we trust in the [Brexit] process and we hope for the best" (House of Lords 2017, 19). Jaques also cautioned that "we do not know [who will fill the funding gap], which is a concern" (House of Lords 2017, 6). So far the UK government has not given any reassurances that it will make good any shortfalls in support. More generally, there is...

Feasibility of Reusable Glass Bottles in Bottled Water Small Industry (Case Study: Academic Enterprise Unit of Bogor Agricultural University)

Increasing demand for bottled drinking water (BDW) has led to an increase in the number of industries which has resulted in an increase in the amount of packaging wastes that pollute the environment. Therefore, efforts to minimize waste need to be carried out, one of them is the use of reusable glass bottles (RGB) that involve packaging returns to producers (reverse logistics). Feasibility analysis covered market, technical and management, environment, and financial aspects of the products is required before RGB is applied. Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) on market aspects showed that consumers are very satisfied with the quality of service, but there are several attributes that need to be improved. Conjoin analysis showed the consumers like BDW RGB products of prices less than Rp 5,000, volume 600 ml, collector empty bottles are agents, and fines are not applied. Analysis of technical and management aspects showed that it is feasible. The impact on using RGB to the environment is smaller than PET (plastic bottle). Judging from the financial criteria for internal rate of return (IRR), Net Present Value (NPV), Net Benefit Cost ratio (B/C), and Payback Period (PBP), the use of RGB is more feasible. Keywords: bottled drinking water, feasibility analysis, reusable glass bottles, environmental impacts DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-2-04

Pa Cudjo Lewis Weaves a Song, and: Epitaphs

Pa Cudjo Lewis Weaves a Song, and: Epitaphs 'Gbenga Adeoba (bio) Pa Cudjo Lewis Weaves a Song after Peter Akinlabi A night so weak it leans ona cane of light, a lunar index ofgrief, he sits still in Alabama's dark,adrift of the sea of his life, the wavesof loss—five sons and a daughter gonein their prime, lying still in Old Plateau. Age has pulled a mask onthe face he could call his, the onehis woman, Abile, didn't know. A Baptist hymn, elegiac,pedals through Africatown.He reimagines Bante, that far home,now: the unfurling of songs and riddlestold on ledges, the tongues of fire; or women, in a loop of grief,mourning husbands and lost sons,mornings after they were capturedand herded through tunnels of green,through Abomey and Ouidah,to a two-masted schooner perchedon the waters like a bird in rest. Theboys singing their ache to the wind. The hymn, louder now, waftsinto his invented space, urging ashift from that posture. He weaves the burdenof remembrance into a differentform, lore told to the twingirls—Mary and Martha—lookinginto his eyes as unto a prophecy; hisvoice quaking as he speaks—one songfor every little light going out in his heart. [End Page 389] Epitaphs The last epitaph in Baga was paintedon an empty bottle labeled"One for the road."Booms birth changing sceneries.Soon, there are mass graves everywherewith shrubs as landmarks.Survivors leave, with drunks sayingthat epitaphs are cheap memories for the dead. [End Page 390] 'Gbenga Adeoba 'Gbenga Adeoba is from Nigeria. His writing has appeared in several magazines and anthologies. Copyright © 2019 'Gbenga Adeoba