Running Water Research Articles

Assessment of Facility Readiness for Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care Utilizing a 2-Phase Survey Conducted in Six Hospitals in Uganda and Cameroon: A Quality Improvement Study.

Each year, 5.3 million children under 5 years of age die in low-resource settings, often due to delayed recognition of disease severity, inadequate treatment, or a lack of supplies. We describe the use of a comprehensive digital facility-readiness survey tool, recently developed by the Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory, which aims to identify target areas for quality improvement related to pediatric emergency and critical care. Facility-readiness surveys were conducted at six sub-Saharan African hospitals providing pediatric emergency and critical care in Uganda (n = 4) and Cameroon (n = 2). The tool is a 2-phase survey to assess readiness to provide pediatric essential emergency and critical care: (1) an "environmental scan," focusing on infrastructure, availability, and functionality of resources, and (2) an "observational scan" assessing the quality and safety of care through direct observation of patients receiving treatment for common diseases. Data were captured in a mobile application and the findings analyzed descriptively. Varying levels of facility readiness to provide pediatric emergency care were observed. Only 1 of 6 facilities had a qualified staff member to assess children for danger signs upon arrival, and only 2 of 6 had staff with skills to manage emergency conditions. Only 21% of essential medicines required for pediatric emergency and critical care were available at all six facilities. Most facilities had clean running water and soap or disinfectants, but most also experienced interruptions to their electricity supply. Less than half of patients received an appropriate discharge note and fewer received counseling on postdischarge care; follow-up was arranged in less than a quarter of cases. These pilot findings indicate that facilities are partially equipped and ready to provide pediatric emergency and critical care. This facility-readiness tool can be utilized in low-resource settings to assist hospital administrators and policymakers to determine priority areas to improve quality of care for the critically ill child.

Decedents Found in Bathtubs.

We investigated deaths in bathtubs for criteria to assist in death certification. We reviewed 252 deaths in which the person was found dead in a bathtub/shower at home. We extracted cause, manner, age, clad or unclad, water in the bathtub, water running, and face submersion. Of the 252 deaths, heart disease was the leading cause of death (129), followed by intoxication (47), trauma (22), drowning (28), and other diseases (26). The manners of death were 155 natural, 64 accident, 30 suicide, and 3 homicides. All drowning fatalities involved the decedent having their face submerged. Intoxication and natural deaths had submersion of the face in 15% and 12% of deaths, respectively. For nondrowning causes of death, the majority were without face submersion. For natural deaths, the predominant circumstance was the individual discovered unclad with water in the bathtub and the face not submerged. Conversely, for suicides, the majority were found clad without water. A comprehensive investigation incorporating a scene examination, gathering of the medical and psychosocial history, and typically an autopsy is needed to certify the cause and manner of death. Face submersion alone is not diagnostic of a drowning and must be interpreted with the medical history and autopsy findings.

Integrated effects of furrow irrigation systems and irrigation regimes on water productivity of onion (Allium Cepa L.) crop in a semi-arid area

Dwindling water resources with inept field water management impends sustainable agricultural production in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia. Thus, the adaption and adoption of improved irrigation water running lines are indispensable and imperative to recuperate water productivity in areas where water resources are inadequate. The ground experiments were pointed to elucidate the weight of conventional, alternate, and fixed furrow irrigation systems under irrigation levels of 100%, 70%, and 40% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) on onion growth, yield, water productivity, and economic return in Alage, Central, Ethiopia. The field trials were conducted at nine treatments arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications and water was managed at fixed intervals with variable depth approach. The result illustrated that furrow systems in conjunction with irrigation levels had a weighty pertain (P < 0.05) on onion growth, yield, water productivity, and economic return. The highest yield of 30.75 ton ha-1 was achieved at conventional furrow irrigation with 100%ETc dictated to zero water saving subsequently, the crop and irrigation water productivity dropped with the values of 6.86 and 5.61 kg m-3 respectively. The diminished yield of 6.39 ton ha-1 obtained at fixed furrow irrigation with 40%ETc conquered the saved water output lastly, the crop and irrigation water productivities demoted with values of 6.87 and 5.70 kg m-3 respectively. Nevertheless, 24.93ton ha-1 of ideal yield was obtained under alternative furrow irrigation with 100%ETc and the 50% hoarded water was higher than the yield decline. Consequently, the crop and irrigation water productivities rose with values of 10.96 and 9.09 kg m-3 respectively. Eventually, the saved water opened for 0.03ha extra irrigable area that will onward to the highest total expected yield of 37.40 ton ha-1 as compared with all other treatments. Under conventional furrow irrigation with 100%ETc, the obtained yield dominated the wastewater accordingly, the highest net return of 668484ETB ha-1 and benefit-cost ratio of 3.63 was achieved. Besides, the unbearable yield penalty under fixed furrow with 40% headed to negative net return and lowest befit cost ratio as related with other treatments. However, further economic results confirmed that the 50% saved water under alternative furrow with 100% can recompense for the net return reduction that will make this trial combination preferable as compared with other treatments. Other results also recommended that, under water-limiting and inefficient field water governing conditions, alternative furrow irrigation with 100%ETc can be the ideal blend to enhance water productivity in semi-arid regions of Ethiopia and elsewhere that share similar agroclimatic conditions.

Intermittent Flow Control Schemes for Heat Stress Mitigation in Lactating Sows on a Floor Cooling Pad

The Purdue hog cooling pad has previously been demonstrated to mitigate heat stress in lactating sows by conductively transferring heat from a sow to cool water running through an integral heat exchanger. Coolant effectiveness, which describes how much heat is removed per volume of water flushed through the cooling pad, is used to compare the operation under varying conditions. Past studies have indicated that the intermittent flow of cooling water achieves a greater coolant effectiveness than continuous flow operational schemes. An electronic control system was implemented with the current cooling pad design to allow for the automated control of a solenoid valve to create the intermittent flow conditions. All testing was performed using 18 ± 1 °C inlet water. Potential control schemes were categorized into two groups, temporal and temperature threshold. The temporal schemes opened the solenoid for 30 s, enough time to flush the entire contents of the cooling coils, before closing for 3, 6, or 9 min. The temperature threshold control schemes utilized feedback from thermal probes embedded beneath the surface of the cooling pad to open the solenoid for 30 s, when a maximum surface temperature was detected. Trigger temperatures of 28.0, 29.5, or 31.0 °C were used. The temperature threshold control schemes achieved greater heat transfer rates (348, 383, 268 W) compared to the temporal control schemes (324, 128, 84 W). The cooling effectiveness for all control schemes ranged from 46.6 to 64.7 kJ/L. The tested intermittent flow control schemes in this study achieved greater cooling effectiveness than continuous flow systems from previous studies (time: 51 kJ/L; temperature: 61 kJ/L; steady: 5.8 kJ/L), although the temporal control schemes exhibited lower heat transfer rates (time: 180 W; temperature: 330 W; steady: 305 W).

The Holocene evolution of the fluvial system of the southern Hessische Ried (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany) and its role for the use of the river Landgraben as a waterway during Roman times

Abstract. Intensive human intervention in the natural drainage system of the Hessische Ried (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany) resulted in the transformation of a large wetland into an intensively used cultural landscape. At least since the first century CE, when Romans conducted early river regulation and water management, the natural water network has experienced extensive anthropogenic re-organisation. The LandGraben project focuses on the reconstruction of the natural and anthropogenic watercourse systems along the river Landgraben, a tributary to the river Rhine in the northern Hessische Ried. Several rivers from the southern Hessische Ried could have fed the river Landgraben during Roman times via the meandering Palaeo-Neckar depression, thus increasing both length and discharge of the Roman waterway. In this study, we present results of our investigations within the southern Hessische Ried to reconstruct the former channel network that was used by Romans for the transportation of troops, wares and border security. Our approach integrates the use of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) as a base for geophysical measurements (electrical resistivity tomography, ERT), direct push sensing and sediment coring in combination with sedimentological and geochemical analyses of the encountered sedimentary units. Local chronostratigraphies were established based on radiocarbon dating. Based on our results, we are able to differentiate a palimpsest of several abandoned fluvial channels throughout the southern Hessische Ried and to reconstruct the spatio-temporal development of the corresponding fluvial systems. Chronostratigraphic data show that the Palaeo-Neckar stopped flowing through the Hessische Ried around 10 000 cal BCE. Moreover, we found that the river Weschnitz, the largest of the possible Landgraben tributaries, stopped flowing through the Palaeo-Neckar depression at ca. 3000 cal BCE. Instead, it took a right-angled shortcut westwards to the river Rhine, north of the city of Lorsch. For the first time, we present geomorphological evidence that the river Weschnitz was not diverted by the Romans as speculated so far. This is corroborated by numerous wooden posts of human-made construction crossing an E–W running water course at the modern Weschnitz knee, with the oldest posts being dendrochronologically dated to the fourth and third millennia BCE. We further argue that the river Winkelbach/Lauter formed its knee towards the river Rhine and thus left the Palaeo-Neckar depression not later than the second century CE but most probably even contemporaneously with the formation of the Weschnitz diversion. In the case of the Winkelbach/Lauter, a high-energy flood event presumably related to strong rainfall and/or meltwater processes in the Odenwald Mountains is assumed to be responsible for the initiation of the new, diverted water course. With regard to the Landgraben and its use as a waterway within the Roman fluvioscape of the Hessische Ried, we therefore conclude that the Romans successfully collected water from several smaller rivers, such as from the rivers Modau and Darmbach and from even smaller tributaries, to make the river Landgraben a navigable waterway. The rivers Weschnitz and Winkelbach/Lauter, however, did not contribute any water to the Landgraben system during Roman times.

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake among populations in the West department of Haiti.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Haiti led to increased challenges for a population concurrently dealing with natural and social disasters, poor quality health care, lack of clean running water, and inadequate housing. In 2022, the population of Haiti was 11.4 million. While half a million vaccines for COVID-19 were donated by the United States to the government of Haiti, less than 5% of the population agreed to be vaccinated. This resulted in thousands of unused doses that were diverted to other countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate population characteristics related to vaccine uptake in order to inform future interventions to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake as well as inform strategies to safeguard against future global health security threats. This was a mixed-methods, cross-sectional study conducted in the West Department of Haiti within peri-urban communes. Participants consisted of adults in this setting responding to a survey from June 15 to July 18, 2022. The survey assessed demographic information, household characteristics, religious beliefs, past vaccine use, and current COVID-19 vaccine status. Multivariate regression modeling was conducted to assess predictors of vaccine hesitancy. Qualitative focus group discussion participants were recruited and focus group discussions were conducted between August-September 2022 among community groups, religious leaders and health professionals to provide additional, community-level context on perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. A total of 1,923 respondents completed the survey; of which a majority were male (52.7%), between the age of 18-35 (58.5%), had a medical visit within the last year (63.0%) and received the COVID-19 vaccine (46.1%). Compared to those who had been COVID-19 vaccinated, participants who had not been vaccinated were more likely to be male (57.7% vs 46.8%, p < .0001), have completed secondary education (30.5% vs 16.6%, p < .001), unemployed (20.3% vs 7.3%, p < .0001) and had a medical visit 3 or more years ago (30.2% vs 11.2%, p < .0001). Unvaccinated COVID-19 participants were also more likely to have never received any other vaccine (36.1% vs22.5%, p < .0001), have a religious leader speak out against the vaccine (20.0% vs 13.1%, p < .0001), not believe in the effectiveness of the vaccine (51.2% vs 9.1%, p < .0001) and did not trust the healthcare worker administering the vaccine (35.2% vs 3.8%, p<0.0001). These results show that targeted interventions to religious leaders and health care workers on how to engage with the community and share clearer messages around the COVID-19 vaccination may result in increased vaccine uptake. Results also shed light on how activities surrounding vaccinations can be tailored to meet client needs addressing the misinformation encountered to achieve greater health impact thereby safeguarding the population against future global health security threats.

Design of a bipedal robot for water running based on a six-linkage mechanism inspired by basilisk lizards

Legged robots have received widespread attention in academia and engineering owing to their excellent terrain adaptability. However, most legged robots can only adapt to high-hardness environments instead of flexible environments. Expanding the motion range of legged robots to water is a promising but challenging work. Inspired by basilisk lizards which can run on water surfaces by feet, this paper proposes a bipedal robot for water running by hydrodynamics instead of buoyancy. According to the motion parameters of the basilisk lizard during water running, a single-degree of freedom bipedal mechanism is proposed to reproduce the motion trajectory of the feet of the basilisk lizard. Scale optimization is conducted by a particle swarm optimization algorithm to determine the geometrical parameters of the mechanism. The effects of motion frequency and foot area on mechanism performance are studied and the optimal solutions are determined by the maximum single-cycle lift impulse through numerical calculations. A bipedal water running robot prototype was fabricated, and the experimental results show that the prototype can generate enough support for the robot running on the water by providing a maximum lift of 2.4 times its weight (160 g) and reaching a horizontal forward speed range of 0.3-0.8 m s-1, compared with the basilisk lizard weighs 2-200 g, generates a lift impulse that is 111%-225% of its body weight, and moves at a speed of 1.3 ± 0.1 m s-1.

A Semiotic Analysis of Nonverbal Linguistic Signals Used On Billboard Posters as a Means of Creating Public Awareness During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Douala

This paper examines the use of nonverbal linguistic signals on billboard posters during the Covid-19 pandemic in Douala. It has been noticed that nonverbal signals such as sweating, wearing a nose mask, washing of hands with clean running water and soap and standing two metres apart from each other and the use of colours such as white and red among others play an important role in the way human beings communicate especially during a period of crisis. Although it is nonverbal, this means of communication acts more than the verbal one. This work focuses on nonverbal linguistic features used on billboard posters in the city of Douala as a means of creating public awareness in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic so that the contamination and mortality rate can be reduced. This study is of great value because it demonstrates how people should live during a pandemic era without being contaminated. This research uses a qualitative research design. The researcher culled some pictures that were pasted on billboards during the crisis (2020-2021) on the streets of Douala. Insight was drawn from Barthes (1964) theory of semiotics. The findings indicated that people washed their hands with clean running water and soap, they wore masks, arrows were used to show how people should stand with others in public, colours such as red was used to show how dangerous this virus is and the white colour was also used to indicate that people need to be clean during this period so that they can minimise the chances of being contaminated. Capitalisation was used either in red or black to attract the attention of the public to the messages written on the billboards. The researcher concludes that people should develop the culture of reading public notices especially billboard posters during epidemics and pandemics so that they can save their lives.

On the influence of rock glacier dynamics on the runoff in basin of the Ulken Almaty (Bolshaya Almatinka) River, Northern Tien Shan

The purpose of the work was to study the dynamics of mountain stone glaciers and streams flowing down from them for an understanding their hydrological significance. Two glaciers: Morenny and Gorodetsky, were analyzed, both located in the river Ulken Almaty (Big Almatinka) basin, Northern Tien Shan. On the average, the rate of surface displacement of the Morennoye glacier is higher than that of the Gorodetsky, which is associated with increased ice content of the last one. The increase in rates of surface displacement of both stone glaciers revealed in 2021–2022 when compared to previous years turned out to be consistent with the widely discussed idea of intensification of such glaciers dynamics under the present-day climate changes and glacier retreats. It was found that the stone glaciers have a pronounced influence on the water regime, temperature and chemical composition of watercourses formed by water running out from them. They are distinguished by the almost complete absence of intraday fluctuations in the level, temperature, and specific electrical conductivity of water, which are more pronounced in rivers and streams with glacial alimentation during the summer time. Some waterflows from the Gorodetsky glacier do not freeze in winter, which is indicative of significant groundwater reserves in its body. The waters of each of the above stone glaciers differ in their characteristic mineralization, temperature, and the ratio of the major ions. The stable water flow from such glaciers can play an important role in maintaining a river runoff during periods of the low stream discharge.

Aquatic High-Intensity Interval Deep Water Running Influence on Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Psychological Responses in Women.

To investigate the effects of an 8-wk AHIIT-DWR intervention compared with land-based HIT training (LHIIT) on cardiometabolic health, cognitive, and psychological outcomes in inactive elderly women. Seventy inactive elderly women aged 60 yr or above were randomly assigned into two groups: AHIIT-DWR and LHIIT. The AHIIT-DWR group engaged in DWR sessions comprising 30 min of interval training, consisting of ten 2-min exercise bouts at 80%-90% of their maximal heart rate (HR max ), with 1-min active recovery at 70% HR max between bouts, for two sessions per week, for 8 wk. The LHIIT group performed treadmill running at the same intensity. Both groups showed similar cardiovascular fitness, maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O 2max ), HR max , and RER improvement ( P > 0.05), whereas AHIIT-DWR showed a significant improvement in aerobic capacity minute ventilation (V̇E), metabolic equivalents (METs), and O 2 pulse ( P < 0.05) over the 8-wk intervention. Both AHIIT-DWR and LHIIT significantly decreased triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL postintervention ( P < 0.05). No significant group differences were observed for cognitive function assessed by MMSE and MOCA ( P > 0.05). Both groups showed similar enjoyment levels, self-efficacy scores, and high adherence rates (>90%). Our study suggests that AHIIT-DWR can elicit a similar improvement in cardiorespiratory health, metabolic blood markers, cognitive function assessed by MMSE and MOCA, and psychological responses as LHIIT in inactive elderly women.

Fish in the fast lane: the stressful consequences of speeding through a flume

Understanding the swimming ability of different fish species is essential for assessing their ecological niche, behaviour and overall fitness. Changes in swimming ability can relate to the overall health of aquatic ecosystems, as it can be affected by water quality, temperature or habitat quality changes. Our study investigated the effects of stress on swimming performance in wild vairone (Telestes muticellus) in an experimental flume. The obtained data was analysed using k-means clustering to identify stress response patterns. Our findings demonstrate that k-means clustering effectively identified distinct subgroups of fish with similar stress responses in groups with physiological stress responses with high individual variability. We found that short-term exposure to a stress source such as high-velocity running water can increase swimming endurance in this species concerning the velocity in the setup, which was mainly seen in the cortisol and MDA levels in the muscle tissue of the fish. The velocity of the water showed limitations on swimming ability tests and highlighted that fish have a specific range of swimming speeds that they can sustain.

Pengaruh Metode Pencucian Dengan Air Garam Terendam Terhadap Kontaminasi Telur Cacing Parasit Usus Pada Sayur Lalapan Kubis (Brassica Oleracea Var. Capitata)

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is commonly consumed in raw as lalapan (secondary dish) in daily meal. Lalapan is raw vegetables which is commonly consumed in Javanese people as secondary dish. Consumption of raw vegetables has a potential for helminth infection. This research is an experimental study. In this study, three methods of washing cabbage by using running water, submerged water, and submerged brine were carried out. Different treatments aim to find out more effective methods in preventing the transmtion of parasitic helminths through cabbage vegetables. In the washing method using running water, it is hoped that worm eggs will be washed away along with the dirt in the cabbage vegetable strands. In the washing method using submerged water, it is hoped that worm eggs can be detached from the strands of cabbage vegetables and float on the surface of the water used for washing. Meanwhile, in the washing method using submerged brine, it is expected that the worm eggs will fall and settle at the bottom of the washing container. Chi-square test result in p value = 0,273 between washing method using submerged water and submerged brine, which can be interpreted as there is no difference in contamination results between the washing method using submerged water and submerged brine. Running water gave the best result with no contamination found in cabbage leaves.

A pilot exploring the impact of paternal puberty blocking on offspring voluntary wheel running

Previous work from our lab has shown puberty blocking treatment in young female rats followed by discontinued use (or detransition) leads to decreased voluntary wheel running activity in their offspring. The purpose of the present study was to determine if puberty blocking and detransition in young male rats affects offspring voluntary wheel running activity. We hypothesized that offspring of previously puberty blocked male rats will have lower wheel running activity than offspring of control rats. Four week old, male Sprague-Dawley rats received either 100 μg of the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist triptorelin daily as a puberty blocker or 0.9% saline daily as a control. At the end of the 4 week treatment period, injections ceased, and each male rat was paired with an age-matched female rat for breeding. The breeding period lasted approximately 8 weeks and resulted in pregnancy of each paired female. At 6 weeks of age, a portion of the offspring were randomly assigned to the following voluntary wheel running groups: male offspring of previously puberty blocked males (M-PBO, n=2), female offspring of previously puberty blocked males (F-PBO, n=2), male offspring of control males (M-CON, n=5), and female offspring of control males (F-CON, n=5). Offspring were housed in cages outfitted with voluntary running wheels, received food and water ad libitum, and were maintained on a12:12 hour light:dark cycle. Voluntary wheel running activity was monitored for 8 weeks, and between-group comparisons were made via Welch’s t-test. Voluntary wheel running activity is presented as number of wheel running rotations, and data are shown as mean ± standard error. For total wheel running activity over 8 weeks, M-PBO had significantly lower voluntary wheel running activity than M-CON (107,453 ± 50,683 rotations vs. 456,011 ± 62,970 rotations, respectively, p=0.0122). There were no differences observed, however, between F-PBO and F-CON for total 8-week wheel running activity (376,582 ± 1,847 rotations vs. 472,271 ± 116,017 rotations, p=0.4559). Additionally, M-PBO ran significantly less than M-CON in weeks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 (Week 1: 5,606 ± 225 rotations vs. 17,824 ± 2,544 rotations, p=0.0084; Week 2: 11,537 ± 3,129 rotations vs. 51,882 ± 6,494 rotations, p=0.0025; Week 3: 10,157 ± 2,639 rotations vs. 79,257 ± 5,842 rotations, p=0.0001; Week 6: 15,816 ± 7,865 rotations vs. 64,425 ± 11,755 rotations, p=0.0207; Week 7: 14,068 ± 6,999 rotations vs. 58,112 ± 9,781 rotations, p=0.0178; Week 8: 13,234 ± 6351 rotations vs. 67,349 ± 16,142 rotations, p=0.0272, respectively). No differences were observed in weekly wheel running activity between F-PBO and F-CON. Based on the observed voluntary wheel running activity, puberty blocking male rats prior to breeding negatively impacted physical activity of male offspring but not female offspring. This is contrary to our previous work showing that puberty blocking treatment followed by detransition in female rats prior to breeding negatively impacted physical activity of both male and female offspring. Our hypothesis was therefore partially supported as M-PBO had significantly less wheel running activity than M-CON, but F-PBO and F-CON had similar wheel running activity. Supported by a University of Northern Colorado Provost's Seed Grant awarded to DSH. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Water shutoffs, social reproduction, and the carceral state: Policing life's work through the weaponization of water

Water service shutoffs have emerged as a vital “tool” in the arsenal of neoliberal utility governance in the USA. Against the backdrop of a restructured US welfare state—from a Keynesian model to the anti-state—this article introduces the water shutoff as a prism to examine the deep extension of carceral power into the sphere of social reproduction. Through an investigation of shutoff practices in US cities, the article finds that access to safe and secure running water is increasingly weaponized as a “police structure” to preserve a model of debt-driven water management, in ways that also produce a spatial and racial division of nature. The study finds that water shutoffs function as the evictions of the water world: a displacement and dispossession of basic needs masquerading under a “neutral” market logic. Policing water debt through shutoffs maintains powerful leverage over households; its ubiquity in US water management allows shutoffs to hide as a technical necessity even as it ticks over the human revenue stream. In spite of a temporary ban of water shutoffs by US states and cities, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and government efforts to support household reproduction, this article notes the return of shutoffs and their improved capacity to create inroads for accumulation on the back of life's work (and debts). The article concludes by discussing the conundrum of the welfare state and social infrastructures that sits at the heart of our political struggles over social reproduction.

Building adjustment capacity to cope with running water in cultured grass carp through flow stimulation conditions

The adaptability of cultured fish to complex flow conditions is crucial for their survival after being released into the wild. Running water in natural environments poses significant challenges for the proliferation and release of cultured fish. This study aimed to investigate the effects of flow stimulation on the adjustment capacity of cultured fish to cope with running water. The target fish were cultured grass carp. An annular flume was used to conduct tests on training and control groups. The results demonstrated an enhancement in the adjustment capacity of cultured fish following appropriate flow stimulation training. (1) The trained fish exhibited a heightened preference for low-velocity areas. (2) The trained fish displayed the ability to select a route characterized by low energy consumption, predominantly following the periphery of the low-velocity area. This suggested that an appropriate flow velocity could improve the sensitivity of training fish to water flow information, and their adjustment capacity to cope with running water improved to a certain extent. A higher adjustment capacity allowed them to process flow rate information rapidly and identify a migration strategy with lower energy consumption. This study provides a useful reference for enhancing the survival rate of grass carp through stock enhancement initiatives and contributes to the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems.

Assessment of Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Practices: Insights from Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Ishaka, Uganda

The study aimed to identify factors affecting hospital infection prevention and control practices among medical personnel at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital in Ishaka, Uganda. The research was conducted using a quantitative descriptive research design. The result revealed that 76% of respondents felt they had sufficient knowledge about infection control and prevention practices. However, 34% of respondents found precautionary measures interfered with their work, and 70% recap needles after use. Only 32% reported a 0.3% chance of acquiring HIV after a needle stick injury. The study also showed 44% of respondents had received training on hand washing within 6 months. Most respondents 78% were able to wash hands before and after procedures. Only 44% of respondents had received training on waste segregation within a 6-month period. Policies and guidelines also influenced infection prevention and control practices. 52% of respondents considered the hospital infection prevention and control committee active, and 78% of them believed that waste segregation and post-exposure prophylaxis policies were available in their departments. The study found that hand washing is being carried out as recommended due to adequate on-the-job training. However, 54% of staff perceive hand washing as a challenge, and 78% were able to wash hands before and after every procedure as recommended. Only 30% of workers have access to a regular supply of soap and detergents for washing hands. Waste segregation is being practiced as recommended, but challenges persist for medical personnel. The management team should integrate infection prevention and control into the regular supervision of healthcare providers. The study suggests that promoting hand washing in a hospital requires adequate training, facilities, supplies, staffing, and a positive attitude. It recommends frequent hand washing training, accessible running water infrastructure, disposable towels, and soap and detergents. Staff should be trained on attitude change and proper waste segregation. Keywords: Hospital, Infection, Waste, Hand washing, supplies, training.

Composition Color Space: Three Key Words in Art Design

As found in the practice of arts, which is the same as of sciences, a design without imagination is like the water running from nowhere and trees without roots, deprived of vitality and artistic appeal. As illustrated in the old saying that a thousand li journey is started by taking the first step, the three compositions work as both the foundation of art design and provider of unlimited imagination and creativity for urban design and city planning.

The policy failures of rental housing: Plumbing poverty in Detroit, Michigan

ABSTRACT The lack of access to in-home running water from inadequate plumbing is a critical water insecurity challenge in the U.S. Using the concept of plumbing poverty, this paper investigates why housing policies in Detroit, Michigan, have failed to ensure adequate plumbing and water security for renters using interviews with city employees, community groups, renters, and property managers. We find that unresponsive landlords enabled by historical housing mismanagement and ineffective rental ordinance design and implementation perpetuate inadequate plumbing for Detroit renters. While we identify three tools to address inadequate plumbing, several barriers prevent their use. For renters, barriers include social power dynamics, structural inequalities in the legal system, and a lack of capacity. Meanwhile, the city faces financial, personnel, and knowledge constraints that prevent adequate enforcement. Our findings provide new insight into the connections between historical housing dynamics, policy implementation, and the precarity of landlord-tenant relations in perpetuating water insecurity.

Running water as first aid for burn and early hypothermia: A numerical investigation on human skin

The cooling rate of the running water on the burn wound depends on both physiological and water parameters. Prolonged use of cold water on the burn wound may cause hypothermia. We aimed to investigate the running water as first aid for burns and find out the cooling effect of bio-heat transfer to avoid hypothermia. Measuring the temperature variation across the tissue layers is the main limitation of working with in vivo experiments and a one-dimensional model. Moreover, multiple boundary conditions cannot be used in one-dimensional models. These limitations motivate us to develop ADVENTURE Thermal to perform a finite element analysis of the bio-heat equation in the 3D skin model for the burn analysis. A circular wound was developed on a 3-layered skin with a hot disk of 92 °C for 15 s. Then the wound area was cooled with the running water, which had different parameters. Running water at 15 °C takes 20–30 % less time than being immersed in water at the same temperature. Results reveal that cooling rates of burns significantly depend on the temperature and heat transfer coefficient of the water. To avoid hypothermia, the use of the running water with a heat transfer coefficient ranging from 800 to 1000 W/m2 °C (flow rate around 1.6 L/min) and temperature ranging from 15 to 20 °C for not more than 10 min is recommended. In the end, the running water cools the tissue with a small blood perfusion rate faster. The results agree with the experiment.

New methodology for identifying sustainable freshwater resources for the production of green hydrogen

ABSTRACT Managing sustainable and digital transformations in the water industry is a challenge. The identification of freshwater resources for green hydrogen production is necessary for the energy transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and gas. This can be achieved through the sustainable flood retention basin (SFRB) concept for identifying optimal locations for the retention of surface water. This unbiased concept helps in conflict resolution between stakeholders with water rights. Moreover, it serves as a simple tool to produce a digital water supply atlas based on dimensionless parameters with the short names’ population density, location advantage, precipitation, groundwater level, water rights, SFRB, excess running water and proximity to networks. While the first five parameters can be determined during a desk study, the last three parameters require site visits for verification purposes. Germany was used as a representative case study country to demonstrate the proposed methodology to obtain a water atlas based on mapped weighted values. The Kaiserstuhl in Germany served as a worked calculation example indicating well above average potential for water storage using existing retention basins. The water atlas can be used to supplement a (green) hydrogen atlas, supporting decision-makers in building hydrogen infrastructure.