Provision Of Water Research Articles

Water provision benefits from karst ecosystems: An example for Watuputih groundwater basin, North Kendeng Mountain, Indonesia

Karst ecosystems offer a wealth of ecosystem services, but their protection is increasingly challenging due to degradation and land-use conversion, including limestone mining. This study investigates the water provision service derived from karst ecosystems threatened by limestone mining in the Watuputih groundwater basin, Central Java, Indonesia. Water supply was quantified by measuring water discharge rates from major springs around the basin. Water usage was quantified for household consumption, agriculture, and recreation. This study also measured water infiltration rates in mining and non-mining areas to indicate the effects of limestone mining to hydrological processes. This study identified three primary springs around the basin: Sumber Seribu spring, Brubulan spring, and Kalutan spring, with discharge rates of 1,080 liters per second, 85 liters per second, and 0.76 liters per second, respectively. A local water company extracts water from Sumber Seribu spring at a rate of 80 liters per second to supply approximately 57,600 individuals. The water supply from the three springs can irrigate approximately 1,594 hectares of rice fields. Water from Sumber Seribu spring also supports recreational activities in Sumber Semen recreation park, attracting an average of 19,173 visitors per year. This study revealed a complete impairment of soil's water infiltration capacity in limestone mining areas. These findings underscore the pressing need to safeguard the Watuputih groundwater basin and to mitigate the detrimental effects of limestone mining on hydrological processes. This involves designating the Watuputih karst ecosystem as a protected area, implementing Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs, and restoring degraded post-mining sites.

Sub-chronic Toxicological Evaluation of Drinking Water from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Wassa, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps has increased recently in Nigeria due to insurgency and natural disasters such as floods. This study aimed to evaluate the sub-chronic toxicological effects of the source of the drinking water in Wassa camp, Abuja, Nigeria. Forty-eight (48) mice were randomized into four (4) groups of twelve (12) mice each and orally administered different concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mL/kg body weight respectively) of the water sample from Wassa IDP for fourteen (14) days. The alteration was noticed in the liver and kidney indices of mice by a significant increase (p<0.05) in kidney-body weight ratio, kidney, liver and plasma protein concentrations, and a considerable decrease (p<0.05) in albumin, creatinine, uric acid and total bilirubin concentrations, 14-days post-treatment, particularly at a higher dose. Gamma-glutamyl transaminase in the liver and aspartate transaminase in both liver and kidney significantly (p<0.05) increased in mice with a resultant significant decrease (p<0.05) in the serum, 14 days post-treatment at 20 mL/kg bwt. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) observed in serum triglycerides, very-low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations at all doses 14-days post-treatment compared with the control but the concentrations of serum low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol significantly reduced (p<0.05) at 20 mL/kg bwt 14-days post-treatment. The drinking water altered some liver-function indices while the cardiac-function indices were less affected. Therefore, prolonged consumption of the water may not be relatively safe. The provision of clean drinking water for the Wassa IDP camp will prevent adverse biochemical reaction reactions from prolonged water consumption.

Machine Learning Techniques for Monitoring Water Quality in Water Resources

More than 66% of the Earth's total surface area is covered by water. Clean water is one of the basic needs of everyday life. Consistent pollution of water bodies can have far-reaching effects on the lives of living organisms. The World Health Organization has reported that the provision of safe drinking water for human consumption is a challenge that has reached alarming levels. This is because nearly 70% of the total water withdrawals worldwide are used in agriculture. To determine the water's suitability for human consumption, Tests are typically conducted by examining the properties of water in terms of physical, biological, and chemical conditions. There are various methods to measure water quality. Recently, an ongoing process has been shown to improve water quality. To solve this problem, this paper is using a machine learning model to Contribution for creation a smart model capable of classifying potable and non-potable water that is released to the water share by the competent authorities and the ability of Machine Learning models to monitor and predict water, especially Managing and Planning Water Resources. datasets were utilized in training and evaluating machine learning models, which includes (3276) samples with nine attributes and two labels indicating water usability According to the in our work the (Random Forest) algorithm have the best Through the results that appeared by accuracy (0.954084, 0. 882484, and 0. 931849 for three sizes of data.) and then (Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor, Logistic Regression, SVC) sequentially. Index Terms—Machine Learning, potable water, Water Quality, water resources.

Evaluation of Water Quality and Scarcity Issues for Sustainable Water Management Strategy in Twin Cities of Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Pakistan.

Today's water world is pebbledashed with two main trepidations of water security/ scarcity, which need in-depth elaboration. Developing countries are particularly facing the impacts of water contamination and scarcity but lack the required impetus and technical infrastructure, thus necessitating swift actions to evaluate the effects of water security/ scarcity on the environment and water resources. In this study, an effort has been made to assess the water security/ scarcity situation in the twin cities of Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, elucidating the water quality/ quantity parameters in the Rawal Lake reservoir in Pakistan by analysing the contamination. The samples were collected/ tested during spring/ monsoon seasons to analyse temporal/fluvial impacts on water discharge. The results were compared with Pakistan's and WHO's drinking water standards before and after the water treatment. Almost all the testing parameters of the raw water samples from the Rawal Lake reservoir feeding streams exceeded the standard limits or fell close to the upper threshold limits, suggesting that this water was unsuitable for drinking without extensive treatment and an efficient distribution system. The contamination, untreated sewage disposal, non-regulated water utilisation, drawdown and supply/ demand gaps are the grave factors causing the water security/ scarcity in the capital/ twin cities of Islamabad/ Rawalpindi. Pakistan has already entered the water scarcity threshold of 1014 m3/ person/ annum in 2018, reduced from water availability of 5260 m3/ person/ annum in 1950 and will likely reach a drought level by 2050 due to increased population and reduced water resources. The study proposes an organisational implementation model for catchment-level river management to ensure good quality of water, construction of 5-10 small dams, and the provision of water from Terbella Dam suggested as the long-term strategy to prevent water scarcity.

Risk factors for diarrheal diseases among pilgrims during Arba’een mass gathering: a case-control study

BackgroundA significant portion of the Muslim community participates in the Arba’een pilgrimage, with participant numbers increasing each year. There have been relatively few studies on the health of Arba’een Mass gathering (MG). Researching the prevalence and distribution of diseases among Arba’een pilgrims is essential to recognize any outbreaks and take timely responses to contain them. The current study aimed to identify exposures and risk factors for diarrheal disease in pilgrims who referred to the clinics located in Iraq among the Arba’een MG in 2023.MethodsThis case-control study randomly selected 200 outpatients (100 cases and 100 controls) who were referred to Iraq clinics. Cases were patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea), while controls were randomly selected from unaffected pilgrims at the same time for the cases. The study groups matched for age, and sex. Face-to-face interviews using a reliable field based checklist of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Iran’s Ministry of Health to collect potential exposures and risk factors for diarrheal disease. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for the risk of diarrhea with a 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsThe average age of the participants was 38.6 years. Diarrhea in 100% and fever in 81% were the most common clinical symptoms in patients. Having underlying diseases was not associated with an increased risk of diarrhea disease (P > 0.05). Regarding risk factors for diarrheal, the final analysis after adjusting for potential confounders indicated that consumption of insanitary (unpackaged) drinking water (AOR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.05–3.6; P = 0.024), inappropriate hand washing (AOR = 3.82; 95% CI: 1.7–8.6; P = 0.001), ritual foods (AOR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.3–5.2; P = 0.004), and public toilets (AOR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.04–4.3; P = 0.038) were significantly increased the likelihood of diarrheal disease.ConclusionsContamination of water sources, food, inadequate and poor hand washing were the most common sources of diarrheal diseases among Arba’een pilgrims. The results indicate that the potential occurrence of outbreaks, especially water- and foodborne diseases, threatens participants in the Arba’een MG. It is recommended to provide risk assessment, improve pilgrims’ awareness, pre-and post-screening, vaccination, compliance with personal hygiene, improvement of the environment, provision of sanitary water and food sources and hygienic disposal of sewage, laboratory diagnosis to identify the common types of pathogens in Arba’een MG.

Integrating ecosystem services trade-off, drivers and zoning into watershed water environment management in Nansihu Lake Basin, China

A series of ecosystem services (ESs) have a significant impact on water environment. How these ESs can be integrated into water environment management in the lens of coupled human and natural system (CHANS) is still lack exploration. This study proposes an integrating framework that connects the ESs with water environment management to facilitate the watershed sustainable development. We employ the InVEST model to evaluate typical ESs in the Nansihu Lake Basin (largest freshwater lake in Shandong, China), and analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics and trade-off of multiple ESs indicators. By revealing the interaction mechanism and key drivers of ESs and conducting ecological functional zoning, we investigate how ESs can facilitate water environment management in the Nansihu Lake Basin. The results indicated that: (1) The high-value areas of agricultural supply service are mainly distributed in the western plain area of the basin, while high-value areas of water provision, water purification and soil conservation services are in the mountainous and hilly areas in the eastern part of the basin. (2) There is a significant trade-off between crop supply service and water purification services. Crop and livestock supply services have a greater effect on water purification services (TN) than other services. (3) Crop area sown, total power of agricultural machinery and fertilizer application are the main drivers of water purification services (TN). (4) The basin can be divided into three ecological function zones, the agricultural production zone, the ecological regulation zone and the ecological redline zone. These findings imply that water environment management should be integrated with ESs by strengthening intersectoral collaboration, conducting zoning management in watershed planning and applying differentiated control measures in each zone. This includes optimizing the scale and structure of agriculture, and implementing circular economy and clean production practices. This study explored a comprehensive framework of integrating ESs into water environment management to facilitate the sustainable development of watershed.

Non-invasive methods characterise the world’s largest tiger shark aggregation in Fuvahmulah, Maldives

Tiger sharks are apex predators with a circumglobal tropical and warm-temperate distribution, with a general lack of population data for the central Indian Ocean. In Fuvahmulah, Maldives, tiger sharks display frequent use of the harbour area, attracted by discarded fish waste. Here, we document the population structure, residency, and reproductive characteristics of the world’s largest known tiger shark aggregation in a geographically-restricted area. Using non-invasive methods, photo identification and laser photogrammetry, we identified 239 individual tiger sharks over a 7-year study period. The aggregation was female-dominated (84.5%), with both large juveniles and adults present. Adult females were resighted over the entire study period displaying strong inter- and intra-annual site fidelity. Modelled residency using maximum likelihood methods suggests they spent 60.7 ± S.E. 7.5 days in Fuvahmulah, with a larger aggregation size, shorter residence periods and longer absence periods compared to juvenile females. Prolonged abdominal distensions of adult females indicate they likely stay near Fuvahmulah during gestation and reproduce biennially. Fuvahmulah seems to provide suitable conditions for gestation given the year-round provision of food and warm waters, exhibited by strong site fidelity and temporal residency. Our results show indications of a thriving population within the confines of protected waters.

Open Defecation and Water-Related Parasitic Diseases Burden: Case Study in Nigeria — A Review

Open defecation and its water-related parasitic diseases burdens are very grave health issues in Nigeria, all underdeveloped/developing countries; and large populations are at risks. Study was based on data collection through primary and secondary sources. 20% of Nigerians still openly defecate and stands 25th in the world rating; most Europe and North America is free of this habit, and 68% Niger Republican still indulge and they’re the worst in the world. It is most common where toilet facilities, pipe borne water, poor sewage disposal, homeless and illiteracy thrive. It’s done by various methods; government/non-government agencies, enlightened/semi-literate/literates (e.g., undergraduates in hostels) are involved. Burdens of this habit politically, economically, health-wise, and socially is heavy. Associated water-related parasitic pathogens which contaminate water resources include: Protozoa (9); Platyhelminthes (13); and nematodes (7). Burdens/effects, of various serious diseases, are high on the nation. Open defecation is the major means of seeding parasites into soils/water-resources/bodies. Rural communities are at highest risk of these parasitic-water-borne diseases. Implications of these findings suggest that parasitic organisms are maintained by a viable ecosystem in remote settlements/many urban areas among the poor. Preventive measures: boiling/treating potable water; government/non-governmental agencies provision of pipe-borne water; wells, ponds, bore holes, streams; protections of water-resources from contaminations.

Salmonella Typhi: A Review of Antibiogram Journey in Developing Countries.

Typhoid fever poses a significant health challenge in low- and middleincome countries (LMiCs), impacting millions of individuals across various age groups. Its prevalence is particularly pronounced in South Asia. Factors contributing to its transmission in South Asia include rapid unplanned urbanization, urban-rural disparities, provision of poor water and sanitation facilities, and open defecation. The mortality rate of typhoid fever is up to 1%, and those who survive have a protracted period of poor health and carry an enormous financial burden. The treatment is further complicated by the emerging antibiotic resistance leaving few treatment options in hands. This issue has become more urgent due to the further emergence of extended drug-resistant (XDR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) typhoid strains, as well as their subsequent global spread. Fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella spp. is currently classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a high (Priority 2) pathogen. As a result, establishing minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) according to the latest guidelines may prove effective in treating typhoid fever and minimizing the rising threat of drug resistance.

Public-public partnerships : A twist on the traditional publicprivate partnership that works for your airport

As airport operators, the provision of chilled water and back-up power generation is a necessary element of our utility infrastructure. This paper outlines the benefits and pitfalls related to outsourcing this increasingly critical infrastructure to the local power company and describes the case of Orlando International Airport (MCO), which formed a public-public partnership with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). Over the course of a multiyear negotiation, we engaged OUC to take on operating the chilled water plant and the back-up generation facility for the airport’s new Terminal C. Throughout the negotiation, we addressed many challenges. The aim of this paper is to familiarise the airport operator with the transaction and some of the key issues we faced and resolved at MCO.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GREEN GOVERNANCE THROUGH PARTCIPATORY DEMOCRACY

Mahatma Gandhis vision of Gram Swaraj underscores the significance of self-sufficient and autonomous village communities, with anemphasis on the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare as essential elements of sustainable development and progress. The Panchayat Raj Act of 1994 was enacted by states to strengthen participatory democracy in India by conferring constitutional legitimacy to gram panchayats and establishing a three-tier structure of local self-governance at the village, block, and district levels. The implementation of the Panchayat Raj Act has, however, faced numerous challenges. There exists a disconnect between the planners and the implementers, the visionaries and the executors, and the administrators and the community at large, which has undermined the efficacy of this system designed to ensure grassroots democracy. This article is an attempt to redress the issues of sustainable development from grassroot level, the hope is that this will be an eye opener for the government to effectively fund and realise that green governance is the key factor for sustainable development and it can be best achieved through the local self-government institutions.

A Comparative Analysis of Drinking Water Provision and Hepatitis A Incidence in Uzbekistan in 2010-2023.

Objective This study aims to analyze the relationship between access to safe drinking water and the incidence of hepatitis A in Uzbekistan from 2010 to 2023to inform public health strategies for disease prevention. Methods We utilized hepatitis A incidence data from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being and Public Health Authority and drinking water provision data from the Government Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan. A linear regression analysis was performed using R 4.3.2 to investigate the correlation between these variables. The study examined hepatitis A cases per 100,000 population and the percentage of households with access to safe drinking water. Results Hepatitis A incidence fluctuated significantly over the study period, with a notable spike to 162 cases per 100,000 population in 2023, despite relatively stable access to safe drinking water (ranging from 67.4% to 77% of households). The analysis revealed a complex relationship between water access and hepatitis A incidence. The linear regression coefficient was 3.89 (adjusted R-squared: 0.3021, P-value: 0.02), indicating that each growing percent of water supply is raising the incidence of hepatitis 3.89 cases of hepatitis infection. Conclusion The reverse effect of water supply percentage and the incidence of hepatitis A incidence in Uzbekistan suggests that other factors play significant roles in disease transmission. These may include sanitation practices, hygiene behaviors, and vaccination coverage. The findings emphasize the need for a multifaceted approach to hepatitis A prevention, incorporating improved water infrastructure, enhanced sanitation, public education, and comprehensive vaccination programs. Further research is needed to identify specific determinants of hepatitis A transmission in Uzbekistan to guide targeted interventions and public health policies.

The food-water-climate nexus of green infrastructure: Examining ecosystem services trade-offs of peri-urban agriculture

Emission reduction, heat mitigation, and improved access to water and food provision are increasingly critical challenges for urban areas in the context of global climate change adaptation and mitigation. The revival of local agricultural production is often lauded as a potential nature-based solution. However, an expansion of peri-urban agriculture (peri-UA) may entail significant ecosystem trade-offs. This study explores the impacts on the food-water-climate nexus of different scenarios of peri-urban agricultural expansion in a semi-arid, Mediterranean climate, addressing local food provision, freshwater use, local temperature regulation, global climate change mitigation, and the trade-offs thereof. We estimate food provision and irrigation water requirements based on a georeferenced urban metabolism approach along with atmospheric and biosphere models to examine four land-use scenarios in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.Our study reveals that a 31 % (+17.27 km2) and 115 % (+64.25 km2) increase in the current peri-UA in the AMB, results in an increase in local food production of 24 % (+16,503 tons year−1) and 86 % (+58,940 tons year−1), and irrigation water requirements by 10.0 % (+3.2 hm3) and 43.5 % (+14.1 hm3), respectively. The expansion of irrigated peri-UA potentially reduces near-surface temperatures by 0.7 °C, albeit temperature reductions in the densest urban areas are minimal. Since the additional peri-UA is achieved by replacing natural non-forested and forest areas, the simulations predict reductions in the net ecosystem productivity of up to 18.5 % and total carbon stocks by 3.3 %. This integrated approach combining urban metabolism and atmospheric modelling to determine the trade-offs appears to be a promising tool for informing land-use decision-making in the context of urban climate adaptation and mitigation.

Solutions Based on Nature to Face Water Stress: Lessons from the Past and Present

Nature-based solutions (NbS) to water scarcity, environmental degradation, climate change, and biodiversity losses are enjoying increasing implementation throughout the world. This manuscript reviews three case studies from Brazil, Panama, and Portugal that illustrate NbS and searches for commonalities that may assist their usefulness in new sites. The Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro is a remarkable story of centuries of forest management and restoration that initially aimed at providing water security for the capital of the country during the XIX Century while it was still a monarchy. Today, it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Panama Canal Watershed produces water for canal operations, electricity generation, and drinking water for half the country’s population. Traditional water mills and weirs near streams in the Alentejo Region, Portugal, have largely been abandoned due to the damming of the Guadiana River. Yet today, weirs are increasingly recognized for their important contribution to water provisioning in this dry region. All have a primary goal related to water provisioning, yet their ecosystem benefits are multiple. The cases offer important lessons for adaptation to climate change, cultural benefits from traditional human activities, and concerns about social equity.

Deforestation amplifies climate change effects on warming and cloud level rise in African montane forests

Tropical montane forest ecosystems are pivotal for sustaining biodiversity and essential terrestrial ecosystem services, including the provision of high-quality fresh water. Nonetheless, the impact of montane deforestation and climate change on the capacity of forests to deliver ecosystem services is yet to be fully understood. In this study, we offer observational evidence demonstrating the response of air temperature and cloud base height to deforestation in African montane forests over the last two decades. Our findings reveal that approximately 18% (7.4 ± 0.5 million hectares) of Africa’s montane forests were lost between 2003 and 2022. This deforestation has led to a notable increase in maximum air temperature (1.37 ± 0.58 °C) and cloud base height (236 ± 87 metres), surpassing shifts attributed solely to climate change. Our results call for urgent attention to montane deforestation, as it poses serious threats to biodiversity, water supply, and ecosystem services in the tropics.

Article Review: Relationship between Toxoplasmosis and other Diseases

Water provision is sensitive to climate change, and agricultural production and food supply are sensitive to water availability. Water scarcity affects food security and agricultural economic development through changes in agricultural production and changes in the composition of produced goods. Recent droughts also led to a decrease in the volume of water allocated to agriculture, which led to a decrease in total agricultural production and exports, and this has subsequent impacts on food security and economic development. The research aimed to measure the impact of water scarcity on agricultural economic development for the period 1990-2022. The research included three behavioral equations with three endogenous variables: the cultivated area, the value of agricultural output, and the value of gross domestic product, and four exogenous variables: the amount of available water, agricultural labor, and the value of agricultural investments and the income of other sectors, the studied model is called the sequential model, which was estimated using the Recursive method, using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The results indicated that increasing the amount of available water will lead to an increase in the cultivated areas by 141,129.2 dunums, and that increasing one thousand dunums of the cultivated area will increase agricultural output by 0.00821, and that agricultural labor is inversely proportional to agricultural output. It became clear that if the income of the rest of the sectors increased by one unit, the domestic product would increase by 0.1873. Water scarcity will reduce cultivated areas, which in turn will decrease agricultural output, causing the value of agricultural output to decrease and its contribution to the gross domestic product to decrease. In turn, it will have serious repercussions on agricultural economic development. Therefore, the research recommends the necessity of integrated water management and improving the efficiency of its use, as well as the application of modern technologies in agriculture, such as sprinkler irrigation, hydroponics, and redrawing crop compositions to ensure maximizing the net return per unit of water.

Relationship between metabolic indices and milk yield in Saanen goats exposed to heat stress in semi-tropical climates

This study aimed to determine the effects of heat stress on 30 Saanen goats of different ages (young, middle-aged, and old). The average temperature and humidity values during the trial were 27.82 °C and 40.65%, respectively. Statistically significant differences in pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (SS), and temperature humidity index (THI) were found between months (P < 0.05). Beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) values were found to be statistically significant in the young and middle-aged group (P < 0.05), with the highest in the middle-aged group obtained in June (0.65 mmol/L). Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and urea (BUN) were significantly different (P < 0.05) in all age groups, whereas creatinine values showed no significant differences between groups. Significant positive relationships were found between body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS), as well as pulse rate (PR) and daily average daily milk yield (DAMY) (P < 0.01). A positive correlation was also found between the respiratory rate (SS) and pulse rate (P < 0.01). As a result, although attempts have been made to prevent the decrease in productivity with applications for animals under heat stress, the optimal strategy may be to address the source of the problem. Issues that cause heat accumulation in the body should be identified and necessary arrangements should be made in the shelter to distribute heat to ensure that animals are less affected. Shaded areas should be provided in cases of stress caused by heat. An appropriate structural arrangement for temperature, humidification, and ventilation systems, as well as the provision of abundant fresh drinking water, would also be beneficial.

Analysis of User Satisfaction Index of Clean Water Providers by PDAM in Bireuen Regency

PDAM Tirta Krueng Peusangan is a Regional Drinking Water Company located in Bireuen Regency which has duties and obligations in the process of organizing, processing, providing, and providing clean water services which are required to always be able to make improvements in the field of service as an effort to provide satisfaction to its customers. Based on the 2021 BUMD performance report, it was found that PDAM Krueng Peusangan was in the healthy category, but the 2014 RISPAM stated that there were still many water leaks. Therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze the level of customer satisfaction with the provision of clean water provided by PDAM Tirta Krueng Peusangan. The research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to respondents who are customers of PDAM Tirta Krueng Peusangan, Bireuen Regency. Customer satisfaction was assessed using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method. The results obtained are that customers are very satisfied with the services provided with a percentage of 93%.

Clinical profile and risk factors associated with Elizabethkingia anophelis infection in neonates born in a tertiary care hospital-a case-control study and outbreak investigation.

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with Elizabethkingia anophelis infection in neonates admitted to a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A case-control study was undertaken as part of the outbreak investigation for E. anophelis sepsis in a tertiary care NICU in South India. Thirty-eight neonates with E. anophelis bloodstream infection (BSI) between January 2021 and February 2022 were enrolled as cases, and 38 neonates symptomatic with other BSIs, were selected as controls, and risk factors analysed. The 38 cases were relatively stable neonates, likely to be admitted to level 1 and level 2 NICU, unlike the controls, who were sicker and required level 3 NICU care. Only a third of neonates with Elizabethkingia sepsis had traditional risk factors like central lines, need for respiratory support or perinatal risk factors. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that neonates with E. anophelis infection were more likely to be stable and on only enteral feeds, cared in level 1 or 2 of the NICU. This observation, combined with isolation of Elizabethkingia meningosepticum from breast pumps earlier, led us to autoclave the feeding vessels and milk containers along with provision of hot water for cleaning breast pumps, and adoption of general infection control measures, after which incident cases declined. Sanger sequencing of 10 representative isolates obtained from the neonates showed 100% sequence identity to E. anophelis. Infection due to E. anophelis affects relatively stable neonates without traditional risk factors for sepsis. Adherence to asepsis routines and housekeeping protocols helps to prevent the spread of infection.

Novel Nanocatalysts for Simultaneous Ammonia Oxidation and Nitrate Reduction

Throughout recent years, nitrate reduction to ammonia has gained popularity in the scientific world to produce a carbon-free fuel [1]. However, research has primarily focused on low-concentration nitrate reduction, specifically for wastewater remediation. High-concentration effluents, such as ANSOL (Ammonium Nitrate), have emerged as a significant waste byproduct and a threat [2], with explosive characteristics and increasing production rates over the years [3]. This research seeks solutions to incorporate onsite waste treatment for generating electrical power, emphasizing the integration of waste streams as a distinctive opportunity. The integration aims to facilitate both power generation and the provision of clean water, with a focus on developing prototype systems designed to convert challenging Department of Defense (DoD) waste streams containing ANSOL into usable fuels for onsite energy generation.In this presentation, results from two distinct systems employing nanoparticle catalysts for the reduction of nitrates to ammonia, while simultaneously oxidizing ammonia to nitrogen and hydrogen, are discussed. This is particularly relevant in the presence of a high concentration of ammonium nitrate in waste (>0.5 M) with industrially relevant electrochemical performance (>300 mA/cm2 with Faradaic Efficiencies higher than 50%). The initial approach involves the integration of CuNi/C and Pt3Ir/C catalysts for reduction and oxidation, respectively [4]. The subsequent approach underscores pulsed electrodeposition of CuNi [5] for nanoparticle synthesis in the reduction process, coupled with the use of Pt3Ir/C catalyst for oxidation. The effect of different applied potentials was studied for the conversion of NO3 - to NH3 and subsequent H2 production. Electrode stability and process integration were investigated.[1] Kani, N. C., Nguyen, N. H. L., Markel, K., Bhawnani, R. R., Shindel, B., Sharma, K., Kim, S., Dravid, V. P., Berry, V., Gauthier, J. A., Singh, M. R., “Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrates on CoO Nanoclusters-Functionalized Graphene with Highest Mass Activity and Nearly 100% Selectivity to Ammonia,” Adv. Energy Mater. 2023, 13, 2204236.[2] United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Environmental Protection Agency, "Chemical Advisory: Safe Storage, Handling, and Management of Solid Ammonium Nitrate Prills," EPA 550-F-15-001, June 2015.[3] Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), "Conversion of Ammonium Nitrate Solutions to Useful Products," SERDP and ESTCP Website, April 5, 2021. [Online].[4] Hariri, M.B., and Botte, G.G., "Simultaneous Removal of Ammonia and Nitrate from Wastewater Using a Pulse Electrolysis Technique," Journal of The Electrochemical Society 170.5. 2023.[5] I. Baskaran, T.S.N. Sankara Narayanan, and A. Stephen, "Pulsed electrodeposition of nanocrystalline Cu–Ni alloy films and evaluation of their characteristic properties," Materials Letters, vol. 60, no. 16, pp. 1990-1995, July 2006.