A sensitive and rapid wastewater test for SARS-COV-2 and its use for the early detection of a cluster of cases in a remote community

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been used to monitor trends in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in the community. A major challenge in establishing wastewater surveillance programs, especially in remote areas, is the need for a well-equipped laboratory for sample analysis. Currently, no options exist for rapid, sensitive, mobile, and easy-to-use wastewater tests for SARS-CoV-2. The performance of the GeneXpert System, which offers cartridge-based, rapid molecular clinical testing for SARS-CoV-2 in a portable platform, was evaluated using wastewater as the input. The GeneXpert demonstrated a SARS-CoV-2 limit of detection in wastewater below 32 copies/mL with a sample processing time of less than an hour. Using wastewater samples collected from multiple sites across Canada during February and March 2021, a high overall agreement (97.8%) was observed between the GeneXpert assay and laboratory-developed tests regarding the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, with the use of centrifugal filters the detection threshold of the GeneXpert system was improved to <10 copies/mL in wastewater. Finally, to support on-site wastewater surveillance, GeneXpert testing was implemented in Yellowknife, a remote community in Northern Canada where its use successfully alerted public health authorities to undetected transmission of COVID-19. The identification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater triggered clinical testing of recent travelers and identification of new COVID-19 cases/clusters. Taken together, these results suggest the GeneXpert is a viable option for surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in locations that do not have access to established testing laboratories. Importance: Wastewater-based surveillance is a powerful tool that provides an unbiased measure of COVID-19 prevalence in a community. This work describes a sensitive wastewater rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 based on a widely distributed technology, the GeneXpert. The advantages of an easy-to-use wastewater test for SARS-CoV-2 are clear – it supports surveillance in remote communities, improves access to testing, and provides faster results allowing for an immediate public health response. The application of wastewater rapid testing in a remote community facilitated the detection of a COVID-19 cluster and triggered public health action, clearly demonstrating the utility of this technology. Wastewater surveillance will become increasingly important in the post-vaccination pandemic landscape as individuals with asymptomatic/mild infections continue transmitting SARS-CoV-2 but are unlikely to be tested.

Design of a DC Microgrid System for a Remote Community in Nigeria

This paper presents the design of a DC microgrid for a remote community in Edo State, Nigeria having a solar irradiance of 4.63 kWh/m2/day. The community is isolated and located far away from the city with no access to the electricity grid. There is a need for lighting and running of electronics, as the main source of lighting presently is kerosine, which is not efficient and leads to health issues. The community is made up of 9 residences that are not more than 100 m apart. House 1 was selected as the standard house with a load of 1 kWh/day, while the other 8 houses have a load difference of ±10% with reference to house 1. Using a 48 V DC bus, the designed PV system components comprise of a 100W solar photovoltaic (PV) panel and a 12 V 45 A·hr battery. The system was sized using Homer Pro. Optimization results presented various design for the various houses. The result obtained showed reasonable and feasible cost-effective solution in terms of the Net Present Cost in both installation and running of the hybrid system for the community. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out to test the adaptability of the system using a solar irradiation input of ±10%. Detailed result of the analysis is presented in the paper.

Understanding the Effects of COVID-19 on the Education of Low-Income Students in Khamariya, Nepal

This paper addresses the impacts COVID-19 is having on the learning of upper-primary students in a remote community in Nepal. These findings are based on interviews with 15 students in Khamariya— a small village with limited infrastructure and minimal access to technology. In this paper, the education system in Nepal before COVID-19 is discussed and compared with the current learning that is happening throughout the pandemic. The shortcomings of government solutions are discussed, the benefits of the pandemic on students' learning are evaluated, and the implications of changes in students’ learning due to the pandemic are analyzed. Overall, through the interviews, it has been determined that the education system in remote communities in Nepal before the pandemic was below standard. However, COVID-19 is exacerbating these negative aspects of the education system even further. The pandemic is specifically targeting impoverished students’ education. As well, it is increasing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, which is contributing to the cycle of poverty.

A Study of The Developing Archimedes Screw as A Turbine

Electricity plays an imperative role in improving the rural or remote community economic growth and quality of life. The pico hydro type Archimedes screw turbine (AST) is considered an independent power plant in rural or remote areas. The advantages of the AST are friendly to aquatic biota, the high and stable efficiency (electrical efficiency of 30% to 49%), and can operate in a run of river conditions. However, although this technology has been studied ± two decades, there is still no theory explaining the relationship between conversion energy, the geometry of screws, and efficiency. Therefore, the development of Archimedes screw focuses on the role of a converter water energy categorized as the environmentally friendly power plant. Thus, this paper aims to describe the future work required for the AST so that the basic principles and empirical theories are found. Based on reviews, the AST design can use Rorres and Muller & Senior analysis, AC generators with a pulley and toothed belt transmission systems, and do not immerse the outflow bucket side in the water. Furthermore, for AST to be better, several studies need to be done such as the method of manufacturing precision screws, the effect bubbles in the bucket and how to avoid them, determination optimum of the head and screw length using the slope angle, and investigation of the ratio of the inlet velocity with the angular velocity of a wheel on performance to avoid overflow leakage due to loading.

A sensitive and rapid wastewater test for SARS-COV-2 and its use for the early detection of a cluster of cases in a remote community

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been used to monitor trends in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in the community. A major challenge in establishing wastewater surveillance programs, especially in remote areas, is the need for a well-equipped laboratory for sample analysis. Currently, no options exist for rapid, sensitive, mobile, and easy-to-use wastewater tests for SARS-CoV-2. The performance of the GeneXpert System, which offers cartridge-based, rapid molecular clinical testing for SARS-CoV-2 in a portable platform, was evaluated using wastewater as the input. The GeneXpert demonstrated a SARS-CoV-2 limit of detection in wastewater below 32 copies/mL with a sample processing time of less than an hour. Using wastewater samples collected from multiple sites across Canada during February and March 2021, a high overall agreement (97.8%) was observed between the GeneXpert assay and laboratory-developed tests regarding the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, with the use of centrifugal filters the detection threshold of the GeneXpert system was improved to <10 copies/mL in wastewater. Finally, to support on-site wastewater surveillance, GeneXpert testing was implemented in Yellowknife, a remote community in Northern Canada where its use successfully alerted public health authorities to undetected transmission of COVID-19. The identification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater triggered clinical testing of recent travelers and identification of new COVID-19 cases/clusters. Taken together, these results suggest the GeneXpert is a viable option for surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in locations that do not have access to established testing laboratories.