Field Trial of an Automated Batch Chlorinator System at Two Shared Shallow Tubewells among Camps for Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Chlorination of shallow tubewell water is challenging due to various iron concentrations. A mixed-method, small-scale before-and-after field trial assessed the accuracy and consistency of an automated chlorinator, Zimba, in Rohingya camp housing, Cox’s Bazar. From August–September 2018, two shallow tubewells (iron concentration = 6.5 mg/L and 1.5 mg/L) were selected and 20 households were randomly enrolled to participate in household surveys and water testing. The field-team tested pre-and post-treated tubewell and household stored water for iron, free and total chlorine, and E. coli. A sub-set of households (n = 10) also received safe storage containers (5 L jerry cans). Overall mean iron concentrations were 5.8 mg/L in Zimba water, 1.9 mg/L in household storage containers, and 2.8 mg/L in the project-provided safe storage containers. At baseline, 0% samples at source and 60% samples stored in household vessels were contaminated with E. coli (mean log10 = 0.62 MPN/100 mL). After treatment, all water samples collected from source and project-provided safe storage containers were free from E. coli, but 41% of post-treated water stored in the household was contaminated with E. coli. E. coli concentrations were significantly lower in the project-provided safe storage containers (log10 mean difference = 0.92 MPN, 95% CI = 0.59–1.14) compared with baseline and post-treated water stored in household vessels (difference = 0.57 MPN, 95% CI = 0.32–0.83). Zimba is a potential water treatment technology for groundwater extracted through tubewells with different iron concentrations in humanitarian settings.

Care of vaccines: ensuring safe storage

Vaccines cost the NHS around £200 million a year and the loss of only one dose of Pediacel vaccine a month in each general practice would cost an estimated £4 million a year. There is a collective responsibility for the safe ordering, storage and administration of vaccines which will be covered in this article.

The Survival of Pear Dormant Buds at Ultra-Low Temperatures

Currently, there is a varietal diversity decline in pear orchards of the Czech Republic. Thus, the safe storage of their gene pool collections is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, the ultra-low temperature survival after two-step cryopreservation treatment of dormant buds was tested for a safe and rapid way to conserve pear germplasm in a broader range of varieties. The following varieties crucial for cultivation in the Czech Republic were tested; ‘Amfora’, ‘Beurré Hardy’, ‘Bosc’, ‘Clapp’s Favourite’, ‘Conference’, ‘Dicolor’, ‘Erika’, ‘Lucas’, ‘Williams’ and ‘Williams Red’. In 2011 and 2012, dormant pear buds were dehydrated to 40.1% and 36.0% water content, respectively, before cryopreservation. The average regeneration of the dormant pear buds after cryopreservation by the two-step cryoprotocol in 2011 and 2012 was 54.3% and 16.1%, respectively. The mentioned cryopreservation procedure is suitable for the safe storage of dormant buds in most tested pear varieties.

Migrated archives

In a paper on migrated archives, Nathan Mnjama puts forward several reasons as to why these archives are in the custody of our former colonisers. Infrastructural challenges, the lack of the development of archival services and security issues are some of the reasons highlighted. Consequently, these archives were not collected and preserved within colonies and were thus repatriated to the metropolitan countries for safe storage. The removal of these archives have created gaps in archival holdings and these archives need to be located, retrieved and brought home, so he argues. The author of this response proposes that we need to start afresh and forget about this genre of archives in view of the protracted issues involved and considering the archival service challenges that most archival institutions are facing. We are now talking about de-colonisation/refiguring or Africanisation of our archives because there is over-documentation of the colonial record in our repositories and these records are often biased or incorrect.

The Prediction of CMDB Propellant lifetime Based on Arrhenius accelerated model, Berthelot’s equation and Multi-step Prout-Tompkins Model

Different models were provided to predict the storage lifetime of propellants more accurately. The stabilizer was recognized as a vital parameter for double based propellants’ storage lifetime estimation. The stabilizer contents of a certain RDX-CMDB propellant were traced during the accelerated aging tests. Based on that, the safe storage lifetime of this propellant were predicted using the Berthelot’s equation, Arrhenius accelerated equation and the advanced kinetic model, respectively. The predicted results were compared and the causes were analysed. It found that the biggest disadvantage of Berthelot’s equation and Arrhenius accelerated equation is that the predicted results are significantly affected by the original data. In details, the minor difference of original data will bring tremendous errors when extrapolating to normal temperature. The general model which can be used to depict complex reactions adopted in AKTS software was preferred compared to reaction order (RO) model and Prout-Tompkins (PT) model.

Cannabis in Homes with Children: A Survey on Use, Storage, and Attitudes

Introduction: The recent legalization of cannabis in California has the potential to affect cannabis prevalence in households with children. This eventuality, combined with suboptimal cannabis storage practices, could lead to adverse effects such as unintentional pediatric ingestion, which occurred in Colorado after legalization. Our objective was to assess prevalence and storage practices of cannabis in households with children, and attitudes on use and storage education in a state that has legalized cannabis. Methods: We administered electronic surveys to 401 adults in a pediatric emergency department in California. Participants were excluded if they were not English- or Spanish-speaking or did not live in a household with children <18 years old. They answered questions regarding cannabis use, storage, and attitudes on cannabis storage education. We used convenience sampling and analyzed data using descriptive statistics. Results: Research assistants approached 558 participants of whom 401 completed the survey. Three participants did not respond regarding past or current cannabis use, and 14.5% (58/401) reported cannabis use in their home in the prior six months. Both users and non-users rated safe storage of high importance in homes with children. Only 44.8% of home users (26/58) reported that their cannabis was both locked and hidden. Among home users, the most common source of storage advice was friends and family (21/58, 36.2%), and 45% of home users (26/58) received no storage information whatsoever. Most cannabis users (53/67, 79.1%) and non-users (241/330, 73%) reported that they would feel comfortable receiving cannabis education from their primary care provider. Conclusion: Cannabis is used and stored in homes with children; however, safe storage is not clearly defined in California, and storage education is lacking. Healthcare providers in primary care and the emergency department may play an important role in educating the public about cannabis use and safe storage.

Justification of pectin concentrate safe storage terms by pectin mass ratio

The problem of removing heavy and radioactive metals from the human body is relevant all over the world. Recent research has shown that it is more effective to use substances contained in natural food products, including pectin. Pectin has a favorable effect not only under acute exposure to metals, but also with their prolonged entry into the body, which is typical for an environmental load of residents of industrial regions and modern megalopolis. The use of pectin substances as natural detoxicants requires research to preserve these substances in products and further use. Therefore, an important condition for using pectin concentrates is to determine the shelf life for safe consumption. Based on this, studies were conducted to determine optimal storage parameters and terms for pumpkin concentrate. The sequence and parameters of pectin concentrate production from Karina pumpkin pomace are justified. As a result of the study, it was found that during storage of pectin concentrate from Karina pumpkin pomace at a temperature of 8 °C for 10 months, the pectin content in the concentrate decreased by 0–12. 45 %, at 25 °C – by 0–63 %, compared to the control sample. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the safe storage period of pectin-containing concentrates from Karina pumpkin extracts at a temperature of 25 °C is 7 months, at 8 °C – 10 months. As a result of mathematical processing of experimental data, equations for the relationship of pectin amount with storage temperature, pH and time are obtained.

Investigations at the Product, Macromolecular, and Molecular Level of the Physical and Chemical Properties of a γ-Irradiated Multilayer EVA/EVOH/EVA Film: Comprehensive Analysis and Mechanistic Insights

Chemically and biologically safe storage of solutions for medical uses is a daily concern for industry since decades and it appeared even more dramatic during the last two years of pandemia. Biological safety is readily reached by sterilization using γ-irradiation process. However, such a type of irradiation induces the degradation and the release of chemicals able to spoil the biological solutions. Surprisingly, there are no investigations on multi-layer films combining multi-technique and multi-method approaches to unveil the events occurring during γ-irradiation. Furthermore, our investigations are focuses on properties/events occurring at product, macromolecular, and molecular levels.