Physical Properties of Impregnated Ganitri Wood by Furfuryl Alcohol and Nano-SiO2

Ganitri wood (Elaeocarpus sphaericus) is a fast-growing wood that has low dimensional stability and density. This study aims were to analyze the effect of Furfuryl Alcohol (FA) and nano-SiO2 impregnation on the dimensional stability and density of ganitri wood and also examine the characteristics of impregnated ganitri wood. Impregnation used three treatments, including untreated (water), FA, and 0.5% FA-SiO2. The impregnation process was initiated by giving a 0.5 bar vacuum for 60 minutes, followed by applying a pressure of 2.5 bar for 120 minutes. Weight percent gain, leachability, anti-swelling efficiency, water uptake, bulking effect, and density were affected by the treatment. It was due to the coverage of FA and nano-SiO2 on vessels of ganitri wood (SEM analysis). Also, the presence of nano-SiO2 in wood treated (SEM-EDX analysis). FT-IR showed there were no FA bonds with ganitri wood cell wall components or between Nano- SiO2 and ganitri wood. The crystallinity of ganitri wood decreases because FA is amorphous and nano-SiO2 is semi-crystalline. The optimum dimensional stability and density were obtained at FA treatment.

Knowledge, Practice of Personal Hygiene, School Sanitation, and Risk Factors of Contracting Diarrhea among Rural Students from Five Western Provinces in China

Background: Diarrhea is a global public health issue and a leading cause of childhood malnutrition, growth disturbances, and mortality. The spread of diarrhea is closely linked to the knowledge and maintenance of personal hygiene and quality of drinking water and sanitation facilities. However, there are few such investigations and analysis in rural areas of China. This study aims to determine the association between the risk of contracting diarrhea and knowledge and practices of personal hygiene and school sanitation among rural students as well as provide a scientific basis for preventing the spread of diarrhea and other infectious diseases. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to randomly select 12 rural primary schools in each of 5 counties where the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Plus Program has been implemented. The counties are located in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Chongqing municipality, Guizhou province, Yunnan province, and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. A single fourth-grade class was randomly chosen from each of the 60 schools for observation and a questionnaire survey. The study involved a total of 2330 students. The logistic regression method was adopted to determine the factors contributing to diarrhea in rural students. The results show that male students accounted for 49.40% (n = 1151) of the 2330 research subjects; the average age of the students was 9.9 ± 0.3 years. Approximately 33.09% of the students suffered from diarrhea in the three months leading up to the survey. The odds ratios (ORs) of students who did not know that “diarrhea can be prevented by washing fruits before eating them raw and not drinking untreated water” (OR: 1.303, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.063, 1.597) and that “the disease can be prevented by washing hands before meals and after going to the toilet” (OR: 1.522, 95% CI: 1.207, 1.920) were higher than those who knew the above stated facts. Students who “have drunk untreated water at school” (OR: 1.584, 95% CI: 1.268, 1.978), “have drunk untreated water at home” (OR: 1.643, 95% CI: 1.319, 2.048), and “did not wash hands before every meal” (OR: 1.490, 95% CI: 1.120, 1.983) were at a higher risk of contracting diarrhea than those who drank treated water at school and at home and washed their hands before every meal. Diarrhea was more likely to affect students who attended schools with unclean and poorly maintained toilets (OR: 1.586, 95% CI: 1.261, 1.995) or toilets with flies (OR: 1.383, 95% CI: 1.114, 1.717) and without adequate drinking water facilities (OR: 1.407, 95% CI: 1.009, 1.962). The knowledge of methods to maintain personal hygiene, general hygiene practices, and school sanitation are the three major risk factors that account for the spread of diarrhea among rural students from five western provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) of China. Therefore, to prevent such diseases and maintain health, it is important to provide students with health education, help them develop good hygiene habits, ensure the provision of clean water at schools, and improve the overall school environments.

A Waterborne Gastroenteritis Outbreak Caused by a GII Norovirus in a Holiday Camp in Catalonia (Spain), 2017

On 2 February 2017, Epidemiological Surveillance Services were notified of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among schoolchildren who had taken part of a school trip from 30 January to 3 February 2017 at a holiday camp in Catalonia. A retrospective cohort study was performed to identify the causative agent, estimate the magnitude of the outbreak and identify its source, as well as to determine the route of transmission. Data collected by standardised questionnaires identified 41 episodes of AGE among 174 individuals who attended the camp. Cases had mainly symptoms of abdominal pain (73.8%), nausea (64.3%), vomiting (54.8%), diarrhoea (45.2%) and headache (42.9%). Consumption of water was associated with gastroenteritis (crude RR: 1.72, 95%CI: 1.01–2.92; adjusted RR: 1.88, 95%CI 1.03–3.56). NoV GII was detected in faeces (5 out of 13) and water samples. Additionally, faecal indicator bacteria and protozoa were detected in water samples. The outbreak showed a high attack rate and was caused by a natural water fountain not properly treated and not monitored for safety quality. There could have been a discharge of wastewater at a point close to the fountain; however, the source of contamination of the water could not be identified. Health education may be useful to eliminate risks associated with the consumption of untreated water from natural fountains.

Investigation and Analysis of Sanitation-Related Knowledge and Hygiene Routines Among China’s WASH Plus Program Students

Objective: This study was performed to determine the knowledge level of students in China’s WASH Plus Program about sanitation and hygiene practices to provide a scientific basis for well-targeted health education.Methods: The researchers randomly selected one fourth-grade class from each of the 12 schools in each of the five WASH Plus Program provinces (municipalities or autonomous regions). The students in the selected fourth-grade classes were then asked to complete a self-designed questionnaire. Chi-square testing and Bonferroni correction were used for paired and multiple comparisons of the enumeration data, respectively. Results: The 2330 respondents (mean age, 9.9 ± 0.3 years) included 1151 male students (49.40%), 1489 students of minority (non-Han) ethnicity (63.91%), and 433 boarding students (18.58%). Overall, 81.09% of the students were found to have gained sanitation-related knowledge, and 79.64% had formed hygiene routines. Specifically, only 41.76% of students knew that “diarrhea can be transmitted through contaminated water,” and 68.88% of students were aware that “diarrhea can be prevented by not drinking untreated water.” In addition, only 67.94%, 62.83%, and 62.62% of students “wash hands with running water and soap/hand sanitizer at school,” “never drink untreated water at school,” and “never drink untreated water at home,” respectively. Regionally, 88.54%, 87.13%, 79.13%, 77.23%, and 72.81% of students in Chongqing, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Xinjiang, respectively, had strong knowledge of sanitation, and 92.11%, 80.70%, 74.04%, 79.43%, and 69.86% of them practiced hygiene. In terms of gender, 80.53% of male students and 81.64% of female students had acquired sanitation-related knowledge, whereas 77.45% of male students and of 81.78% female students had adopted hygiene practices. The total awareness rates of sanitation-related knowledge for Han students and minority students were 83.10% and 79.96%, respectively. Approximately 85.53% of Han students and 76.32% of minority students had formed good hygiene routines. Some 81.32% of boarding students and 81.04% of non-boarding students had strong knowledge of sanitation, and 78.65% and 79.87%, respectively, had formed good hygiene habits. Conclusions: Some of the students surveyed had insufficient hygiene knowledge, and a small number had poor hygiene habits. To provide students with well-targeted health education, improve their hygiene awareness, and change their bad habits, full consideration should be given to factors such as region, gender, ethnicity, boarding status, and the influence of the process via which students acquire hygiene knowledge and form effective hygiene routines.

Evaluation of a Methoprene Aerial Application for the Control of Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) in Wetland Larval Habitats

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an arbovirus endemic to the eastern United States. Human cases are rare but can be serious. The primary enzootic vector is Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae), an ornithophagic mosquito. We conducted an aerial application of a granular methoprene formulation in Hockomock Swamp (Massachusetts), which represents a focus of EEEV transmission. Water collected from inside and outside Cs. melanura crypts was evaluated in bioassays of early fourth instar Cs. melanura larvae using treated and untreated water. Adult eclosion rates were 36% significantly lower in treated compared with untreated water (P < 0.05). Eclosion rates for water collected from inside crypts were significantly higher (62%) than rates from outside crypts (30%) (P < 0.05), indicating higher efficacy outside crypts. We tested whether reduced methoprene efficacy inside the crypts was due to reduced chemical penetration into this habitat. Chemical water analyses confirmed that methoprene concentrations were lower inside the crypts (0.1 ± 0.05 ppb) compared to water from outside crypts (1.79 ± 0.41 ppb). The susceptibility of Cs. melanura to methoprene was also determined to allow for comparison against concentrations observed in water collected from the field (LC-95: 1.95 ± 0.5 ppb). Overall, methoprene-treated water prevented mosquito development for up to 4 wk, but with a reduction in efficacy between 4- and 6-wk post-application. Our results suggest that aerial methoprene applications can effectively treat open water in wetlands but may not provide efficacious control of Cs. melanura due to an inability to penetrate larval habitats.

Characterization of Water Quality on University Campus

Introduction: Safe drinking water is vital to all human and living organisms. Aim and Study Location: This study appraised untreated water within the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) campus with a view to ascertaining their potability. Methodology: The samples were analyzed using the America Public Health Association (APHA), standard protocol Results: The pH indicated that the water were acidic with pH values from 3.50 ± 0.04 to 5.73 ± 0.08. Total iron exceeded the stipulated WHO limit of 0.3 mg/L in some of the locations with concentration varying from 0.232 ± 0.01 to 0.963 ± 0.04. The heavy metal load was relatively low and within regulatory limits. Conclusion: The study concluded that water should not be consumed without treatment due to the non-conforming parameters. In addition, waters with a non-conformance contributed by feacal coliform (E coli) or any other microbial entities should be avoided since serious health water-related diseases (cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diarrheal) may set if consumed.

Evaluation of Using Magnetized Water in Leaching Salts in Sandy Loam Soil

Many studies and researchers have reported significant evidence that some physical properties of water can be changed as it passes through a magnetic field that can improve water use. This can have a promising potential for applications, especially in the fields of irrigation and drainage. In this research, magnetized water was used to leach salt-affected sandy loam soil. A test rig was designed and constructed to investigate the effects of magnetized water on leaching soil. The rig consists of a magnetization device that can provide variable intensity. Water was supplied from a constant head reservoir to the magnetization device then to the soils that were placed in plastic columns. Five different magnetic intensities and five different times of exposing the flow of water to the magnetic field were applied. The time of exposure to the magnetic field was represented by the flow velocity of the flow passing through the magnetic field. The treated water is applied to leach each soil column in three consecutive leaching processes. Leaching water drained from the soil samples were tested for EC and pH, K+, Na+, Mg+2, Ca+2, Cl-, HCO-3, and SO4-2. The results showed that the efficiency of magnetized water in removing salts from the soil is more than the untreated water. As the magnetic intensity and exposure time are increased, more salts were leached out of the soil. When comparing the experiments conducted with magnetized water with that untreated water, the maximum increase in the EC value was 58.6%, and in the pH values was of 2.4%.

Preparation of Electric- and Magnetic-Activated Water and Its Influence on the Workability and Mechanical Properties of Cement Mortar

Cement-based materials prepared with activated water induced by a magnetic field or electric field represent a possible solution to environmental issues caused by the worldwide utilization of chemical admixtures. In this contribution, electric- and magnetic-activated water have been produced. The workability and mechanical properties of cement mortar prepared with this activated water have been investigated. The results indicate that the pH and absorbance (Abs) values of the water varied as the electric and magnetic field changed, and their values increased significantly, exhibiting improved activity compared with that of the untreated water. In addition, activated water still retains activity within 30 min of the resting time. The fluidity of the cement paste prepared with electric-activated water was significantly larger than that of the untreated paste. However, the level of improvement differed with the worst performance resulting from cement paste prepared with alternating voltage activated water. In terms of mechanical properties, both compressive strength and flexural strength obtained its maximum values at 280 mT with two processing cycles. The compressive strength increased 26% as the curing time increased from 7 days to 28 days and flexural strength increased by 31%. In addition, through the introduction of magnetic-activated water into cement mortar, the mechanical strength can be maintained without losing its workability when the amount of cement is reduced.

Effects of Untreated Drinking Water at Three Indigenous Yaqui Towns in Mexico: Insights from a Murine Model

Background: Reports in a northwestern Mexico state linked arsenic (As) in drinking water to DNA damage in people from indigenous communities. However, this correlation remains under discussion due to unknown variables related to nutrition, customs, and the potential presence of other metal(oid)s. Methods: To determine this association, we sampled water from three Yaqui towns (Cócorit, Vícam, and Pótam), and analyzed the metals by ICP-OES. We exposed four separate groups, with five male CD-1 mice each, to provide further insight into the potential effects of untreated drinking water. Results: The maximum concentrations of each metal(oid) in µg·L−1 were Sr(819) > Zn(135) > As(75) > Ba(57) > Mo(56) > Cu(17) > Al(14) > Mn(12) > Se(19). Histological studies revealed brain cells with angulation, satellitosis, and reactive gliosis with significant statistical correlation with Mn and As. Furthermore, the liver cells presented hepatocellular degeneration. Despite the early response, there is no occurrence of both statistical and significative changes in hematological parameters. Conclusions: The obtained results provide experimental insights to understand the potential effects of untreated water with low As and Mn contents in murine models. This fact is noteworthy because of the development of histological changes on both the brain and liver at subchronic exposure.