Rapid monitoring and evaluation of a community-led total sanitation program using smartphones

India accounts for around 50% of the world’s open defecation, and under a World Bank initiative, a rural district was selected to be the first open defecation-free (ODF) district in Punjab. Considering this, the current study aims to evaluate the application and impact of a smartphone-based instant messaging app (IMA) on the process of making Fatehgarh Sahib an ODF district. The District Administration involved the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Non-government Organizations, and volunteers to promote the process of a community-led total sanitation. Proper training was provided to the volunteers to spread awareness about the triggering events, health impacts of open defecation, and monetary benefits of building new individual household latrine (IHHL). IMA was used as an aid to speed up monitoring and for the evaluation of a sanitation program. All the volunteers were connected to an IMA. This helped in providing a transparent and evidence-based field report on triggering events, follow-up activities, validation of existing IHHL, and monitoring of construction of new IHHL. IMA is a cost-effective tool as it is already being used by the volunteers and requires no additional cost (on the user or on the project) but requires a training on ethical uses of mobile and data safety.     

Laboratory appraisal of organic carbon changes in mixtures made with different inorganic wastes

Mixtures of organic and inorganic wastes were incubated to examine the changes in organic C (OC) contents. An anaerobic sludge and a CaO-treated aerobic sludge, with OC concentrations of 235 and 129 g kg^?1, were used. The inorganic wastes used – referred to as “conditioners” – were shot blasting scrap, fettling, Linz-Donawitz slag, foundry sand (FS), and fly ash from wood bark combustion (FA). The total OC (TOC) and ${\text{KMnO}}_4^{?}$ oxidized OC were determined. DTA-TGA profiles and FTIR spectra were also obtained. Mixtures made with the FS contained significantly lower (P < 0.05) amounts of TOC (45 g kg^?1) than the rest of mixtures, which was attributed to the non-existence of reactive surfaces in the conditioner and the increased aeration induced by this material. Those made with FA contained significantly higher (P < 0.05) amounts of TOC (170 g kg^?1), which was attributed to: (i) the addition of an extra source of C – black carbon (BC) – in the FA, and (ii) the inhibition of mineralization from the compounds present in this conditioner (e.g., amorphous aluminosilicates, BC). The results highlight the importance of the characteristics of the conditioners on the fate of the OM originating from the sludges.     

Appraisal of salinity and fluoride in a semi-arid region of India using statistical and multivariate techniques

Various physico-chemical parameters, including fluoride (F⁻), were analyzed to understand the hydro-geochemistry of an aquifer in a semi-arid region of India. Furthermore, the quality of the shallow and deep aquifer (using tube well and hand pumps) was also investigated for their best ecological use including drinking, domestic, agricultural and other activities. Different multivariate techniques were applied to understand the groundwater chemistry of the aquifer. Findings of the correlation matrix were strengthened by the factor analysis, and this shows that salinity is mainly caused by magnesium salts as compared to calcium salts in the aquifer. The problem of salinization seems mainly compounded by the contamination of the shallow aquifers by the recharging water. High factor loading of total alkalinity and bicarbonates indicates that total alkalinity was mainly due to carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium. The concentration of F⁻ was found more in the deep aquifer than the shallow aquifer. Further, only a few groundwater samples lie below the permissible limit of F⁻, and this indicates a risk of dental caries in the populace of the study area. The present study indicates that regular monitoring of groundwater is an important step to avoid human health risks and to assess its quality for various ecological purposes.     

Risk factors and prevalence of dental fluorosis and dental caries in school children of North India

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of dental fluorosis, dental caries, and associated risk factors in the school children of district Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India, using a cross-sectional study design. Oral health status of children aged between 8 and 15 years was assessed using World Health Organization (WHO) 2013 criteria. Dental fluorosis was assessed using Dean’s index, and dental caries were recorded using decayed, missing, filled/decayed, extracted, filled (DMF/def) indices. Four hundred school children were examined, of which 207 were in the 8–11-year-old group and 193 were in the 12–15-year-old group. The overall prevalence of dental fluorosis was 4.1%, which might be linked to a high concentration of fluoride in drinking water at certain locations of rural Punjab. The prevalence of dental caries was 36.5% with a mean DMF score of 0.3 and def score of 0.6. Risk factors for dental caries include oral hygiene behavior and sugar consumption patterns. The study highlights the need to increase awareness about the oral health and hygiene among the school children in India.     

Occurrence of mycotoxins in feed samples in Burdur Province, Turkey

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of total aflatoxin (AF), ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), and fumonisin (FB) in dairy cattle, beef cattle, and lamb–calf feeds. A total of 180 dairy cattle, beef cattle, and lamb–calf feeds (60 samples each) were randomly collected from farms, feed mills, and villages in Burdur province, between September 2006 and August 2007. All samples were analyzed by the competitive Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). The most frequent mycotoxin detected was total AF, which was found in 108 samples (60 %) in concentrations ranging from 3.82 to 116.83 μg?kg^?1, followed by DON that was detected in 87 samples (48.3 %), in concentrations ranging from 18.50 to 500 μg?kg^?1. Ochratoxin A (OTA), T-2 toxin, ZEA, and FB were found in 84 (46.7 %), 85 (47.2 %), 57 (31.7 %), and 19 (10.6 %) samples, respectively, in concentrations of 1.01 to 15.85 μg?kg^?1 for OTA, 3.85 to 52.36 μg?kg^?1 for T-2 toxin, 2.10 to 29.30 μg?kg^?1 for ZEA, and 2.69 to 4.96 mg?kg^?1 for FB. It was concluded that feed samples in Burdur province were contaminated by mycotoxins, and the levels of total aflatoxin in the samples were considered a risk to animal health.     

Study of biological stabilization processes of cattle and poultry manure by thermogravimetric analysis and (13)C NMR

The biological stabilization process of cattle and poultry manure was studied using thermogravimetric analysis and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance. The stabilization processes carried out were composting, anaerobic digestion and a mixed process (partly aerobic, partly anaerobic). It was observed from the analyzed samples that the biological stabilization processes reduce the volatile content of the bio-wastes and increase the degree of aromaticity. The stabilization of cattle manure by means of aerobic processes was able to further oxidize and enriched in aromatic compounds the bio-waste when compared with the digestion process. On the other hand, the stabilization of poultry manure resulted in a greater aromatization under the digestion process. Stabilized samples with a high degree of aromaticity presented a lower volatile content accompanied by a reduction in the intensity of the differential thermogravimetry peak registered under an inert atmosphere, indicative of the thermal decomposition of the organic matter. The thermal decomposition of all the analyzed materials (fresh and stabilized samples) commenced at around 200 degrees C but for the digested poultry manure, which decomposition initiated close to 250 degrees C. All stabilized samples yielded a lower degree of volatilization to that one observed in fresh samples.     

Evolution and frequency (1970–2007) of combined temperature–precipitation modes in the Spanish mountains and sensitivity of snow cover

Snow cover in Spanish mountains is crucial for ensuring water availability in spring and summer months, for the success of winter tourism or for the maintenance of biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. A changing climate may affect the volume of snow cover even in high mountains, where weather conditions are usually favorable for snow accumulation. In this paper, we aim to investigate the evolution (1970–2007) of combined precipitation–temperature modes in the Spanish mountains, and the sensitivity of the snowpack to their occurrence. The climatic database “Spain02” and snow thickness data for Spanish mountains were used for this purpose. Results showed that the frequency of dry-warm and wet-warm days has increased over time in all mountain ranges, while the frequency of the “cold” modes has decreased. The thickness of the snowpack in the Pyrenees has also decreased and its evolution is negatively correlated with the frequency of dry-warm days, and positively correlated with the frequency of dry-cold and wet-cold days. This work constitutes the first approach that relates the evolution of climatic conditions favorable or unfavorable for snow accumulation and the evolution of the snowpack in Spanish mountains.     

Investigating the metal contamination status from recycling e-waste sites from Dakar,Senegal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In Senegal, processes employed for recycling e-wastes result in release of so-called heavy metals in the environment. In this study, the metal...     

Induction of enhanced methane oxidation in compost: temperature and moisture response

Landfilling is one of the most common ways of municipal solid waste disposal. Degradation of organic waste produces CH(4) and other landfill gases that significantly contribute to global warming. However, before entering the atmosphere, part of the produced CH(4) can be oxidised while passing through the landfill cover. In the present study, the oxidation rate of CH(4) was studied with various types of compost as possible landfill cover. The influence of incubation time, moisture content and temperature on the CH(4) oxidation capacity of different types of compost was examined. It was observed that the influence of moisture content and temperature on methane oxidation is time-dependent. Maximum oxidation rates were observed at moisture contents ranging from 45% to 110% (dry weight basis), while the optimum temperature ranged from 15 to 30 degrees C.     

Living with climate change risks: stakeholders’ employment and coastal relocation in mediterranean climate regions of Australia and Spain

Climate change impacts are no longer just a future issue for communities in the Mediterranean climate regions. This comparative study offers insights on climate change risk perceptions and attitudes among environmental, economic and social stakeholders in coastal areas in northeastern Spain and South Australia, as well as compares interviewed stakeholders’ risk perceptions with available documentary data and participant observation. Using a community risk assessment approach, the results show that some stakeholders perceive that climate change is already and/or may further continue to affect their employment, mostly in a predominantly negative way. Interestingly, some other interviewed stakeholders consider that climate change creates opportunities through new and additional areas of work. The findings also suggest that climate change may influence relocation of coastal residential populations in both case studies, which is likely to be an acceptable option among the stakeholders. This acceptance can be linked to the fact that in both areas there is a significant percentage of resident population with migrant background. This study calls for a need to understand better the personal experience of climate change in industrialized countries, as well as to consider coastal relocation in the integrated coastal planning and other territorial and population policies.