Low-cost novel nano-constructed granite composites for removal of hazardous Terasil dye from wastewater.

The hazardous dyes on mixing with water resources are affecting many life forms. Granite stone is popular worldwide for decorating floors, making other forms of decorative materials and items. Granite stone powder waste can be obtained free of cost from marble factories as factories spend on the disposal of this waste. In the present study, novel granite stone powder waste composite has been prepared and utilized for the effective removal of Terasil dye. Two types of granite including gray granite and white granite were used in pure, calcinized, and chemically modified forms. Freundlich adsorption isotherm model best explained the adsorption mechanism of dye removal using granite composites as compared to other adsorption isothermal models. Characterization techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used for the determination of morphological features and functional groups of granite composites. The obtained results were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) along with the post hoc Tukey test. An extraordinarily high Terasil dye uptake capacity (more than 400 mg/g) was exhibited by granite composites prepared using sodium metasilicate. The synthesized novel nano-constructed composites provided a viable strategy as compared to the pure granite stone for dye removal from wastewater water.

Factors That Shape Women's Physical Activity: Development of the Reasons to Participate in Physical Activity Scale (RPPAS).

(1) Background: Obesity could deepen women's susceptibility to COVID-19 infections and deaths. While physical activity has the potential to improve women's physical and psychological resilience to the pandemic, there is a dearth of research on factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity. Thus, to bridge the research gap, this study aims to identify factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity. (2) Methods: An online survey on motivations for physical activity was developed and distributed to the participants. A total of 108 women offered complete answers (N = 108, 18-33 years old, Mage = 20.34 ± 2.42 years). Participants selected factors that promote their physical activity from a list of 34 factors from the Reasons to Participate in Physical Activity Scale (RPPAS) developed in this study. (3) Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed that factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity are: enjoyment and gratification, consideration for other activities (i.e., exergaming), health benefits, networking opportunities, and appearance and performance. Multiple linear regression analyses indicate that only consideration for appearance and performance was significantly associated with participants' physical activity levels after controlling for compounding factors. (4) Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the importance of appearance and performance in shaping women's participation in physical activity. Furthermore, the results also emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding of factors that influence women's physical activity levels. Future research could investigate how to leverage these motivators in tailored health interventions that aim to improve women's physical activity.

Gender inequality and health disparity amid COVID-19.

Gender inequalities could lead to grave human and economic consequences, especially amid global health crises of the coronavirus 2019's (COVID-19) scale. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated gender inequalities women face and introduced new challenges that are unprecedented to society at large. Adverse effects of COVID-19, compounded by unintended consequences caused by public health policies such as lockdowns (e.g., delayed or canceled health services), have forced women to face issues ranging from COVID-19 infections and deaths, prolonged unemployment, to unparalleled scale and severity of domestic violence. However, though women face a canopy of debilitating challenges, there is a shortage of research that examines health solutions that can mitigate, if not offset, challenges women experience amid COVID-19. In this paper, we aim to shed light on why timely solutions are needed to mitigate gender inequalities and health disparities women face amid COVID-19 promptly. Furthermore, we underscore the imperative for cost-effective interventions that could shed light on the current health crisis and future pandemics.

Rapid drug-susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates to first-line antitubercular drugs by nitrate reductase assay: A comparison with proportion method.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Early initiation of therapy in patients with tuberculosis is imperative for its control. Conventional methods of susceptibility testing such as the proportion method (PM) require visual detection and counting of colonies that takes up to 6weeks. Rapid and simple phenotypic methods that have been endorsed by the World Health Organization can serve as alternatives. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the colorimetric nitrate reductase assay, which utilizes the detection of nitrate reduction as an indicator of growth much earlier compared with PM (within 7-14days). The susceptibility of 75 clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to four first-line antitubercular drugs was tested by nitrate reductase assay and compared with the standard PM. In this assay, inoculation was done on both drug-free and drug-containing Löwenstein-Jensen medium containing sodium nitrate. After incubation for 7-14days, reduction to nitrite was taken as an indicator of growth, which was detected by color change on addition of Griess reagent. RESULTS: Agreement between nitrate reductase assay and PM was 100% for rifampicin, 97.30% for isoniazid, 93.30% for streptomycin, and 98.60% for ethambutol. Cost/isolate with this assay was found to be approximately two times lesser than that of PM. All results were obtained in 7-14days by nitrate reductase assay, which was significantly rapid compared with 42days taken for obtaining results by PM. CONCLUSION: Nitrate reductase assay can be used as a rapid and inexpensive method for drug-susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis for first-line antitubercular drugs without compromising accuracy of standard methods.

Evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program for healthcare workers: survey results.

OBJECTIVE: To present the evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program. DESIGN: Concurrent questionnaire survey of fit testers and test subjects. SETTING: Ambulatory care, home nursing care, and acute care hospitals across South Australia. METHODS: Quantitative facial-fit testing was performed with TSI PortaCount instruments for healthcare workers (HCWs) who wore 5 different models of a disposable P2 (N95-equivalent) respirator. The questionnaire included questions about the HCW's age, sex, race, occupational category, main area of work, smoking status, facial characteristics, prior training and experience in use of respiratory masks, and number of attempts to obtain a respirator fit. RESULTS: A total of 6,160 HCWs were successfully fitted during the period from January through July 2007. Of the 4,472 HCWs who responded to the questionnaire and were successfully fitted, 3,707 (82.9%) were successfully fitted with the first tested respirator, 551 (12.3%) required testing with a second model, and 214 (4.8%) required 3 or more tests. We noted an increased pass rate on the first attempt over time. Asians (excluding those from South and Central Asia) had the highest failure rate (16.3% [45 of 276 Asian HCWs were unsuccessfully fitted]), and whites had the lowest (9.8% [426 of 4,338 white HCWs]). Race was highly correlated with facial shape. Among occupational groups, doctors had the highest failure rate (13.4% [81 of 604 doctors]), but they also had the highest proportion of Asians. Prior education and/or training in respirator use were not associated with a higher pass rate. CONCLUSIONS: Certain facial characteristics were associated with higher or lower pass rates with regard to fit testing, and fit testers were able to select a suitable respirator on the basis of a visual assessment in the majority of cases. For the fit tester, training and experience were important factors; however, for the HCW being fitted, prior experience in respirator use was not an important factor.

Rural communities' preferences for arsenic mitigation options in Bangladesh.

In the context of arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh, this paper analyses rural people's preferences for arsenic-free drinking water options. A particular focus is on rural households' willingness to pay for piped water supply which can provide a sustainable solution to the arsenic problem, and how the preference for piped water supply compares with that for various other household/community-based arsenic mitigation technologies. The analysis is based on data collected in a survey of over 2700 households in rural Bangladesh. Six arsenic mitigation technologies were selected for the study: three-kolshi (pitcher) method, activated alumina method (household-based and community-based), dugwell, pond sand filter and deep tubewell (handpump). The survey results indicate that, after taking into consideration the initial and recurring costs, convenience, associated risks and the advantages and disadvantages of each selected technology, the preference of the rural people is overwhelmingly in favor of deep tubewells, followed by the three-kolshi method. The analysis reveals a strong demand for piped water in both arsenic-affected and arsenic-free rural areas, and scope of adequate cost recovery. Between piped water and other arsenic mitigation technologies, the preference of the rural people is found to be predominantly in favor of the former.

Value of arsenic-free drinking water to rural households in Bangladesh.

Using contingent valuation survey data for about 2700 households in rural Bangladesh, and applying a multinomial logit model, the paper estimates the value of arsenic-free drinking water to the rural people. The estimates indicate that the rural people in arsenic-affected areas of Bangladesh place a low value on arsenic-free drinking water. It is about 10-14 percent of the amount they are willing to pay for piped water and only about 0.2-0.3 percent of the average household income. The implication of the result is that robust but costly arsenic reduction technologies such as activated alumina technology may find little social acceptance, unless heavily subsidized.