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Diagnosis Disclosure and Peer-to-Peer Information Seeking Among Covid-19–Infected Social Media Users: Survey of Us-Based Adults
No full textBackground: Research examining online health communities suggests that individuals affected by chronic health conditions can obtain valuable information and social support through participation in peer-to-peer web-based information exchanges, including information sharing and seeking behaviors. The risks and rewards of these same behaviors in the case of acute illnesses, such as COVID-19, are less well understood, though there is reason to believe that individuals with COVID-19 and other acute illnesses may accrue similar benefits.
Objective: This study examines the propensity of American adults to disclose and discuss their COVID-19 diagnosis and symptoms on social media while actively infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as to engage in peer-to-peer information seeking in order to better understand the illness that they are experiencing. Additionally, this study seeks to identify the motivations for these behaviors as well as their subsequent impacts on perceived social connectedness and health anxiety in patients with COVID-19.
Methods: We conducted a representative survey of 2500 US-based adults using a sample purchased through an industry-leading market research provider. Participants were selected through a stratified quota sampling approach to ensure a representative sample of the US population. Balanced quotas were determined (by region of the country) for gender, age, race, ethnicity, and political affiliation. Responses were analyzed from 946 participants who reported having an active social media account and testing positive for COVID-19 at least once since the start of the pandemic.
Results: The results show that only a small portion of social media users (166/946, 18%) chose to disclose and discuss their COVID-19 diagnosis while infected with the virus. However, among those who did, an overwhelming majority (206/251, 82%) said that doing so helped them feel more connected and supported while infected with the virus. A larger percentage of the 946 respondents (n=319, 34%) engaged in peer-to-peer information seeking while infected with COVID-19. Among those who did, a large majority (301/319, 94%) said that doing so was “helpful,” but more than one-third (115/319, 36%) said that reading about other people’s experiences made them “more worried” about having COVID-19, while 33% (108/319) said that it made them “less worried.” Illness severity and political affiliation were significant predictors of both information sharing and seeking.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that the benefits (and risks) associated with online health communities are germane to patients with acute illnesses such as COVID-19. It is recommended that public health officials and health care providers take a proactive approach to cultivating professionally moderated forums supporting peer-to-peer engagement during future outbreaks of COVID-19 and other acute illnesses in order to improve patient outcomes and promote social support and connectedness among infected patients
Exploring Alternative Electron Donors for Heterotrophic Denitrification at a Water Reclamation Facility in Tampa Bay
No full textAn excess of nitrogen in water can pose problems, ranging from algal blooms to creating toxic environments for marine life. Therefore, wastewater treatment plants need to remove nitrogen from wastewater during the treatment process. Biological nitrogen removal is one process these plants may use, which commonly involves nitrification and denitrification, converting nitrogen in the form of ammonia to nitrate, and then ultimately nitrogen gas. The process of denitrification often requires an electron donor, and methanol is a common choice. However, it is flammable, and therefore there is a need to explore alternative electron donors. Alternative donors can include manufactured chemicals such as MicroC or industrial wastes such as brewery waste.
The main objective of this study was to explore the viability of MicroC and brewery waste as electron donors for denitrification. This objective was completed by completing three sub-objectives. The first was to collect data on the full-scale filters at the South Cross Bayou (SCB) facility by measuring ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and total nitrogen concentrations, pH, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and turbidity of influent samples before and after methanol addition, and effluent samples from the filters. The second objective was to re-design, construct, and start up a pilot system located at SCB to test methanol, MicroC, and brewery waste. Finally, the third objective was to conduct batch testing using methanol, MicroC, and brewery waste as the electron donors.
Results from the full-scale filters showed denitrification performance with no statistical differences between summer and winter seasons, but differences could be attributed to differences in hydraulic loading rates. Often, hydraulic loading rates in the summer are higher, which signifies higher flow rates. Higher flow rates through the filter can reduce contact time, which reduces the performance of the filter.
Re-design of the pilot system included conducting particle size tests on media samples from the north and south pilot filters and a pool filter sand sample from Florida Silica Sand Company, and calculation of chemical flow rates so the appropriate chemical pumps and storage containers could be obtained. The media analysis results showed that the south pilot media had a uniformity coefficient of 2.81. Since it has a wider range of particle sizes, the finer particles may clog the pores between the coarser particles. Media with a particle size distribution similar to the north pilot was purchased as a replacement, but the particle size analysis showed that the media was finer, although it was more uniform in size with a uniformity coefficient of 1.25. Additionally, the results of the flow rate calculations showed that chemical flow rates are dependent on the hydraulic loading rate, and in the case of brewery waste, also dependent on the COD content. Chemical analysis of samples without the addition of electron donor showed minimal denitrification. The nitrate concentration was reduced from 8.2 mg NO3--N/L to 5.7 mg NO3--N/L.
The results from the batch testing showed that denitrification performance for methanol and MicroC are similar, with nitrate removal efficiencies of 95% for methanol and 98% for MicroC. Brewery waste had the lowest efficiencies. MicroC had the highest first-order decay constant at 2.7 s-1, with methanol and brewery waste having decay constants of 2 s-1 and 0.96 s-1 respectively. For brewery waste, there are costs associated with transport, potential pre-treatment, and characterization of the brewery waste. Depending on the results of the characterization, different storage volumes may be needed, and changes may need to be made to the dosing mechanism. Therefore, additional testing and economic analysis will be needed, and MicroC may be the best option
For Love or Money: Investor Motivations in Equity-Based Crowdfunding
No full textCrowdfunding is an increasingly popular method for entrepreneurial ventures to raise financing from a large number of small supporters (the “crowd”) instead of raising it through a small number of larger supporters. Crowdfunding is normally conducted through online platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, where the entrepreneurial venture runs a campaign directly seeking support from individual funders. Most of the research into crowdfunding to date has been focused on what elements of the crowdfunding campaign lead to eventual successful funding, especially in the rewards-based crowdfunding space. The comparatively new equity-based crowdfunding has not been as heavily researched and is technically closer to venture capital investment than the more common rewards-based crowdfunding. In this dissertation, I focused on the characteristics that motivate individual investors to engage in equity-based crowdfunding and that inform how they choose which campaigns to support. This was done following Elaborated Action Design Research (eADR), including the creation of a conceptual model and the testing of the model through a survey of equity-based crowdfunding participants. The created artifact was then used in the guidance of an equity-based crowdfunding campaign with analysis of a case study. This study contributes to the understanding of the motivations and influences of equity-based crowdfunding investors. This research empowers practitioners in the crowdfunding space to leverage investor motivations effectively and strategically, ultimately contributing to more impactful and successful crowdfunding endeavors
Institutional and Individual Approaches to Change in Undergraduate STEM Education: Two Framework Analyses
No full textThe overarching goal of this dissertation is to examine institutional change initiatives in STEM and to understand the impact of engaging with a specific change strategy on a biochemistry educator’s instructional practice. Institutional change initiatives involve executing an intentional strategy to influence teaching practices within a specific institution. This research investigates NSF-funded change initiatives at three public research universities that were focused on encouraging the adoption of evidenced-based instructional practices (EBIPs) by STEM faculty. As part of an effort to understand how the three institutions approached this task, framework analysis was performed using the initiative’s annual reports to NSF. Further examination of the interaction between Community of Practice (CoP), a type of enacted change strategy, and how its impact’s an instructor’s use of EBIPs related to assessment. Instructors make assessment decisions based on their knowledge and experiences. Assessment practice is an essential element of instruction, and the outcomes of assessments have a broad impact on both students and instructors. Efforts to provide strengths-focused, relevant professional development support regarding assessment are enhanced by greater understanding of the complex nature of assessment practices. In this study, the Teacher Assessment Literacy in Practice (TALiP) framework was used along with framework analysis methodologies to guide our investigation of one biochemistry instructor’s assessment literacy, relevant to her integration of a biochemistry threshold concept, the physical basis of interactions (PBI), into her course. Analysis revealed that community support and self-reflection influenced the instructor’s enactment of specific assessments aligned with her instructional goals
Adsorption of Long and Short Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) onto Granular Activated Carbon and Porous Organic Polymers
No full textPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made environmental contaminants causing increasing global concern due to their adverse effect on environmental and human health. Conventional treatment methods are ineffective in removing short-chain PFAS because of their hydrophilicity and resistance to degradation. This study is to design an appropriate adsorption system to remove both long- and short-chain PFSA at environmentally relevant concentrations and conditions. Four primary research tasks were designed to evaluate the performance of a structurally-tunable and chemically-stable porous organic polymers (POPs) for PFAS removal under realistic environmental conditions, including the assessment of POPs’ performance without co-contaminants (Chapter 2), the assessment of their performance under the presence of co-contaminants (Chapter 3), the identification of appropriate regenerant concentration for POPs (Chapter 4), and the investigation of hybrid adsorption systems capable of successfully removing a full range of PFAS (Chapter 5).
This study investigated the short-chain PFAS removal efficiency of amine-functionalized POPs, methoxy group functionalized POP, and β-CD functionalized POP. These adsorbents were evaluated for their ability to remove short-chain PFAS at initial concentrations of approximately 400 ng/L. Amine-functionalized POP (POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl) and methoxy group functionalized POP (POP-Py-4-OCH3) demonstrated impressive removal efficiency of 96.8% and 99.3% for PFBA at the dosage of 0.04 g/L. Furthermore, among the characteristics of POPs, it was observed that comonomer charge, ζ potential, and macro and mesopore volume exhibited a positive correlation with removal efficiency. This finding provides valuable insights into the material synthesis that can be optimized to enhance the adsorption of short-chain PFAS. Kinetic and isotherm studies demonstrated that POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl and POP-Py-4-OCH3 exhibited high adsorption capacities for both long-chain and short-chain PFAS, and rapid kinetics leading to equilibrium times of less than 15 minutes.
pH in the range of 5 to 9 had minimal impact on the performance of POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl and POP-Py-4-OCH3. Their PFAS removal efficiency remained consistent across the typical pH range in natural waters. Among the co-contaminants, inorganic anions such as Cl- had negligible interference with PFBA removal. However, the presence of organic matter (OM) and long-chain PFAS had a significant impact, leading to a decrease in the adsorption capacity of POPs. Despite this, POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl and POP-Py-4-OCH3 demonstrated high removal efficiency in the presence of co-contaminants, indicating their potential as reliable adsorbents for the remediation of PFAS-contaminated water.
The combination of 10% NaCl and 30% methanol is the efficient and practical option for regenerating PFAS-loaded POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl and POP-Py-4-OCH3. Additionally, the outstanding reusability of those two POPs was demonstrated with the selected regeneration condition after five adsorption and desorption cycles. Co-adsorbed OM on POP-Py-4-NH2-CH3Cl and POP-Py-4-OCH3 resulted in a slight decrease in regeneration efficiency by 6.5% and 8.7%, respectively. However, the findings highlight the excellent regeneration ability of those two POPs in complex water matrices.
Rapid small scale column tests (RSSCTs) revealed that short-chain PFAS exhibited faster breakthroughs than long-chain PFAS in both POP and granular activated carbon (GAC) columns. The hybrid adsorption system (GAC and POP column in series) exhibited an extended service life compared to the GAC stand-alone and POP stand-alone systems. The capital cost, operation & maintenance (O&M) cost, and annualized cost were found to be closely linked to the adsorbent cost. Considering the cost of producing POPs at 100 $/kg on a commercial scale, it was determined that they could provide a cost-effective solution for removing both long-chain and short-chain PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations and under realistic conditions.
Overall, this research contributes to understanding PFAS removal using structurally-tunable and chemically-stable POPs under realistic environmental conditions. The characteristics of the designed POPs make them a highly promising and stable absorbent. It enables fast and effective removal of short-chain PFAS. The results also demonstrate the potential for POPs to be implemented in full-scale PFAS-contaminated water treatment systems
What’s with the Water: The Nature of Reporting on the Problem of Nitrates in Nebraska
No full textThis article examines how 22 Nebraska newspapers and a wire service covered nitrate contamination in Nebraska’s groundwater over nearly 4 years. We found coverage lacked depth and examined a few solutions although 88% of Nebraskans get drinking water from the ground. Reliance on fertilizer and irrigation for crop production leads to groundwater contamination, making this a concerning coverage gap as climate change impacts promise to make farming more challenging and increase environmental risks
Effect of the intensity of Instagram usage as a social media tool on conspicuous consumption
No full textAs internet usage grew, social media sites proliferated, and consumers began to use them more frequently. On social media, people share their daily lives, but they also express what they want to symbolize. This sharing includes conspicuous buying or consumption, presenting both opportunities and challenges for organizations. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate how the intensity of Instagram’s usage as a social media platform affects conspicuous consumption. The data was gathered through a questionnaire administered to Instagram users (N = 230). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) determined the effect of the intensity of Instagram’s usage as a social media platform on conspicuous consumption. According to the findings, the intensity of Instagram usage influenced the dimensions of conspicuous consumption (status, social impact, and sociability). By emphasizing conspicuous consumption, companies have an opportunity to impress their customers
Cave Research Foundation Newsletter, Volume 51, No. 3, August 2023
No full textContents: President\u27s Column -- CRF Received $1,585 from Amazon Donation Program -- CRF\u27s Hamilton Valley Facility Transitions to Long-Term Maintenance -- Google Group for Eastern Operations -- Regional Expedition Reportshttps://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cave_research_foundation/1111/thumbnail.jp
