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Presumed Incompetent is a pathbreaking account of the intersecting roles of race, gender, and class in the working lives of women faculty of color. Through personal narratives and qualitative empirical studies, more than 40 authors expose the daunting challenges faced by academic women of color as they navigate the often hostile terrain of higher education, including hiring, promotion, tenure, and relations with students, colleagues, and administrators. The narratives are filled with wit, wisdom, and concrete recommendations, and provide a window into the struggles of professional women in a racially stratified but increasingly multicultural America.

The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Baselines report classified 71% of the global population as having access to ‘safely managed’ drinking water. Current global monitoring efforts to track access to safely managed drinking water rely on collecting information on the ‘primary’ source of drinking water. However, there is evidence that households often rely on multiple sources to meet their water needs in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This systematic review was designed to compile the literature related to the practice of multiple water source use (MWSU) for drinking water in LMICs. A total of 5,318 studies were collected, and after abstract and full-text review, 74 articles were identified for inclusion. Studies reviewed reported from 4 to 100% of the study populations practicing MWSU. Additionally, the practice of supplemental unimproved source use was reported globally, representing households with improved primary source water also accessing unimproved water sources throughout the year. These findings expose gaps in current global water monitoring efforts, revealing potential inflation of reports of ‘safe drinking water access’ and unaccounted exposure to drinking water from unimproved sources.

Billions of the world's poorest households are faced with the lack of access to both safe drinking water and clean cooking. One solution to microbiologically contaminated water is boiling, often promoted without acknowledging the additional risks incurred from indoor air degradation from using solid fuels. This modeling study explores the trade-off of increased air pollution from boiling drinking water under multiple contamination and fuel use scenarios typical of low-income settings. We calculated the total change in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from household air pollution (HAP) and diarrhea from fecal contamination of drinking water for scenarios of different source water quality, boiling effectiveness, and stove type. We used Uganda and Vietnam, two countries with a high prevalence of water boiling and solid fuel use, as case studies. Boiling drinking water reduced the diarrhea disease burden by a mean of 1,100 DALYs and 367 DALYs per 10,000 people for those under and over 5 y of age in Uganda, respectively, for high-risk water quality and the most efficient (lab-level) boiling scenario, with smaller reductions for less-contaminated water and ineffective boiling. Similar results were found in Vietnam, though with fewer avoided DALYs in children under 5 y of age due to different demographics. In both countries, for households with high baseline HAP from existing solid fuel use, adding water boiling to cooking on a given stove was associated with a limited increase in HAP DALYs due to the log-linear exposure-response curves. Boiling, even at low effectiveness, was associated with net DALY reductions for medium- and high-risk water, even with unclean stoves/fuels. Use of clean stoves coupled with effective boiling significantly reduced total DALYs. Boiling water generally resulted in net decreases in DALYs. Future efforts should empirically measure health outcomes from HAP vs. diarrhea associated with boiling drinking water using field studies with different boiling methods and stove types. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15059.

Vector control is an essential component of malaria prevention that has contributed to the reduction in malaria burden since 2000. Although steady progress in malaria vector control has been achieved over the years, the malaria burden remains substantial, underscoring the need for complementary mosquito control tools to further reduce transmission. Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) are a novel vector control tool under evaluation. The ATSB paradigm leverages the sugar feeding and resting behavior of mosquitoes exposing them to the lethal effect of an added insecticide. Prior to epidemiological trials on ATSBs in western Kenya, validation studies were conducted to assess the levels of mosquito feeding on attractive sugar baits (ASBs), containing uranine dye. This study sought to understand the ATSB deployment required in peridomestic spaces and to determine the daily feeding rates that would be potentially sufficient to impact malaria transmission (based on modelling approaches). The study evaluated whether the deployment of two versus three bait stations per structure led to higher daily feeding rates by local malaria vectors that is consistent with the modelled threshold of 2.5% of all mosquitoes in the target area as a proxy for ATSB efficacy resulting in a 30% drop in clinical incidence in children under 5. The study followed a cross-over design in ten treatment and two control clusters within Rarieda Sub-County, Siaya County, western Kenya. Within each intervention cluster, either two or three ASBs were deployed to all structures in each cluster. After two months, the treatments were switched so that clusters which initially received two ASBs were given three ASBs and vice versa. ASB monitoring was done for four months during the initial crossover trial and then for an additional four months for extended monitoring. Mosquitoes were collected using ultraviolet CDC light traps and Prokopack aspiration indoors and outdoors then identified based on morphological characteristics and screened for fluorescence due to the uranine dye. Molecular species identification was done using polymerase chain reaction and sporozoite infectivity tests by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data analysis was performed using R statistical software. The predominant malaria vector was An. funestus sensu lato (s.l.), which had an overall dye feeding rate of 11.2%. This was followed by An. gambiae s.l. at 3.5%. These corresponded to daily feeding rates of 4.8% and 1.2%, respectively. Sporozoite positivity rates were 2.3% (n = 29) in An. funestus s.l and 1.0% (n = 19) in An. gambiae s.l. Higher dye positivity was observed in male An. funestus (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.03,1.46; P = 0.029) and male An. gambiae (OR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.19,4.08; P = 0.015). Comparison of the impact of 2 versus 3 bait stations indicated no difference in feeding rates in either An. funestus (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.40; 1.75), P = 0.624) or An. gambiae (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.71, 1.71; P = 0.661). The results from this study showed that predominant malaria vectors; Anopheles funestus led to a daily feeding rate that was presumed to be sufficient to cause a reduction in malaria incidence by ATSBs. There was no significant difference detected between deploying two or three bait stations per structure. The study provided important information utilized in the subsequent deployment of ATSBs in epidemiological trials.

India is famous for her badlands. These vast, intensely degraded landscapes occur extensively across Central and Western India, wherein they have had several adverse effects on both environment and society. However, accurate information on their current spatial extents, as well as the spatial distribution and severity of gully erosion elsewhere in the country was hitherto lacking. Considering that India has planned to effectively halt land degradation by 2030 in line with the agenda of the United Nations, and as precise spatial data is indispensable in planning and implementing land management interventions, we have created an exhaustive spatial inventory of gully erosion features in India by recording their location, extents and current management status from high-resolution satellite imagery available on Google Earth Pro. Through this first of its kind mapping endeavour and attendant spatial analysis, we have recorded the presence of gully landforms in 19 of India’s 28 states and the National Capital Region of Delhi and have estimated the total gullied area in the country between 7,451 and 8,157 km 2 . According to our results, states occupying 38% of Indian territory ( viz. , Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh) are affected by 92% of the total gullied area of the country. We have noted a clear east-west divide in terms of the relative dominance of the mapped gully erosion features, with badlands being common in Western India and gully systems being the dominant gully feature in the east. A similar observation has interestingly also been made as regards gully management, with the major proportion of unmanaged gully erosion features occurring in Eastern India. Ultimately, we have identified 77 districts across India where urgent rehabilitative intervention is required, more than 70% of which are in Eastern and Southern India where unmanaged (active) gullies are common. That contemporary gully erosion in Eastern India poses a more serious land management challenge than that of the vast badlands of Central and Western India is a truly unexpected finding of our analysis. Our mapped data and analytical results shall be integral to efforts aiming to ameliorate the land degradation caused by gully erosion across India by supporting policymaking and planning at the governmental level and serving as useful guidance for land managers and practitioners on the ground.

Mass-release of sterile male mosquitoes is a promising option for controlling dengue and malaria, but it has never been shown that lab-raised transgenic males can compete effectively with their wild counterparts outside laboratory conditions. Promising results from a restricted field trail now suggest the feasibility of extending the approach for large-scale mosquito-control programs. Dengue is the most medically important arthropod-borne viral disease, with 50–100 million cases reported annually worldwide 1 . As no licensed vaccine or dedicated therapy exists for dengue, the most promising strategies to control the disease involve targeting the predominant mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti . However, the current methods to do this are inadequate. Various approaches involving genetically engineered mosquitoes have been proposed 2 , 3 , 4 , including the release of transgenic sterile males 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 . However, the ability of laboratory-reared, engineered male mosquitoes to effectively compete with wild males in terms of finding and mating with wild females, which is critical to the success of these strategies, has remained untested. We report data from the first open-field trial involving a strain of engineered mosquito. We demonstrated that genetically modified male mosquitoes, released across 10 hectares for a 4-week period, mated successfully with wild females and fertilized their eggs. These findings suggest the feasibility of this technology to control dengue by suppressing field populations of A. aegypti .

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality in young children. Diarrheal pathogens are transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and for children the majority of this transmission is thought to occur within the home. However, very few studies have documented enteric pathogens within households of low-income countries. The presence of molecular markers for three enteric viruses (enterovirus, adenovirus, and rotavirus), seven Escherichia coli virulence genes (ECVG), and human-specific Bacteroidales was assessed in hand rinses and household stored drinking water in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Using a matched case-control study design, we examined the relationship between contamination of hands and water with these markers and child diarrhea. We found that the presence of ECVG in household stored water was associated with a significant decrease in the odds of a child within the home having diarrhea (OR = 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.93). We also evaluated water management and hygiene behaviors. Recent hand contact with water or food was positively associated with detection of enteric pathogen markers on hands, as was relatively lower volumes of water reportedly used for daily hand washing. Enteropathogen markers in stored drinking water were more likely found among households in which the markers were also detected on hands, as well as in households with unimproved water supply and sanitation infrastructure. The prevalence of enteric pathogen genes and the human-specific Bacteroidales fecal marker in stored water and on hands suggests extensive environmental contamination within homes both with and without reported child diarrhea. Better stored water quality among households with diarrhea indicates caregivers with sick children may be more likely to ensure safe drinking water in the home. Interventions to increase the quantity of water available for hand washing, and to improve food hygiene, may reduce exposure to enteric pathogens in the domestic environment.

Just Transition, an organizing and policy framework that has emerged from the climate justice movement, is a powerful upstream response to health disparities created by structural subordination. As the public health field pushes itself to address the “cause of causes” of unjust health disparities, Just Transition offers new possibilities for partnership and collective action. We introduce the Just Transition framework, explain its relevance to the concerns of health justice advocates, and provide some examples of how the two movements might work together.

Attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) stations are a promising new approach to malaria vector control that could compliment current tools by exploiting the natural sugar feeding behaviors of mosquitoes. Recent proof of concept work with a prototype ATSB Sarabi Bait Station (Westham Co., Hod-Hasharon, Israel) has demonstrated high feeding rates and significant reductions in vector density, human biting rate, and overall entomological inoculation rate for Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) in the tropical savannah of western Mali. The study reported here was conducted in the more temperate, rainier region of Western Province, Zambia and was designed to confirm the primary vector species in region and to estimate corresponding rates of feeding from prototype attractive sugar bait (ASB) Sarabi Bait Stations. The product evaluated was the Sarabi v1.1.1 ASB station, which did not include insecticide but did include 0.8% uranine as a dye allowing for the detection, using UV fluorescence light microscopy, of mosquitoes that have acquired a sugar meal from the ASB. A two-phase, crossover study design was conducted in 10 village-based clusters in Western Province, Zambia. One study arm initially received 2 ASB stations per eligible structure while the other initially received 3. Primary mosquito sampling occurred via indoor and outdoor CDC Miniature UV Light Trap collection from March 01 through April 09, 2021 (Phase 1) and from April 19 to May 28, 2021 (Phase 2). The dominant vector in the study area is Anopheles funestus s.l., which was the most abundant species group collected (31% of all Anophelines; 45,038/144,5550), had the highest sporozoite rate (3.16%; 66 positives out of 2,090 tested), and accounted for 94.3% (66/70) of all sporozoite positive specimens. Of those An. funestus specimens further identified to species, 97.2% (2,090/2,150) were An. funestus sensu stricto (s.s.). Anopheles gambiae s.l. (96.8% of which were Anopheles arabiensis) is a likely secondary vector and Anopheles squamosus may play a minor role in transmission. Overall, 21.6% (9,218/42,587) of An. funestus specimens and 10.4% (201/1,940) of An. gambiae specimens collected were positive for uranine, translating into an estimated daily feeding rate of 8.9% [7.7-9.9%] for An. funestus (inter-cluster range of 5.5% to 12.7%) and 3.9% [3.3-4.7%] for An. gambiae (inter-cluster range of 1.0-5.2%). Feeding rates were no different among mosquitoes collected indoors or outdoors, or among mosquitoes from clusters with 2 or 3 ASBs per eligible structure. Similarly, there were no correlations observed between feeding rates and the average number of ASB stations per hectare or with weekly rainfall amounts. Anopheles funestus and An. gambiae vector populations in Western Province, Zambia readily fed from the prototype Sarabi v1.1.1 ASB sugar bait station. Observed feeding rates are in line with those thought to be required for ATSB stations to achieve reductions in malaria transmission when used in combination with conventional control methods (IRS or LLIN). These results supported the decision to implement a large-scale, epidemiological cluster randomized controlled trial of ATSB in Zambia, deploying 2 ATSB stations per eligible structure.

Green infrastructure (GI) mapping and monitoring is crucial in urban areas, and remote sensing is widely used to accomplish the task. Improved moderate resolution Sentinel-2A (10 m) and LandSat-8 (15 m) images, in place of commercial satellite images, enable GI mapping with little to no cost. Considering so, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the potential of GI feature extraction of Sentinel-2A (S2) and LandSat-8 (L8) (freely available images) using the Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) method. The advantage of using OBIA over pixel-based analysis has been investigated primarily with very high resolution images. Using OBIA, bottom up (i.e. Multiresolution) and top down (i.e. Spectral Difference) segmentation were implemented using eCognition to obtain image objects for both S2 and L8 images. Then, rule-based classification was performed to extract GI areas from the objects. NDVI, NDWI, NIR/R ratios were utilized in rule set development, after several trial and error process. Both S2 and L8 provided acceptable extraction of GI for urban areas. However, with an overall accuracy of 71.24%, S2 was more effective when extracting GI areas. Shadows along roads and high rise buildings caused some inaccuracy in classification.