Ephemeral by design

Ganesha Chaturthi is a grand festival celebrated all over India, in the month of September, every year. Approximately Rs. 20,000/- crores of income is generated throughout the country during the 10 days of festival. After the celebrations and prayers, the Ganesha idols are immersed in nearby water bodies such as a river, lake or ocean. The Ganesha idols are supposed to be made with clay, which is a degradable material which can also be helpful for the growth of plants. But, for the purpose of attracting the buyers, the Ganesha idol makers use Plaster of Paris (POP), and paints mixed with hazardous chemicals and chromium, zinc, mercury and arsenic which are non-degradable. An attempt has been made by the researchers to understand the steps taken by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike [BBMP] for the smooth execution of immersion process, effective waste management and promote the use of eco-friendly Ganesha for worship in Bengaluru city.

This article describes contents, paleographic, linguistic, and liturgical features of one of the Syriac manuscripts of the Vatican Library, Vat. sir. 351, dating back to the 15th century. A large part of the manuscript is written by one scribe with a very fine and professional handwriting, but there are also insertions of other scribes, two of them we know by their names indicated in the margins (Yusuf, Salam). The manuscript is written mostly in classical Syriac, but some rubrics and texts are written in Arabic. The Menaion contains texts of the Holy Scripture: readings from the Apostol and the Gospel in the beginning of the manuscript, then in the Menaion part — prokimena, alleluiaria, communion hymns, New Testament readings for matins and liturgy, psalms of the great hours and selected psalms (eklogai) for singing after the polyeleos on great feasts. We may suggest that the scribe planned to include the entire Menaion for the whole year, from September to August, in one volume. However, this experiment remained incomplete: services for every day can be found only in the beginning and in the end of the manuscript (months of September, October, part of November, August), while other months contain a selection of the most festive days. Thus, the manuscript cannot be fully characterized by terms like a “Monthly Menaion” or a “Festal Menaion”. Days without services contain only indications of the date, names of the saints, often with addition of stichera, troparion and kontakion, always with indications of readings for the liturgy; the scribe usually left an empty space after the date, due to lack of time or inability to find the necessary texts. The changes from daily services to festive selection and vice versa are situated not far from large portions written by other scribes.

This paper explored residual conditions of vacant lots in a residential-commercial mixed-use district in Tokyo and estimated the accessibility effects of utilizing vacant lots as an open space. The study was conducted in Kanda area, Chiyoda-Ward, a typical mixed residential-commercial mixed-use district. First, we conducted an on-site survey and classified the vacant lots into four types based on their remaining duration and scale. Findings suggest that small-scale and long-term vacant lots were distributed mainly in Kanda areas, most used as parking lots. Few large-scale and long-term vacant lots would be recognized as open space even under the current law. Next, we compared the utilization effects of vacant lots in terms of accessibility by neighborhood land use and building density characteristics. As a result, utilization of a cluster of vacant lots was more effective in dense areas with a lack of public open space. On the other hand, it was found that the utilization of vacant land based on the current law is insufficient to alleviate the open space shortage in dense areas. To determine which vacant land should be prioritized for future development, a further evaluation of spatial accessibility and site condition is needed.

The study’s objective was to treat and repurpose some physical and chemical water contaminants for use in agriculture. It also included the analysis and assessment of certain pollutants compatible with heavy metals. The implementation of the phytoremediation method to treat agricultural waste water was the subject of the study. The purpose of this research is to find out whether Ceratophyllum demersum and Lemna minor.L can be used to remediate water that has been used for farming. For irrigation or other purposes, the research took place in the months of September, October, and November 2023 AD. We looked at and tested a few pollutants, including pH. The study found a noticeable divergence in the measured values of many heavy metals, including pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrates (NO3), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). Research into the feasibility of using C. demersum and L. minor plants to purify agricultural effluent is the primary objective of this project. For irrigation or other purposes, the research took place in the months of September, October, and November 2023 AD. We looked at and tested a few pollutants, including pH. It was shown from the results that the pH values tended to be basic despite the treatment, as they ranged between 7.7-7.8. In terms of treatment techniques, the plant treatment produced the greatest reductions in biological oxygen requirement (BOD5) values. Following treatment, its concentration dropped from 10.4 mg/L to 1.28 and 2.72 mg/L, with removal rates for the solids of both plants being 87.69% and 73.85%, respectively. When compared to the agricultural waste water, total dissolved substances (TDS) clearly indicated a considerable difference. as their concentrations decreased from 1522 mg/L to 844 and 1064 mg/L, with removal rates reaching 44.55% and 30.09%, respectively, for both plants after treatment. Plant nutrients represented by nitrates (NO3) were also recorded. A significant decrease using plant treatment, where the nitrate values after treatment reached 0.65 and 0.37 mg/L, with removal rates of 82.89% and 90.26%, respectively, for both plants. Regarding heavy metals, plant treatment had a high role in removing lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) with high rates of removal efficiency, as lead recorded a value of 0.98 mg/L in the agricultural waste water before treatment, and it became 0 and 0.04 mg/L with removal efficiency. 100% and 95.92%, respectively, for both plants. As for cadmium metal, the plant treatment recorded complete removal of it, reaching 0 and 0 mg/L, with a removal efficiency of 100% and 100%, respectively, for both plants, after its percentage in the agricultural waste water was 0.073 mg/L before treatment.

Street outreach workers comb public places such as parks, vacant lots, and abandoned waterfronts to search for young people who are living out in public spaces, if not always in the public eye. Street Kids opens a window to the largely hidden world of street youth, drawing on their detailed and compelling narratives to give new insight into the experiences of youth homelessness and youth outreach. Kristina Gibson argues that the enforcement of quality of life ordinances in New York City has spurred hyper-mobility amongst the city’s street youth population and has serious implications for social work with homeless youth. Youth in motion have become socially invisible and marginalized from public spaces where social workers traditionally contact them, jeopardizing their access to the already limited opportunities to escape street life. The culmination of a multi-year ethnographic investigation into the lives of street outreach workers and ‘their kids’ on the streets of New York City, Street Kids illustrates the critical role that public space regulations and policing play in shaping the experience of youth homelessness and the effectiveness of street outreach.

Amidst the debates on the death or resurgence of public spaces emerges a significant question: how could public spaces that function at different urban scales and cater for diverse collective needs be provided? This article explores the roles and potentials of temporary public spaces in meeting diverse challenges related to the supply and use of urban open spaces. Positioning temporary public spaces within the literature on non-conventional public spaces is conducted with the purpose of identifying those spaces' characteristics. The proposed definition of temporary public spaces is based on their dynamic status of use-rights. Moreover, a conceptual framework based on urban land economics and bid rent theory is used to explain how such spaces transform under the exchange of temporary use-rights to activate vacant urban lots for public activities. This conceptual framework is applied in the case of a grass root approach to the supply of temporary public spaces. The context is Beirut, a city that has lost its public spaces due to wars and is trying to reintroduce them through different supply mechanisms. The examples illustrate how homogeneous urban spaces are identified over time and converted into heterogeneous and lively temporary public spaces. These contribute towards conviviality in a highly fragmented and multi-cultural society and animate everyday urban life.

This study assessed the phytoplankton composition in Irong-Irong Bay, Western Samar, Philippines. Recurring red tide bans were imposed in this bay due to the elevated levels of saxitoxin that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning primarily produced by Pyrodinium bahamense. Despite the presence of mariculture sites, Irong-Irong Bay has very little or nil data on its overall phytoplankton composition. Monthly field samplings were conducted to observe the phytoplankton community structure during an episode of persistent red tide bans from September–December 2017. Physico- chemical parameters (e.g. temperature, salinity, transparency, pH, nutrient concentration) were measured. A total of 64 species of phytoplankton were observed and counted. The lowest mean cell density of phytoplankton was recorded in the month of November (3.1 x 104 cells/L), whereas December (37 x 104 cells/L) had the highest mean cell density but lowest values for species diversity (H’ = 0.942), richness (Dmn = 0.037), and evenness (J = 0.307). Pseudo-nitzschia dominated in the months of September (3.1 x 104 cells/L) and November (0.43 x 104 cells/L), whereas Skeletonema dominated in the months of October (9.9 x 104 cells/L) and December (29 x 104 cells/L). Pyrodinium bahamense was present in all sampling months with a total mean cell density of 0.08 x 104 cells/L but was never the dominant species. The low cell count relative to other Pyrodinium blooms may be accounted for by the presence of Noctiluca scintillans, its potential predator. Noctiluca scintillans was present in all sampling months. It peaked during the month of November with a mean cell density of 0.32 x 104 cells/L. A significant negative correlation was detected between the cell densities of these two dinoflagellates, providing evidence of the potential interactive relationship between these two species.

Data were compiled and analysed from experiments done over a 10-year period on the acceleration and delay of sexual maturation of female house mice by urinary chemosignals from conspecific males and females. Distinct seasonal patterns emerged for control mice treated with water and for both the acceleration of maturation due to a chemosignal in male mouse urine and the delay of maturation which results from treatment with urine from grouped females. Urine from males accelerated puberty during the period March to September, but not during the months of October through February. Urine from grouped females delayed puberty for the months of September to April, but not for the period May through August.

Introduction: The Public Health Information and Epidemiological Cell (PHIEC) of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) utilizes the Geographic Information System (GIS) enabled integrated surveillance for collection, integration, analysis and reporting of geo-referenced epidemiological diseases in Bangalore city. Dengue fever is an emerging disease and there are minimum studies conducted in India about the GIS enabled dengue surveillance system. Objective: To assess the relationship between dengue cases and vector indices as depicted in the GIS map. Methodology: Data regarding dengue confirmed cases was obtained from PHIEC and entomological surveillance data from Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC) for May to July 2017 in south zone of Bangalore city and active data collection was done for August and September 2017. Results: There was significant association between the number of dengue cases and the Breteau index in the month of September. However, there was no association between vector indices and the number of cases during the month of October. In some wards, contrary findings were noted between dengue vector indices and number of cases reported. Conclusion: There was a relationship between reported dengue cases and vector indices and there is a need for incorporation of entomological data into GIS system along with epidemiological and intervention data. Involvement of more private and government health care providers may help answer the gap between entomological data and number of dengue cases.

Thermal comfort is considered very important in aspects of risk assessment, summertime morbidity or in building designing. The present study applied Thom’s discomfort index (DI) to assess the trend of outdoor thermal discomfort in Mymensingh City during 2006-2015. It wasfound that December to February months was comparatively comfortable, DI values were typically <21 and therefore no people felt any discomfort in these months. On the other hand, under 50% population experienced discomfort during March and November months when discomfort valueswere ranged between 21- 24. From April to October months discomfort values varied from 25-27, which indicated thatover 50% population suffered from discomfort in this period. Though no extreme discomfort condition observed in Mymensingh city, the results revealed from June to September months most of the population suffered from severe discomfort in Mymensingh city due to the high air temperature, and high relative humidity.J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 10(2): 151-156 2017

Background:Dengue has emerged as a major public health problem in India. It presents more aggressively among younger age groups as compared to adults. Therefore, it necessitates the accurate estimation of prevalence in younger age groups.Materials and Method:Of all the 1026 clinically suspected cases of dengue up to the age of 18 years were enrolled in this study and grouped into four age groups (Group I - <0 to 1 year, Group II- 1 to 6 years, Group III- 7 to 12 years, and Group IV- 13 to 18 years). Their blood samples were aseptically collected from different clinical departments and were submitted to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), Department of Microbiology during the outbreak of 2016–17. Serum was separated and processed for dengue Non Structural Protein 1 antigen (NS1 Ag)and Immunoglobuline M antibody (IgM Ab) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All the relevant variables like age, sex, and demographic profile were recorded and statistically analyzed.Results:A total 295 of the 1026 cases were detected positive for dengue either by NS1 Ag or IgM Ab ELISA. The results show the susceptibility to dengue being increased in the order of age Group I to IV. We analyzed the outbreak of year 2016 and 2017, of these 159/483 (33%) cases and 136/543 (25%) cases, respectively, were found seropositive during these years. The months of September, October, and November are more prone to dengue infection.Conclusion:Group III and IV were more susceptible to dengue fever (DF). The months of postmonsoon season are more favorable for spread of dengue among different age groups of the population.

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic created a surge of patients with low-acuity influenza-like-illness (ILI) to hospital Emergency Departments (EDs). The development and results of a tiered surge plan to care for these patients at a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) were studied. By providing standard assessment and treatment algorithms within physically separate ILI Extension Areas, it was hypothesized that patient care could be streamlined and the quality of care maintained. Hospital administrators created the tiered H1N1 surge plan within the framework of the existing emergency operations plan (EOP). After the initial expansion of space and staff utilization within the existing PED footprint, ILI Extension Areas were opened and staffed by non-ED physicians and nursing to provide care rapidly for ILI patients after Registered Nurse (RN) screening. Volumes, length of stay (LOS), left without being seen (LWBS) rates, patient satisfaction, and costs were tracked and measured. Significantly elevated volumes of patients were seen in the months of September and October of 2009 (42.0% and 32.7% increase over 2008). During this time, 612 patients were triaged to the ILI Extension Areas. The LOS was similar to that experienced in prior years. The LWBS rates in September (4.8%) and October (3.4%) were slightly elevated over the 2009 yearly average (3.2%), but remained lower than during a prior, high-volume month. Satisfaction, measured as patients' "likelihood to recommend," remained within the range observed during other parts of the year. Cost estimates indicate favorable financial performance for the institution. The tiered surge response plan represented a success in managing large volumes of low-acuity patients during an extended period of time. This design can be utilized effectively in the future during times of patient surge.

It can be very complicated to determine soil temperatures with changing depth and time. Many factors such as soil composition and porosity, running, seeping or stationary water, ice, vegetation, trees, rain, snow, day and night temperature variations, global warming and human intervention, etc., affect soil temperature penetration. In this chapter, we will investigate seasonally averaged varying temperature effects on a specific type of soil. We will assume an average and constant surface temperature over a specific type of soil over 90 days. The average and constant surface temperature of soil in Winter months of December, January and February will be -4.44 C. The average and constant surface temperature of soil in Spring months of March, April and May will be +3.33 C. The average and constant surface temperature of soil in the Summer months of June, July and August will be +15.0 C. The average and constant surface temperature of soil in Fall months of September, October and November will be +5.55 C.

This essay has, as a main objective, to analyze the gender representations in the religious context, in relation to the perception and experience among the faithful and dissidents of evangelical organizations of the city of Uberlândia / MG. From an comprehensive and interpretative phenomenological perspective, it was considered the way that are produced the gender representations in the social spaces experienced by the surveyed women, from their constructions in the religious arrangement. The methodological approach includes methodologies such as bibliographical and semi-structured interviews, conducted with fifteen women residents of city of Uberlândia-MG who have presented in the course of their experiences, trajectory in the evangelical environment. The selection of actors took place between July and August 2018 and the interviews were conducted in the months of September and October, been the transcriptions concluded in November 2018. The synthesized results present the similarities between the women insertions into the religious organizations, highlighting the fundamental influence exercised by the family arrangement. They also point small changes that took place in the interest of evangelical institutions on the gender agreement, and in this regard, the ruptures that occurred from the unconformity with established practices.

Prevalence and Distribution of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus Infection in Small Ruminants