Women and WASH in Nepal: a scoping review of existing literature

ABSTRACT

The relationship between gender and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is an issue for many developing states. This scoping review demonstrates that in Nepal, women bear the major social burden of inadequate WASH services and are under-represented in WASH-related policies and programmes. Four themes emerge: gender and water projects; lack of equal female participation in WASH policy development and implementation; women’s access to water; and menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Major cultural barriers embedded in Nepali society limit women’s access, agency and participation in WASH-related policy and practice.     

Assessment of Escherichia coli O157:H7-specific bacteriophages e11/2 and e4/1c in model broth and hide environments

The efficacy of bacteriophages e11/2 and e4/1c as potential biocontrol agents for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in food applications was assessed under conditions relevant to the food chain environment. The stability of each phage was determined following exposure to varying environmental conditions (pH, temperature, water activity, and sodium chloride) and the ability of each phage to infect and reduce E. coli O157:H7 numbers under selected conditions was also examined. Both e11/2 and e4/1c significantly (p < 0.05) reduced numbers of E. coli O157:H7 when exposed to pH values ranging from pH > 4 to pH 9, temperatures from 4 °C to 37 °C, water activity values of 0.87 or 0.91 to 1.00 and NaCl concentrations of 1% to 2.5%. Subsequently, a cocktail of both phages was used (e11/2 and e4/1c) to assess reduction of E. coli O157:H7 on cattle hide pieces. This involved inoculating pieces of hide (20 × 20 cm) with E. coli O157:H7 (approximately 10⁶ cfu/cm²) which were subsequently treated with either a suspension of a phage cocktail, consisting of e11/2 and e4/1c (multiplicity of infection of 1000 and 10,000, respectively) or water or not treated. Two different investigations were carried out; immediately or 1 h after treatment application was performed in different experiments. Swab samples taken immediately after phage treatment showed no significant (p > 0.05) reduction of E. coli O157:H7 numbers compared to the water treated or untreated samples. However, an extended exposure time of 1 h following phage application revealed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) (1.5 log₁₀ cfu/cm² reduction) in E. coli O157:H7 numbers compared to the numbers recovered on samples treated with water only. These findings demonstrate the potential use of e11/2 and e4/1c phages as a biocontrol agent for E. coli O157:H7 within various stages of the food chain, including on cattle hide.     

Psychotherapists' attitudes toward clients reporting mystical experiences.

Studied the proportion of therapy clients who report mystical experiences, the diagnostic attitudes of their therapists, and the influence of personal and professional factors on attitudes toward these clients by analyzing the survey responses of 285 32–82 yr old psychotherapists (primarily males). Of the 20,670 clients seen during a 12-mo period, 4.5% reported a mystical experience; 67% of Ss had seen at least one such client during that period. Psychodynamic and behavioral therapists attributed significantly more pathology to such clients than did humanistic/existential therapists. Responses suggested that some therapists were biased in their diagnostic attitudes toward clients reporting mystical experiences. 50% of Ss said they had personally had a mystical experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Boundary issues and multiple relationships: Fantasy and reality.

Psychologists regularly struggle with boundary issues and multiple relationships. Knowing which boundary crossings are acceptable, when a behavior becomes a boundary violation, and which multiple relationships are acceptable and which are not can present great challenges for practicing psychologists. Furthermore, for those who work with diverse populations, these challenges may become even more pronounced. A rational approach to addressing boundaries and multiple relationships is presented along with 4 expert commentaries that further elucidate these issues. Special attention is paid to the role of culture and other diversity factors as they affect how psychologists address boundaries and multiple relationships. Recommendations for ethical and effective practice that incorporate rational decision making and attention to individual differences are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Update on and Advances in Assessment and Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents.

Most child psychologists would agree that treating anxiety disorders in children is extremely challenging at times but also rewarding. This article provides an updated look at assessment strategies and promising psychosocial treatment techniques for children with 3 common anxiety disorders: separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. The need for comprehensive diagnostic evaluations is highlighted through information on the wide range of assessment procedures and instruments available to practicing psychologists interested in treating anxious youth. In addition, a treatment approach shown to be empirically efficacious for treating anxious children, cognitive-behavioral therapy, is described. We provide practical examples of assessment and treatment techniques for clinical practice. Tables are included that can serve as useful quick references for the 3 areas covered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Solubilisation of dye-loaded zeolite L nanocrystals

Solubilisation of zeolite L nanocrystals in different solvents is reported. Grafting alkoxysilane derivatives with a hydrophobic part leads to transparent suspensions in non-polar solvents while modification with a positively charged complex leads to solubilisation in water.     

Effects of context on auditory stream segregation.

The authors examined the effect of preceding context on auditory stream segregation. Low tones (A), high tones (B), and silences (-) were presented in an ABA- pattern. Participants indicated whether they perceived 1 or 2 streams of tones. The A tone frequency was fixed, and the B tone was the same as the A tone or had 1 of 3 higher frequencies. Perception of 2 streams in the current trial increased with greater frequency separation between the A and B tones (Δf). Larger Δf in previous trials modified this pattern, causing less streaming in the current trial. This occurred even when listeners were asked to bias their perception toward hearing 1 stream or 2 streams. The effect of previous Δf was not due to response bias because simply perceiving 2 streams in the previous trial did not cause less streaming in the current trial. Finally, the effect of previous Δf was diminished, though still present, when the silent duration between trials was increased to 5.76 s. The time course of this context effect on streaming implicates the involvement of auditory sensory memory or neural adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)