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ABSTRACT Laundering of textiles—clothing, linens, and cleaning cloths—functionally removes dirt and bodily fluids, which prevents the transmission of and reexposure to pathogens as well as providing odor control. Thus, proper laundering is key to controlling microbes that cause illness and produce odors. The practice of laundering varies from region to region and is influenced by culture and resources. This review aims to define laundering as a series of steps that influence the exposure of the person processing the laundry to pathogens, with respect to the removal and control of pathogens and odor-causing bacteria, while taking into consideration the types of textiles. Defining laundering in this manner will help better educate the consumer and highlight areas where more research is needed and how to maximize products and resources. The control of microorganisms during laundering involves mechanical (agitation and soaking), chemical (detergent and bleach), and physical (detergent and temperature) processes. Temperature plays the most important role in terms of pathogen control, requiring temperatures exceeding 40°C to 60°C for proper inactivation, while detergents play a role in reducing the microbial load of laundering through the release of microbes attached to fabrics and the inactivation of microbes sensitive to detergents (e.g., enveloped viruses). The use of additives (enzymes) and bleach (chlorine and activated oxygen) becomes essential in washes with temperatures below 20°C, especially for certain enteric viruses and bacteria. A structured approach is needed that identifies all the steps in the laundering process and attempts to identify each step relative to its importance to infection risk and odor production. 

The AzRISE-TEP Solar Test Yard is a 600-module capacity test bed that provides the environment for in-situ testing of PV module performance, with real-time data collection of module power production and local weather conditions. This work involves the examination of flexible, semi-transparent, organic photovoltaic (OPV) modules in an outdoor testing environment to study degradation in the hot, arid, Tucson, AZ climate. The work reports on changes in the I-V performance and efficiency of a string of two OPV modules in order to estimate degradation experienced by the OPV modules. The study finds that the module string under test dropped to below 80% of its initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) after 54.58 days, and predicts that the PCE will drop below 50% of its initial state after 114.53 days from deployment. Keywords: Organic Photovoltaics, OPV, degradation, field testing, reliability, outdoor 

Abstract The work described is motivated by an inability to extend central infrastructure for power and water to low-population-density areas of the Navajo Nation and elsewhere. It is estimated that 35% of the Navajo population haul water for household use, frequently from unregulated sources of poor initial quality. The proposed household-scale, solar-driven nanofiltration (NF) system designs are economically optimized to satisfy point-of-use water purification objectives. The systems also provide electrical energy for a degree of nighttime household illumination. Results support rational design of multiple-component purification systems consisting of solar panels, a high-pressure pump, NF membranes, battery storage and an electrical control unit subject to constraints on daily water treatment and excess energy generation. The results presented are conditional (based on initial water quality, membrane characteristics and geography) but can be adapted to satisfy alternative treatment objectives in alternate geographic, etc. settings. The unit costs of water and energy from an optimized system that provides 100 gpd (1 gallon is 3.78 L) and 2 kWh/day of excess electrical energy are estimated at $0.16 per 100 gallons of water treated and $0.26 per kWh of nighttime electrical energy delivered. Methods can be used to inform dispersed infrastructure design subject to alternate constraint sets in similarly remote areas.