Jason VanHorn

Diarrhoea is the second-leading cause of death in Liberia, a sub-Saharan African country of 4.8 million people, with a majority living in rural villages. Diarrhoea has often been linked with poor water quality and malnutrition. Three organisations partnered to distribute point-of-use (POU) water filters to every household in Liberia without other access to safe water, documenting the distribution of filters to 101,706 households. Each such household was surveyed at a baseline, two weeks, and… Show more

Diarrhoea is the second-leading cause of death in Liberia, a sub-Saharan African country of 4.8 million people, with a majority living in rural villages. Diarrhoea has often been linked with poor water quality and malnutrition. Three organisations partnered to distribute point-of-use (POU) water filters to every household in Liberia without other access to safe water, documenting the distribution of filters to 101,706 households. Each such household was surveyed at a baseline, two weeks, and eight weeks. In addition to household characteristics, the prevalence of diar-rhoea was reported at each survey. Our goal was to determine the extent of the impact that POU filter use had on diarrhoea prevalence by age group, controlling for effects of water source, location, and household size. Overall, there was a 94.2% decrease in diarrhoea cases from baseline to the 8-week follow-up. We discuss the success of the intervention in decreasing diarrhoea prevalence. The filter distribu-tion focused on reaching remote villages, and providing access to clean water where there was none before. This study confirms that community-wide access to clean drinking water can reduce diarrhoea prevalence.

Subjects: Community Health; Global Health; Quality of Life
Keywords: diarrhoea; Liberia; POU filter; clean water Show less

Full List of authors (LinkedIn limits to 10 co-authors) Kristen R. Alford; Katherine D. Rosendale; Abdul Hafiz Koroma; Stacy L. DeRuiter; Randall Pruim; Jason E. VanHorn; Matthew Bone; Jared Deighton; Adam DenHaan; Jamison Koeman; Sadie Kornoelje; Blerta Lika; Abigail Stratton; Lydia Walls; Nathan Wang

In Liberia, access to safe water is not universal, and waterborne diseases like diarrhea run rampant. As part of a larger border-to-border clean water project in Liberia, hollow membrane… Show more

Full List of authors (LinkedIn limits to 10 co-authors) Kristen R. Alford; Katherine D. Rosendale; Abdul Hafiz Koroma; Stacy L. DeRuiter; Randall Pruim; Jason E. VanHorn; Matthew Bone; Jared Deighton; Adam DenHaan; Jamison Koeman; Sadie Kornoelje; Blerta Lika; Abigail Stratton; Lydia Walls; Nathan Wang

In Liberia, access to safe water is not universal, and waterborne diseases like diarrhea run rampant. As part of a larger border-to-border clean water project in Liberia, hollow membrane fiber filters were distributed to households in remote and/or small villages across Liberia. While filter efficacy has been demonstrated in the laboratory, studies of filter efficacy in real-world settings yield more mixed results. Intervention efficacy in Liberia was evaluated by assessing (1) user ability to correctly filter and backwash and (2) filter functioning at follow-up visits approximately 2 and 8 weeks post-intervention. Ultimately, the results supported the efficacy of this intervention. At arrival of both follow-ups, over 95% of filters were functioning properly and the majority of issues were resolved during visits. This supported the short-term durability of the filters and the importance of follow-up visits for repairs. Furthermore, the vast majority of households were able to correctly demonstrate filtering and backwashing: 88.47% at the first follow-up and 91.79% at the second. This slight increase may indicate the value of follow-up visits as educational tools. The widescale distribution of point-of-use filters as a mechanism for clean water should include on-going education and affordable filter repair and replacement opportunities. Show less

Landforms of the United States (1939) by Erwin Raisz is one of the best examples of cartographic excellence depicting the landscape based on underpinning geological structure. With the block diagram as the foundation for landform mapping, this paper details the development of the landform map comparing works and lives of two of the most prominent physiographic landform cartographers, Erwin Raisz and Armin K. Lobeck, who each had Dr. Douglas Johnson as a PhD advisor at Columbia University… Show more

Landforms of the United States (1939) by Erwin Raisz is one of the best examples of cartographic excellence depicting the landscape based on underpinning geological structure. With the block diagram as the foundation for landform mapping, this paper details the development of the landform map comparing works and lives of two of the most prominent physiographic landform cartographers, Erwin Raisz and Armin K. Lobeck, who each had Dr. Douglas Johnson as a PhD advisor at Columbia University. Comparing the 1921 Physiographic Diagram of the United States by Lobeck with the 1939 Raisz map, this paper argues that Raisz far exceeded Lobeck in the articulation of the landscape by way of the map. Show less

Erwin Raisz represents the vanguard of early Twentieth Century American cartography. Raisz’s ultimate aim was to build academic cartography as its own sub-discipline in geography. Forged in the crucible of Columbia and Harvard, Raisz published his seminal 1938 textbook General Cartography and used it to galvanize his goal to establish courses in cartography at all academic institutions and to build a cartographic society to advance research. This paper examines his strategy and argues for… Show more

Erwin Raisz represents the vanguard of early Twentieth Century American cartography. Raisz’s ultimate aim was to build academic cartography as its own sub-discipline in geography. Forged in the crucible of Columbia and Harvard, Raisz published his seminal 1938 textbook General Cartography and used it to galvanize his goal to establish courses in cartography at all academic institutions and to build a cartographic society to advance research. This paper examines his strategy and argues for Raisz’s academic life and background in the fertile grounds of Columbia University where geospatial thinking abounded in the 1920s. From there, how his textbook gave rise to the establishment of new cartography courses. Then, Raisz proposed his idea to organize cartographers into a new cartographic society in the early 1940s when he emerged as a leading voice in cartography and its human-networking champion. As chair of the Association of American Geographers’ Committee on Cartography, he used it as its own cartographic society to encourage the growth of academic cartography. He surveyed institutions post-World War II to understand where cartography courses were and their provenance to understand the progression of development. He acted as the networking glue to propel the academic cartography agenda forward beyond the 1950s. Show less

Fourteen-year-old Alabaster Dangermond, U.S.A. agent, has uncovered the nefarious agenda of Dr. Zerick Moonshae, who seeks to collect ancient artifacts sent around the world by a long dead Viking king.

After discovering new information about one of the lost ancient artifacts, Astrid’s Jewel, Alabaster and his partner, Turnkey Keystone, travel to London to acquire it. It isn’t long before they face off with Moonshae’s personal thief, Katya, who has been sent to get the jewel.

But… Show more

Fourteen-year-old Alabaster Dangermond, U.S.A. agent, has uncovered the nefarious agenda of Dr. Zerick Moonshae, who seeks to collect ancient artifacts sent around the world by a long dead Viking king.

After discovering new information about one of the lost ancient artifacts, Astrid’s Jewel, Alabaster and his partner, Turnkey Keystone, travel to London to acquire it. It isn’t long before they face off with Moonshae’s personal thief, Katya, who has been sent to get the jewel.

But Al and Katya are taken by surprise when another group vies for Astrid’s Jewel. Captured, Alabaster and Katya must work together to escape with the precious treasure. Will the U.S.A. agents find a way to thwart the evil plans of Dr. Zerick Moonshae and recover Astrid’s Jewel? Join Alabaster and his team of super agents in this exciting next installment of the Dangermond Series. Show less

Middle grade fiction spy thriller.

With classes in weapons, martial arts, and secret codes, fourteen-year-old Alabaster Dangermond has spent the last five years training at a clandestine CIA prep school toward his ultimate goal--to become a real CIA secret agent.

Before his next training mission and the all-important Agent Trials, he receives a mysterious email with a video showing the murder of his parents. Thinking they died in a car crash when he was seven, Al is consumed by… Show more

Middle grade fiction spy thriller.

With classes in weapons, martial arts, and secret codes, fourteen-year-old Alabaster Dangermond has spent the last five years training at a clandestine CIA prep school toward his ultimate goal--to become a real CIA secret agent.

Before his next training mission and the all-important Agent Trials, he receives a mysterious email with a video showing the murder of his parents. Thinking they died in a car crash when he was seven, Al is consumed by questions.

Will Alabaster Dangermond pass the Agent Trials and find the answers he seeks surrounding the mystery of his parents' tragic death years ago? Join Al and his friends as he unknowingly steps deeper into a web of deception to find everything he once thought true of his life turned upside down. Show less

This research guide includes the following elements:

An overview of the discipline of geography, with special attention to religious geographies and the geography of religion; and applications of conceptual themes in human geography—including scale, spatial analysis, place, landscape, and political ecology—to the study of worship
Significant publications in the past 15 years that have explored the geographies of religious practice, with annotations that explain their value
6… Show more

This research guide includes the following elements:

An overview of the discipline of geography, with special attention to religious geographies and the geography of religion; and applications of conceptual themes in human geography—including scale, spatial analysis, place, landscape, and political ecology—to the study of worship
Significant publications in the past 15 years that have explored the geographies of religious practice, with annotations that explain their value
6 classic works in the geography of religion and 18 classic works in geography, with annotations explaining their continuing relevance
Some suggestions for future research
A general bibliography of additional resources Show less

Religious-based congregations often serve their local communities with a variety of programs. A growing literature continues to show that congregations often act as proactive agents to fill gaps in social service when others are unable or unwilling to. Although congregational community service is frequent, there can be legitimate questions about efficiency and allocation of resources. Congregations are typically unable to 1) understand to what degree they have capacity to serve a local area or… Show more

Religious-based congregations often serve their local communities with a variety of programs. A growing literature continues to show that congregations often act as proactive agents to fill gaps in social service when others are unable or unwilling to. Although congregational community service is frequent, there can be legitimate questions about efficiency and allocation of resources. Congregations are typically unable to 1) understand to what degree they have capacity to serve a local area or 2) have the ability to evaluate the locational effectiveness of meeting community needs. Location efficiency analysis and site selection of social welfare programs are powerful methods for community planning and are necessary for more comprehensive understanding of how the social and demographic landscapes of a city interact with these programs. This study investigates where different types of programs are relative to corresponding social needs. Using data from the Kent County Congregations Study (KCCS) in Grand Rapids, Michigan in conjunction with US Census data, we have created a method to quantify congregational service power (CSP) as a measure of how much a congregation serves the community using geographic accessibility analysis with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). We then compare the level of CSP with that of need using GIS-based techniques to see to what degree needs in a community fall within the geographic catchment areas of service power. Evaluating specific congregational programs in this manner will allow meaningful comparisons between congregations and help identify areas of unmet need along with areas of possible oversaturation. The results of this study offers congregational communities the potential to discover appropriate locations for new programs, find places of unmet need, and reorganize resources to eliminate redundancy. Show less

This study explores the prevention of terrorism using three-dimensional (3D) analysis for the protection of populations in urban environments. Terrorism and crime prevention has become a popular exercise using the spatial tools available with geographic information systems (GISs). Thus far, most approaches have considered two-dimensional (2D) applications focusing primarily on hot spot identification or mapping trends in a geographic region. Sniper rifle fire modeling is examined in 3D modeling… Show more

This study explores the prevention of terrorism using three-dimensional (3D) analysis for the protection of populations in urban environments. Terrorism and crime prevention has become a popular exercise using the spatial tools available with geographic information systems (GISs). Thus far, most approaches have considered two-dimensional (2D) applications focusing primarily on hot spot identification or mapping trends in a geographic region. Sniper rifle fire modeling is examined in 3D modeling within a GIS environment. The primary methodology is tested using the concept of a viewshed and line of sight (LoS). To test the model, the Gerald R. Ford Funeral in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is used to examine the protection of individuals from sniper fire. It is found that using viewsheds has good potential to aid protection agents responsible for protecting individuals and populations. Show less

Map - Catholic participation in contemporary Poland,pg 139
Map - Greek Catholic church in postwar western Ukraine, pg 161
Map – Communist era Romania, pg 193
Map – Religion in the interwar Czech lands, pg 34
Map – Absence of religion in the Czech Republic, pg 349

Sample surveys are routinely used to gather primary data in human geography research. We highlight the difference between design-based analysis and model-based analysis of sample surveys and emphasize the advantages of using the design-based approach with these data. As an example, we demonstrate differences in results from model-based and design-based analyses of cancer prevalence in a population of predominantly minority women in North Carolina and South Carolina. The results from the two… Show more

Sample surveys are routinely used to gather primary data in human geography research. We highlight the difference between design-based analysis and model-based analysis of sample surveys and emphasize the advantages of using the design-based approach with these data. As an example, we demonstrate differences in results from model-based and design-based analyses of cancer prevalence in a population of predominantly minority women in North Carolina and South Carolina. The results from the two approaches reveal differences in population estimates of numerous variables and a different conclusion regarding the significance of an explanatory variable in a logistic regression model to explain colon cancer prevalence. Show less