BackgroundParticipatory design methods are a key component of designing tailored implementation strategies. These methods vary in the resources required to execute and analyze their outputs. No work to date has examined the extent to which the output obtained from different approaches to participatory design varies.MethodsWe concurrently used two separate participatory design methods: 1) field observations and qualitative interviews and 2) rapid crowd sourcing (an innovation tournament). Our goal was to generate information to tailor implementation strategies to increase the use of evidence-based data collection practices among one-to-one aides working with children with autism. Each method was executed and analyzed by study team members blinded to the output of the other method. We estimated the personnel time and monetary costs associated with each method to further facilitate comparison.ResultsObservations and interviews generated nearly double the number of implementation strategies (n = 26) than did the innovation tournament (n = 14). When strategies were classified into clusters from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy, there was considerable overlap in the content of identified strategies. Strategies derived from observations and interviews were more specific than those from the innovation tournament. Nine strategies (23%) reflected content unique to observations and interviews and 4 (10%) strategies were unique to the innovation tournament. Only observations and interviews identified implementation strategies related to adapting and tailoring to context; only the innovation tournament identified implementation strategies that used incentives. Observations and interviews required more than three times the personnel hours than the innovation tournament, but the innovation tournament was more costly overall due to the technological platform used.ConclusionsThere was substantial overlap in content derived from observations and interviews and the innovation tournament. However, each yielded unique information. To select the best participatory design approach to inform implementation strategy design for a particular context, researchers should carefully consider what each method may elicit and weigh the resources available to invest in the process.Trial RegistrationN/A

This study aimed to analyze the suitability of surface water quality (ponds) in Padmanabhapuram Fort campus (8°14’49”–8°15’11”N, 77°19’26”–77°19’55”E) in the Kanyakumari district for irrigation purposes. There are six small ponds on that campus. At present, these ponds are completely polluted. To have an idea and find solution for the problem related to water usable for irrigation, we carried out analysis of important physico-chemical parameters like total hardness, the potential of hydrogen (pH), electrical conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids, calcium, carbonate, bicarbonate, total alkalinity, and sodium by instrumental and analytical methods. Other parameters, which are deemed to be significant for water used for irrigation such as sodium absorption ratio (SAR), magnesium hazard (MH), sodium content (% Na), Permeability index (PI), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly ratio (KR) and soluble sodium percentage (SSP) are also derived by respective empirical formulas of these parameters.

Environmental pollution and remediation on a global scale have drawn attention to the vital need for new environmentally friendly, clean chemical technologies and processes. Ultraviolet LED (UVLEDs) are mainly employed for the photo catalytic degradation of organic pollutants present in air and water. LEDs are available as both chip and bulb types. As LEDs are energy efficient and mercury free, Shengottai municipality proposed to change all exiting streetlights to LED lights in order to reduce the electrical energy as well as the air pollution.