Spartan Daily, December 9, 1994

Volume 103, Issue 68https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/8638/thumbnail.jp

Comparing measured and modelled PFOS concentrations in a UK freshwater catchment and estimating emission rates

The lifecycle, sources and fate of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) continue to generate scientific and political interest, particularly since PFOS was listed by the Stockholm Convention and largely restricted in Europe. It continues to be detected in aquatic environments, with only limited studies into the on-going sources. This paper explores PFOS emissions discharged by the general population into a small catchment comprising two rivers in the UK. A sampling campaign was undertaken to improve our understanding of population-derived PFOS sources from sewage treatment plants (STPs) and in rivers. A corresponding modelling exercise allowed an emission estimate of 13 μg/day/per capita to be derived for the Aire and Calder rivers. PFOS emission was linked to STP discharges bylinear regression of measured and modelled concntrations (R2 = 0.49–0.85). The model was able to accurately estimate the spatial trends of PFOS in the rivers, while predicted concentrations were within a factor of three based on per capita emission values taken from the literature. Measured PFOS concentrations in rivers suggested that emissions from STPs are partially dependent on treatment type, where plants with secondary or tertiary treatment such as activated sludge processes emit less PFOS, possibly due to increased partitioning and retention. With refinements based on the type of treatment at each STP, predictions were further improved. The total PFOS mass discharged annually via rivers from the UK has been estimated to be between 215 and 310 kg, based on the per capita emission range derived in this study

Community-developed checklists for publishing images and image analysis

Images document scientific discoveries and are prevalent in modern biomedical research. Microscopy imaging in particular is currently undergoing rapid technological advancements. However for scientists wishing to publish the obtained images and image analyses results, there are to date no unified guidelines. Consequently, microscopy images and image data in publications may be unclear or difficult to interpret. Here we present community-developed checklists for preparing light microscopy images and image analysis for publications. These checklists offer authors, readers, and publishers key recommendations for image formatting and annotation, color selection, data availability, and for reporting image analysis workflows. The goal of our guidelines is to increase the clarity and reproducibility of image figures and thereby heighten the quality of microscopy data is in publications.Comment: 28 pages, 8 Figures, 3 Supplmentary Figures, Manuscript, Essential recommendations for publication of microscopy image dat

Traditions and Transitions: Later and Roman Iron Age Communities in the North-East of England

This thesis aims to reintegrate the communities of later Iron Age north-east of England (from roughly 300 BC) into wider narratives of later Iron Age and Roman-era Europe. Despite the significant contributions of George Jobey, Colin Haselgrove and others, the north-eastern Iron Age has been widely considered underpopulated and materially and culturally impoverished since such a view was put forward by Mortimer Wheeler and Stuart Piggott in the 1950’s. In light of this impression of the later Iron Age, the region has been seen as a ‘blank slate’ for the establishment of a Roman military zone which has then been interpreted without fully considering an indigenous, civilian population. Recent work on later Iron Age settlements and non-military Roman era settlements in the region has called these older views more directly into question by building on the work of Jobey and Haselgrove and demonstrating that a substantial Roman and pre-Roman civilian population must have been present across the region throughout the period in question. Thus, this study has sought to bring together the available artefactual, depositional and architectural evidence for later Iron Age communities as well as those Roman-era communities who maintained connections with indigenous traditions. Though there can be no clear separation of ‘indigenous’ and ‘Roman’ settlements from the mid first century onwards, this study has focused on those settlements which continue to make use of roundhouse architecture. Given the variable state of the evidence from the long tradition of investigation in the region, only well contextualized excavated evidence is considered in order to best shed light on the practice of daily life. Alongside considering the range of material culture in use, contextual analysis of this evidence demonstrates that the noted lack of recovered material culture, particularly ceramics, can be shown to be the result of deliberate choices in acquisition, use and deposition of material culture which reflect the priorities of this decentralized society rather than the result of an inability to produce or trade. Despite this however, it is clear that northeastern communities do appear to engage in similar depositional activities to other British and European Iron Age societies, albeit on a smaller scale which reflects the smaller scale of the communities involved, and a deep connectedness to wider traditions can be shown. Considered alongside this sometimes difficult dataset is the history of Iron Age studies in the region and how this has shaped research strategies. This is an illustrative example of the mechanisms through which older, broad brush understandings can continue to dominate regional archaeologies despite newer, more nuanced evidence. As well as a case study in the relevance of the history of archaeology to contemporary study, the narrative thus constructed provides a basis for understanding the north-eastern Iron Age within the expanding web of regionalization and connections which was Iron Age Europe. Additionally it provides a narrative of indigenous communities’ interactions with and reactions to the dramatic changes related to the expansion of the Roman empire the early first millennium AD. This is ultimately key in order to better interpret the increasing evidence for non-military Roman era communities in the region and beyond

Aerococcus Urinae: Establishing the Pathogenesis of an Emerging Uropathogen

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the world\u27s most common bacterial infection. Much is known about the infectious process (pathogenesis) of a few of the bacteria that cause these infections, especially E. coli. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of E. coli and other uropathogenic bacteria was explored almost exclusively in the belief that the bladder is supposed to be sterile. Our recent evidence, however, debunks this dogma. We used modern methods to reveal diverse bacterial communities in the bladders of adult women. These communities differ in women with and without lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including UTI and urinary incontinence (UI). Many bacteria that we have detected in women with LUTS are understudied precisely because they were previously undetected or overlooked. Thus, very little is known about their pathogenesis. Aerococcus urinae is one of those understudied uropathogenic bacteria. It is associated with both UTI and UI. It is highly resistant to many antibiotics and, when undiagnosed, can cause invasive and life-threatening sepsis. Thus, I have begun a study of A. urinae\u27s pathogenesis. For well-studied uropathogens, the earliest stages of pathogenesis involve attachment to the cells that line the bladder wall (urothelium) and subsequent disruption of the host\u27s bladder immune system. I hypothesized that A. urinae also attaches to the urothelium and alters signaling to the host\u27s bladder immune system. To test my hypothesis, I first studied in vitro phenotypes of A. urinae related to attachment and colonization of the urothelium. Then, I studied the interaction between human urothelium and A. urinae strains isolated from womenwith LUTS. Results from this dissertation could be used to develop therapies that specifically target A. urinae

Journal of the honorable Senate, January session of 1959.

Titles and imprints vary; Some volumes include miscellaneous state documents and reports; Rules of the Senat

Age-related bone loss and osteoporosis in archaeological bone: a study of two London collections, Redcross Way and Farringdon Street

This thesis examines the ways in which age- and sex-related bone loss in archaeological bone can be assessed, with a view to providing criteria by which osteoporosis should be diagnosed. Sample material for this investigation came from two London collections of skeletal material dated 1700-1850 (Redcross Way and Farringdon Street). A comparative study using a wide range of techniques for the detection of bone loss was carried out on the samples from Redcross Way. Sample numbers were then increased through the inclusion of the material from Farringdon Street in order to provide sufficient data to examine changes seen in relation to age and sex. Current research into bone biology and knowledge of osteoporosis in the present day population was reviewed in the context of possible observations that can be made on archaeological bone. There is a large body of historical literature available relating to the period covered by this study (AD 1700-1850). A review was made of material relating to population demographics and medical literature relating to fractures. This work showed that it is valid to study osteoporosis in populations of this period, as a significant number of individuals reached an age at which today they could be considered at risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture. Literature relating to fractures contained significant numbers of reports of cases of fracture which, from knowledge of such fracture in the present population, fit the criteria of osteoporotic fractures. Archaeological bone was examined using non-invasive investigative techniques many of which are in current clinical use for the determination of osteoporosis. These were: dual energy x-ray absorptiometry; low angle x-ray scattering; and optical densitometry. Optical densitometry was also applied to bone slices. Cortical bone was assessed through calculation of its area, and thickness. The cortical index were calculated from radiographs. Trabecular bone loss was assessed from femoral radiographs using the Singh index, and stereometric measurements made using close range photogrammetry. The possibility of the archaeological bone material having undergone post-mortem (diagenetic) changes, which can adversely affect results obtained from non-invasive investigations, was briefly addressed. Mineral deposition was found to have occurred in some of the sample material examined. It was found that the direct examination and measurement of the three dimensional trabecular architecture through stereometric analysis provided the best indication of bone loss and, possibly osteoporosis. Where sample material cannot be sectioned and non-invasive investigative techniques have to be applied, low angle x-ray scattering, which produces quantitative and qualitative measurements of trabecular bone, produced the most reliable results. Both these techniques overcame the problems associated with diagenetic change in archaeological material. The results from the investigation of the Redcross way and Farrmgdon Street skeletal material showed that age- and sex-related bone loss was taking place, with loss occurring at an earlier age and being more severe in females than males. The conclusion is made that patterns of loss observed in the archaeological bone broadly mirror those seen in the present day population