Residential Deconstruction in Buffalo: A Viable Alternative to Demolition

The problem of vacancy and abandonment manifests itself in many different ways. Whether it is crime, decreasing property values, loss of tax revenue, neighborhood eyesores, or removing the condemned structures, the City of Buffalo is facing a monumental challenge both in resources and policy. The deconstruction of abandoned homes offers opportunities for cost savings, environmental benefits, and economic development. An alternative to demolition, deconstruction is the disassembling of buildings in order to salvage and reuse building materials. When used properly, the deconstruction of abandoned homes can be done at a significantly cheaper cost than demolition. Also, deconstruction can limit the amount of harmful air pollutants where the homes are removed in addition to reducing the amount of debris at landfills. Deconstruction is a labor intensive enterprise that creates jobs within the deconstruction crew as well as fosters small businesses selling the salvaged material. Moreover, deconstruction can provide opportunities for youths, job training, and other positive community development programming

Why Taiwan Is Not Hong Kong: A Review of the PRC\u27s One Country Two Systems Model for Reunification with Taiwan

This article critically examines the One Country Two Systems model (OCTS) developed by the People\u27s Republic of China (PRC) for achieving the reunification of Taiwan. The model is in many respects the same as that already applied in Hong Kong. The PRC promises that under OCTS, the Taiwanese will enjoy a high degree of autonomy , be masters in their own house and maintain their way of life. However, in contrast to the people of Hong Kong, who have never enjoyed full democracy, the Taiwanese have achieved a much greater degree of autonomy and accountability than is possible under OCTS. The OCTS model cannot herefore deliver what it promises. The Article demonstrates this by comparing OCTS as elaborated in the Basic Law of Hong Kong with the current constitutional and political arrangements in Taiwan

Ecophysiology of the Fish Associated Dinoflagellate <em>Crepidoodinium cyprinodontum</em>

I assessed the occurrence of Crepidoodinium cyprinodontum on cyprinodontid and fundulid species in Maryland and Florida waters. Comparison of epibiont load across host taxa revealed Fundulus majalis as the preferred host of C. cyprinodontum. Crepidoodinium cyprinodontum infecting Fun. majalis reached a seasonal peak in epibiont load in summer in Maryland, and winter in Florida. Epibiont density decreased with increasing host (Fun. majalis) length, indicating smaller fish are more prone to colonization by C. cyprinodontum. Both numbers per fish and growth of C. cyprinodontum were influenced by light availability. Biomass based calculations of doubling time indicated that growth of C. cyprinodontum on fish gills appeared to be low at optimum irradiances, suggesting refuge from predation may be a major factor in driving this dinoflagellate to colonize the opercular region of fish. Finally, I documented infections in two previously unknown host species (Fun. similis c.f. and Floridichthys carpio

Making Chinese Labor Law Work

Labor abuses in China have drawn international condemnation and led to increasing domestic unrest. Government, business and unions in the United States have insisted that Chinese law needs to be reformed to deal with those abuses but they fail to identify precisely what reforms are required. This article aims to shift debates about reforming Chinese labor law in the United States to a much greater level of specificity. The discussion focuses on two very prevalent abuses that are purportedly prohibited by existing labor regulation: underpayment of wages and excessive working hours. The article analyses in detail those aspects of China’s labor laws and labor institutions contributing to pervasive non-compliance. I find that the Chinese regulatory framework is undermined by a profusion of imprecise and sometimes contradictory legal rules, a bureaucratic ‘command and control’ approach to inspection and dispute resolution, and a narrow and ineffective range of tools for inducing compliance. Drawing on successful international examples of regulatory innovation, as well as recent creative Chinese experiments in labor enforcement, I propose a range of regulatory initiatives that have realistic prospects of inducing greater adherence to the law in China’s current political and economic context

Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Lipotoxicity in a Rat Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

poster abstractPatients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)experience shift from aerobic to anaerobic respiration in cardiac and skeletal muscle myocytes. This shift can be identified histologically by an increased presence of the glucose transporter Glut 1 in the tissue, indicating increased reliance on cytoplasmic glycolysis. Previous studies have demonstrated that in patients with diabetes, an increase in Glut 1 is accompanied by an increase in fat storage in the cell. Excessive myocyte fat storage may contribute to tissue and systemic inflammation and has therefore been termed ‘lipotoxicity’. This study tested the hypothesis in a PAH rat model that an increase in cardiac and skeletal muscle Glut 1 abundance would be associated with an increase in fat storage in the cell. Oil Red O staining was performed to assay for lipotoxicity in cryosections of right ventricle and soleus muscle tissue, imaged using brightfield microscopy. The experiment was conducted using tissue from a moderately severe PAH phenotype produced by monocrotaline(60 mg/kg) injection, as well as from saline injected control animals. Lipids have been observed in the first few samples tested with Oil Red O staining, and results are still pending as a larger sample size is currently being collected

DNA damage response (DDR) pathway engagement in cisplatin radiosensitization of non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are commonly treated with a platinum-based chemotherapy such as cisplatin (CDDP) in combination with ionizing radiation (IR). Although clinical trials have demonstrated that the combination of CDDP and IR appear to be synergistic in terms of therapeutic efficacy, the mechanism of synergism remains largely uncharacterized. We investigated the role of the DNA damage response (DDR) in CDDP radiosensitization using two NSCLC cell lines. Using clonogenic survival assays, we determined that the cooperative cytotoxicity of CDDP and IR treatment is sequence dependent, requiring administration of CDDP prior to IR (CDDP-IR). We identified and interrogated the unique time and agent-dependent activation of the DDR in NSCLC cells treated with cisplatin-IR combination therapy. Compared to treatment with CDDP or IR alone, CDDP-IR combination treatment led to persistence of γH2Ax foci, a marker of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), for up to 24h after treatment. Interestingly, pharmacologic inhibition of DDR sensor kinases revealed the persistence of γ-H2Ax foci in CDDP-IR treated cells is independent of kinase activation. Taken together, our data suggest that delayed repair of DSBs in NSCLC cells treated with CDDP-IR contributes to CDDP radiosensitization and that alterations of the DDR pathways by inhibition of specific DDR kinases can augment CDDP-IR cytotoxicity by a complementary mechanism

Expression of the Flp proteins by Haemophilus ducreyi is necessary for virulence in human volunteers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Haemophilus ducreyi</it>, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted disease chancroid, contains a <it>flp </it>(fimbria like protein) operon that encodes proteins predicted to contribute to adherence and pathogenesis. <it>H. ducreyi </it>mutants that lack expression of Flp1 and Flp2 or TadA, which has homology to NTPases of type IV secretion systems, have decreased abilities to attach to and form microcolonies on human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF). A <it>tadA </it>mutant is attenuated in its ability to cause disease in human volunteers and in the temperature dependent rabbit model, but a <it>flp1flp2 </it>mutant is virulent in rabbits. Whether a <it>flp </it>deletion mutant would cause disease in humans is not clear.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We constructed 35000HPΔ<it>flp1-3</it>, a deletion mutant that lacks expression of all three Flp proteins but has an intact <it>tad </it>secretion system. 35000HPΔ<it>flp1-3 </it>was impaired in its ability to form microcolonies and to attach to HFF in vitro when compared to its parent (35000HP). Complementation of the mutant with <it>flp1-3 </it>in trans restored the parental phenotype. To test whether expression of Flp1-3 was necessary for virulence in humans, ten healthy adult volunteers were experimentally infected with a fixed dose of 35000HP (ranging from 54 to 67 CFU) on one arm and three doses of 35000HPΔ<it>flp1-3 </it>(ranging from 63 to 961 CFU) on the other arm. The overall papule formation rate for the parent was 80% (95% confidence interval, CI, 55.2%-99.9%) and for the mutant was 70.0% (95% CI, 50.5%-89.5%) (<it>P </it>= 0.52). Mutant papules were significantly smaller (mean, 11.2 mm²) than were parent papules (21.8 mm²) 24 h after inoculation (<it>P </it>= 0.018). The overall pustule formation rates were 46.7% (95% CI 23.7-69.7%) at 30 parent sites and 6.7% (95% CI, 0.1-19.1%) at 30 mutant sites (<it>P </it>= 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that production and secretion of the Flp proteins contributes to microcolony formation and attachment to HFF cells in vitro. Expression of <it>flp1-3 </it>is also necessary for <it>H. ducreyi </it>to initiate disease and progress to pustule formation in humans. Future studies will focus on how Flp proteins contribute to microcolony formation and attachment in vivo.</p