Near-highway pollutants in motor vehicle exhaust: A review of epidemiologic evidence of cardiac and pulmonary health risks

There is growing evidence of a distinct set of freshly-emitted air pollutants downwind from major highways, motorways, and freeways that include elevated levels of ultrafine particulates (UFP), black carbon (BC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and carbon monoxide (CO). People living or otherwise spending substantial time within about 200 m of highways are exposed to these pollutants more so than persons living at a greater distance, even compared to living on busy urban streets. Evidence of the health hazards of these pollutants arises from studies that assess proximity to highways, actual exposure to the pollutants, or both. Taken as a whole, the health studies show elevated risk for development of asthma and reduced lung function in children who live near major highways. Studies of particulate matter (PM) that show associations with cardiac and pulmonary mortality also appear to indicate increasing risk as smaller geographic areas are studied, suggesting localized sources that likely include major highways. Although less work has tested the association between lung cancer and highways, the existing studies suggest an association as well. While the evidence is substantial for a link between near-highway exposures and adverse health outcomes, considerable work remains to understand the exact nature and magnitude of the risks

Changes in Traffic Patterns and Air Quality Along Mystic Avenue in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, After Installation of an Intermittent Bus Lane

The City of Medford, MA, (pop. 60,000) and the City of Somerville (pop. 76,000) immediately to the south are home to several major roadways including Interstate 93 and Massachusetts State Highways 28 and 38. These are among the busiest roadways in the Boston metropolitan area, together carrying over 240,000 vehicles per day through the two cities (Boston MPO, 2022). In an effort to increase bus efficiency, reduce traffic burden, and improve air quality in their communities, Medford and Somerville tested a bus lane with intermittent prioritization on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus route #95, which runs along Route 38 (Mystic Avenue) within the two cities.The goal of this study was to determine whether the bus lane on Mystic Avenue caused short term (months) changes in traffic patterns and improved air quality along the length of the bus lane

Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students

"Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students," is the first study to examine the performance of America's highest-achieving children over time at the individual-student level. Produced in partnership with the Northwest Evaluation Association, it finds that many high-achieving students struggle to maintain their elite performance over the years and often fail to improve their reading ability at the same rate as their average and below-average classmates. The study raises troubling questions: Is our obsession with closing achievement gaps and "leaving no child behind" coming at the expense of our "talented tenth" -- and America's future international competitiveness

Diverse Locations and a Long History: Historical Context for Urban Leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Early Anthropocene From Seoul, Korea

While the urban landscapes of the early Anthropocene may appear hostile to large carnivores, humans and leopards (Panthera pardus) are known to co-inhabit major urban centres like Mumbai (India), Nairobi (Kenya) and Johannesburg (South Africa). We provide evidence that the presence of leopards in urban landscapes is not, however, a new phenomenon and has occurred repeatedly over the early history of the Anthropocene. Using records of Amur leopards (P. p. orientalis) in Seoul, Korea, at the end of the 19th century, a capital city and major urban centre with a high human population density, we explore socio-cultural, political and ecological factors that may have facilitated human-leopard co-occurrence in an urban landscape and the factors that eventually led to the leopards’ extirpation. We suggest that, in the absence of unsustainable levels of persecution by humans, leopards are able to persist in urban landscapes which contain small patches of dense vegetation and have sufficient alternative food supplies. In light of the continued expansion of urban landscapes in the 21st century and increasing conservation focus on the presence of large carnivore populations there, this paper provides historical context to human co-existence with leopards in urban landscapes during the Anthropocene–and what we can learn from it for the future.publishedVersio

Science Live -articulating the aims and ethos of science event practitioners in the USA and UK

Live science events engage publics with science in a social context. This article articulates the aims and ethos of this growing sector within a research context. Semi-structured interviews (N=13) and focus groups (N=77) were conducted with event practitioners (both professional and volunteers) in the U.S.A. and U.K.. Inductive thematic analysis indicated that event producers aim to raise awareness of and professionalism in the sector. In particular, they seek to develop research into long-term impacts of events for both audiences and practitioners

Effects of Eutrophication and Runoff on Arsenic Cycling in an Urban Lake

Urban lakes are important recreational and natural resources that add to the quality of life for city residents. Unfortunately, urban watersheds often contribute contaminants to these lakes, including organic chemicals, metals, nutrients, and pathogens. Nitrogen and phosphorus are very high in urban and suburban runoff, mostly as a result of animal waste and fertilizers, although leaky sewage systems may also contribute. These nutrients promote plant and algal growth in urban lakes, ultimately resulting in hyper-eutrophic conditions. Eutrophication, in turn, may affect the cycling and mobility of contaminants, such as arsenic and other toxic metals. Spy Pond, located in Arlington, Massachusetts, was recently discovered to be heavily contaminated with arsenic of unknown origin. Surface sediment concentrations above 2,500 ppm have been measured. Subsequent investigations have also revealed that total arsenic levels in the overlying hypolimnetic waters reach over 150 ppb. However, the two interconnected basins that constitute Spy Pond have been found to differ by an order of magnitude in the concentrations of arsenic found in hypolimnetic waters. The goal of this study is to determine the mechanisms responsible for the differences in arsenic mobility in the two basins of Spy Pond, and how this may impact the potential for minimizing human and ecological arsenic exposure. Based on differences in the concentrations of chemical constituents (e.g. iron, sulfur, conductivity, etc.) measured in each basin, we hypothesize that the greater arsenic concentrations found in the bottom waters of the South Basin of Spy Pond are caused by the combined effects of eutrophication, differences in the Fe/S ratio of the two basins, and the physical and chemical impacts of salts in highway runoff

Genetics, sleep and memory:a recall-by-genotype study of ZNF804A variants and sleep neurophysiology

© 2015 Hellmich et al.Background: Schizophrenia is a complex, polygenic disorder for which over 100 genetic variants have been identified that correlate with diagnosis. However, the biological mechanisms underpinning the different symptom clusters remain undefined. The rs1344706 single nucleotide polymorphism within ZNF804A was among the first genetic variants found to be associated with schizophrenia. Previously, neuroimaging and cognitive studies have revealed several associations between rs1344706 and brain structure and function. The aim of this study is to use a recall-by-genotype (RBG) design to investigate the biological basis for the association of ZNF804A variants with schizophrenia. A RBG study, implemented in a population cohort, will be used to evaluate the impact of genetic variation at rs1344706 on sleep neurophysiology and procedural memory consolidation in healthy participants. Methods/Design: Participants will be recruited from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) on the basis of genotype at rs1344706 (n = 24). Each participant will be asked to take part in two nights of in-depth sleep monitoring (polysomnography) allowing collection of neurophysiological sleep data in a manner not amenable to large-scale study. Sleep questionnaires will be used to assess general sleep quality and subjective sleep experience after each in-house recording. A motor sequencing task (MST) will be performed before and after the second night of polysomnography. In order to gather additional data about habitual sleep behaviour participants will be asked to wear a wrist worn activity monitor (actiwatch) and complete a sleep diary for two weeks. Discussion: This study will explore the biological function of ZNF804A genotype (rs1344706) in healthy volunteers by examining detailed features of sleep architecture and physiology in relation to motor learning. Using a RBG approach will enable us to collect precise and detailed phenotypic data whilst achieving an informative biological gradient. It would not be feasible to collect such data in the large sample sizes that would be required under a random sampling scheme. By dissecting the role of individual variants associated with schizophrenia in this way, we can begin to unravel the complex genetic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and pave the way for future development of novel therapeutic approaches

Science live: Surveying the landscape of live public science events

The field of informal science learning and communication is comprised of many sectors—after school programs, science center exhibitions and programs, television and film, print and new media, to name just a few. Each of these is understood to make unique contributions, present unique opportunities, and require unique support. Science Live began with the observation that it time to similarly acknowledge the practice of live public science events.Public science events are live, in-person programs designed to engage publics with science in a social context that is at least as meaningful as the content and messages delivered. The overall objective of Science Live is to support the development of a distinct professional sector based on live public science events so that the practitioners, researchers, and external supporters of this sector are able to maximize the beneficial impacts of events and widen participation in this activity.The following survey of the live public science events landscape is the product of a one-year, Phase I grant from the Science Learning+ funding program. This funding program has enabled Science Live to take a transatlantic approach, with an initial focus on fostering connections between the US and UK,and between practitioners and researchers.The following landscape survey is based on informal conversations, phone interviews following a research protocol, and two project convenings, one each in the US and UK. A total of 111 practitioners and researchers attended project convenings, and scores more were consulted by phone.The many quotes appearing in the following pages are taken directly from these conversations. This landscape survey seeks to summarize a year of dialogue, but is not explicitly endorsed by the many practitioners and researchers that participated.The world of live public science events is wide, varied, and rapidly changing. There is no way to represent the many initiatives that populate this remarkable landscape in a way that properly does each justice. Please see www.livescienceevents.org for links to participating programs, research,and sites for further exploration

Infectious abortion in swine

Cover title.Includes bibliographical references