Exploring Post-Wildfire Water Quality: The Photodegradation of Dissolved Pyrogenic Carbon

Nearly 80% of the United States&rsquo; freshwater originates in forested landscapes at risk of wildfires, which influence both the terrestrial landscape and hydrologic regime by introducing a heterogeneous spectrum of thermally altered carbon compounds, known as pyrogenic carbon (PyC). Given the projected increase in both wildfire frequency and intensity, understanding the coupling of hydrologic transport and chemical fractionation that wildfires impose on water sources is critical. New research has begun to show that PyC can be quite mobile and reactive with turnover time of decades or years in soils rather than previously assumed millennia timescales, emphasizing the importance of dissolved PyC (DPyC) translocation from soils to rivers. While riverine PyC transport has been identified as a key component of the global PyC cycle, the extent to which photodegradation contributes to both short-term and long-term DPyC chemical fraction has yet to be resolved. We investigate the role of photodegradation as a major driver altering aquatic DPyC physical and chemical properties using fluorescence spectroscopy. Artificial PyC was created by burning organic matter at various temperatures to isolate distinct portions of the PyC spectrum. The organic matter, comprised of leaves and soils, was collected from Great Smoky Mountain National Park where ongoing research was being conducted following the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire. Each temperature range of the PyC spectrum was separately leached, filtered, and the dissolved fraction was placed outside and exposed to natural sunlight for various exposure times ranging from zero to 28 days. This photodegradation experiment took place in Boulder, Colorado during the summer months to maximize daily sun exposure. Photochemistry was confirmed by monitoring the photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide via fluorescence spectroscopy. The dissolved organic matter was characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. By isolating distinct portions of the PyC spectrum, we will better be able to anticipate the fate of PyC in watersheds effected by wildfires.</p

Reviews

J.R.R. Tolkien: This Far Land. Robert Giddings. Reviewed by Jessica Yates. The Book of Lost Tales Part II. J.R.R. TOlkien. Reviewed by Sarah Beach. The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays. J.R.R. Tolkien. Reviewed by Thomas M. Egan. The Restitution of Man: C.S. Lewis and the Case Against Scientism. Michael D. Aeschliman. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. The High Kings: Arthur\u27s Celtic Ancestors. Joy Chant. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson

Reviews

The Book of Lost Tales. J.R.R. Tolkien. Reviewed by Jessica Yates. The Book of Lost Tales. J.R.R. Tolkien. Reviewed by Thomas M. Egan. Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien\u27s World. Verlyn Flieger. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Reason and Imagination in C.S. Lewis -- A Study of till We Have Faces. Peter J. Schakel. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. In Search of C.S. Lewis. Stephen Schofield. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Spirits in Bondage, a Cycle of Lyrics. C.S. Lewis. Reviewed by Lawrence Mack Hall. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. SEVEN: An Anglo-American Literary review, Vol. 5. Wheaton College. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode. J.R.R. Tolkien. Reviewed by Thomas M. Egan

Reviews

Mr. Bliss. J.R.R Tolkien. Reviewed by Jessica Yates. The Road to Middle-Earth. T.A. Shippey. Reviewed by Jessica Yates. Unicorns! Edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. Reviewed by Thomas M. Egan. Mere Christianity, An Anniversary Edition of the three books, The Case for Christianity, Christian Behaviour, and Beyond Personality. C.S. Lewis, edited and with an introduction by Walter Hooper. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. The Pilgrim\u27s Regress, An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason, and Romanticism C.S. Lewis, illustrated by Michaell Hague. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. C.S. Lewis. Margaret Patterson Hannay. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Dorothy L. Sayers. Dawson Gaillard. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Watteau\u27s Shepherds: The Detective Novel in Britain 1914-1940. Leroy Lad Panek. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson

'A true partner around the table?' Perceptions of how to strengthen public health's contributions to the alcohol licensing process

Introduction: There are increased opportunities for public health practitioners (PHPs) in England to shape alcohol availability and reduce harms through a statutory role in licensing processes in local government. However, how public health can effectively influence alcohol licence decision-making is little understood. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted to identify challenges faced by PHPs and mechanisms to strengthen their role. This involved a survey of practitioners across London local authorities (n = 18) and four focus group discussions with a range of licensing stakeholders (n = 36). Results: Survey results indicated a varied picture of workload, capacity to respond to licence applications and levels of influence over decision-making among PHPs in London. Practitioners described a felt lack of status within the licence process, and difficulties using and communicating public health evidence effectively, without a health licensing objective. Strategies considered supportive included engaging with other responsible authorities and developing understanding and relationships over time. Conclusions: Against political and resource constraints at local and national government levels, pragmatic approaches for strengthening public health influence over alcohol licensing are required, including promoting relationships between stakeholders and offering opportunities for PHPs to share best practice about making effective contributions to licensing

Reviews

Lord of the Rings - Part 1 (film). Ralph Bakshi. Reviewed by Jessica Yates. A Reader\u27s Guide to The Silmarillion. Paul H. Kocher. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Dancing in the Dragon\u27s Jaws (album). Bruce Cockburn. Reviewed by Gord Wilson. Metropolis. Thea von Harbou. Reviewed by Thomas M. Egan. One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien\u27s Mythology. Anne C. Petty. Reviewed by Thomas Santoski. The Literature of Fantasy: A Comprehensive, Annotated Bibliography of Modern Fantasy Fiction. Roger C. Schlobin. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher. The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis. Illustrated by Papas. Reviewed by Kathryn Lindskoog

Transcriptomic classification of genetically engineered mouse models of breast cancer identifies human subtype counterparts

Background: Human breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease consisting of multiple molecular subtypes. Genetically engineered mouse models are a useful resource for studying mammary cancers in vivo under genetically controlled and immune competent conditions. Identifying murine models with conserved human tumor features will facilitate etiology determinations, highlight the effects of mutations on pathway activation, and should improve preclinical drug testing. Results: Transcriptomic profiles of 27 murine models of mammary carcinoma and normal mammary tissue were determined using gene expression microarrays. Hierarchical clustering analysis identified 17 distinct murine subtypes. Cross-species analyses using three independent human breast cancer datasets identified eight murine classes that resemble specific human breast cancer subtypes. Multiple models were associated with human basal-like tumors including TgC3(1)-Tag, TgWAP-Myc and Trp53-/-. Interestingly, the TgWAPCre-Etv6 model mimicked the HER2-enriched subtype, a group of human tumors without a murine counterpart in previous comparative studies. Gene signature analysis identified hundreds of commonly expressed pathway signatures between linked mouse and human subtypes, highlighting potentially common genetic drivers of tumorigenesis. Conclusions: This study of murine models of breast carcinoma encompasses the largest comprehensive genomic dataset to date to identify human-to-mouse disease subtype counterparts. Our approach illustrates the value of comparisons between species to identify murine models that faithfully mimic the human condition and indicates that multiple genetically engineered mouse models are needed to represent the diversity of human breast cancers. The reported trans-species associations should guide model selection during preclinical study design to ensure appropriate representatives of human disease subtypes are used

Objectively-assessed physical activity and weight change in young adults: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Reductions in physical activity (PA) are common throughout young adulthood and low PA is associated with weight gain. The SNAP Trial previously reported that two self-regulation approaches to weight gain prevention reduced weight gain over a 2-year period in 18–35 year olds. Presented here are secondary analyses examining changes in PA and the relationship between PA and weight change over 2 years. Methods 599 young adults (age: 27.4 ± 4.4 yrs.; BMI: 25.4 ± 2.6 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment arms: Small Changes (reduce calorie intake by 100 kcals/day & add 2000 steps/day), Large Changes (lose 2.3–4.5 kg initially & increase PA to ≥250 min/wk), or Self-guided (control condition). Small and Large Changes received 10, face-to-face group sessions (months 1–4), and two 4-week refresher courses each subsequent year. Body weight and PA were objectively-measured at baseline, 4 months, 1 and 2 years. Daily steps and bout-related moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA: ≥3 METs, ≥10-min bouts) was calculated. Results Changes in bout-related MVPA and daily steps did not differ among treatment groups over the 2-year period (p’s > 0.16). Collapsed across groups, participants gaining >1 lb. (n = 187; 39.6%) had smaller changes in bout-related MVPA at 4 months, 1 and 2 years relative to those maintaining or losing weight (≤1 lb. weight gain; n = 282, 60.4%, p’s 1 lb. did not differ on daily steps (p’s > 0.10). Among participants engaging in ≥250 min/wk. of MVPA at 2 years (n = 181), 30% gained >1 lb. from baseline to 2 years, which was not different from those engaging in 150–250 min/wk. (n = 87; 36%; p = 0.40), but this percentage was significantly lower when compared to those engaging in 150 min/week of MVPA is needed for weight gain prevention and that increasing MVPA, rather than steps, should be targeted. Trial registration www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01183689). Registered Aug 13, 2010

Characteristics and Predictive Value of Blood Transcriptome Signature in Males with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a spectrum of highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders in which known mutations contribute to disease risk in 20% of cases. Here, we report the results of the largest blood transcriptome study to date that aims to identify differences in 170 ASD cases and 115 age/sex-matched controls and to evaluate the utility of gene expression profiling as a tool to aid in the diagnosis of ASD. The differentially expressed genes were enriched for the neurotrophin signaling, long-term potentiation/depression, and notch signaling pathways. We developed a 55-gene prediction model, using a cross-validation strategy, on a sample cohort of 66 male ASD cases and 33 age-matched male controls (P1). Subsequently, 104 ASD cases and 82 controls were recruited and used as a validation set (P2). This 55-gene expression signature achieved 68% classification accuracy with the validation cohort (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 0.70 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62–0.77]). Not surprisingly, our prediction model that was built and trained with male samples performed well for males (AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.65–0.82), but not for female samples (AUC 0.51, 95% CI 0.36–0.67). The 55-gene signature also performed robustly when the prediction model was trained with P2 male samples to classify P1 samples (AUC 0.69, 95% CI 0.58–0.80). Our result suggests that the use of blood expression profiling for ASD detection may be feasible. Further study is required to determine the age at which such a test should be deployed, and what genetic characteristics of ASD can be identified

Safety and Reactogenicity of an MSP-1 Malaria Vaccine Candidate: A Randomized Phase Ib Dose-Escalation Trial in Kenyan Children

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of an investigational malaria vaccine. DESIGN: This was an age-stratified phase Ib, double-blind, randomized, controlled, dose-escalation trial. Children were recruited into one of three cohorts (dosage groups) and randomized in 2:1 fashion to receive either the test product or a comparator. SETTING: The study was conducted in a rural population in Kombewa Division, western Kenya. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 135 children, aged 12–47 mo. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects received 10, 25, or 50 μg of falciparum malaria protein 1 (FMP1) formulated in 100, 250, and 500 μL, respectively, of AS02A, or they received a comparator (Imovax® rabies vaccine). OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed safety and reactogenicity parameters and assessment of adverse events during solicited (7 d) and unsolicited (30 d) periods after each vaccination. Serious adverse events were monitored for 6 mo after the last vaccination. RESULTS: Both vaccines were safe and well tolerated. FMP1/AS02A recipients experienced significantly more pain and injection-site swelling with a dose-effect relationship. Systemic reactogenicity was low at all dose levels. Hemoglobin levels remained stable and similar across arms. Baseline geometric mean titers were comparable in all groups. Anti-FMP1 antibody titers increased in a dose-dependent manner in subjects receiving FMP1/AS02A; no increase in anti-FMP1 titers occurred in subjects who received the comparator. By study end, subjects who received either 25 or 50 μg of FMP1 had similar antibody levels, which remained significantly higher than that of those who received the comparator or 10 μg of FMP1. A longitudinal mixed effects model showed a statistically significant effect of dosage level on immune response (F(3,1047) = 10.78, or F(3, 995) = 11.22, p < 0.001); however, the comparison of 25 μg and 50 μg recipients indicated no significant difference (F(1,1047) = 0.05; p = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS: The FMP1/AS02A vaccine was safe and immunogenic in malaria-exposed 12- to 47-mo-old children and the magnitude of immune response of the 25 and 50 μg doses was superior to that of the 10 μg dose