A Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study of the Role of Gender and Developmental Differences in Occupational and Environmental Exposure to Benzene

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, it shows that physiological differences between men and women result in gender-specific exposures with respect to benzene. Second, it assesses the potential for a lactating woman\u27s occupational and personal benzene exposure to impact a nursing infant\u27s exposure, highlighting the possibility of subjecting an infant to the effects of industrial chemicals via breast feeding. This study employs physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to investigate the influence of physiological parameters and to evaluate the ability of inhaled benzene to transfer from mother to infant through breastmilk. The models are run through scenarios that simulate occupational, smoking, and background exposures. The gender comparison is facilitated by a sensitivity analysis. The blood/air partition coefficient and maximum velocity of metabolism were found to substantially impact model output. These values were both higher in women and caused an increase in the percentage of benzene metabolized in all of the exposure scenarios. The study of lactating women and infants is essentially theoretical. There is evidence that over 65% of an infant\u27s benzene exposure can be attributed to contaminated breastmilk. A large portion of the ingested exposure can be eliminated by adjusting the mother\u27s working or nursing schedule

Trends in wintertime climate in the northeastern United States: 1965–2005

Humans experience climate variability and climate change primarily through changes in weather at local and regional scales. One of the most effective means to track these changes is through detailed analysis of meteorological data. In this work, monthly and seasonal trends in recent winter climate of the northeastern United States (NE-US) are documented. Snow cover and snowfall are important components of the region\u27s hydrological systems, ecosystems, infrastructure, travel safety, and winter tourism and recreation. Temperature, snowfall, and snow depth data were collected from the merged United States Historical Climate Network (USHCN) and National Climatic Data Center Cooperative Network (COOP) data set for the months of December through March, 1965–2005. Monthly and seasonal time series of snow-covered days (snow depth \u3e2.54 cm) are constructed from daily snow depth data. Spatial coherence analysis is used to address data quality issues with daily snowfall and snow depth data, and to remove stations with nonclimatic influences from the regional analysis. Monthly and seasonal trends in mean, minimum, and maximum temperature, total snowfall, and snow-covered days are evaluated over the period 1965–2005, a period during which global temperature records and regional indicators exhibit a shift to warmer climate conditions. NE-US regional winter mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures are all increasing at a rate ranging from 0.42° to 0.46°C/decade with the greatest warming in all three variables occurring in the coldest months of winter (January and February). The regional average reduction in number of snow-covered days in winter (−8.9 d/decade) is also greatest during the months of January and February. Further analysis with additional regional climate modeling is required to better investigate the causal link between the increases in temperature and reduction in snow cover during the coldest winter months of January and February. In addition, regionally averaged winter snowfall has decreased by about 4.6 cm/decade, with the greatest decreases in snowfall occurring in December and February. These results have important implications for the impacts of regional climate change on the northeastern United States hydrology, natural ecosystems, and economy

Growth processes in the two Scottish populations of powan, Coregonus lavaretus (L.) (Eateleosteia, Salmonidae)

The powan, Coregonus lavaretus (L.) is endemic to only two British waters, Loch Lomond and Loch Eck, Scotland. This thesis describes the seasonal and longer term growth processes of the two populations, concentrating on growth in length back-calculated from scales, factors affecting recruitment and mortality, reproductive cycles, and seasonal deposition and mobilisation of storage products, particularly lipid. The interrelationships of these cycles is discussed. The populations differ in their diet and duration of feeding, and it is shown that most of the inter-population differences in seasonal cycles of growth relate to these feeding differences. The Loch Eck population is the more variable. In addition to adult and immature powan, a third category is identified, termed adolescents. These are fish which are entering their first reproductive cycle. Immature and adolescent fish are analysed separately and compared with the adults. There are some differences in seasonal cycles between the juveniles and adults, mainly in relation to the presence or absence of the reproductive cycle. A preliminary histological study of the ovaries of adolescent females is carried out. Comparison of historical data with the results of the present study shows that there has been little change in the Loch Lomond powan in the past 200 years. Both lochs are coming under increasing human pressure, and conservational measures urgently need to be taken if the powan populations are to survive

Royal marriage, royal property, and the patrimony of the crown: inalienability and the prerogative in fourteenth-century France

This paper deals with the problems faced by rulers who wanted to provide for their families, supporters, and friends at a time when principles regulating such gifts were still unfixed; when no clear distinctions had been established between the private and public persons and fortunes of the ruler; when the amount of control the individual ruler could exercise over the property he acquired at his accession had not been determined; when the belief in the ruler's obligation not to alienate the patrjmony of the kingdom was gaining in popularity but had yet to be defined as principle; when royal donations and grants were suffering revocation and cancellation at the hands of later rulers. Focusing on early fourteenth-century France, this paper discusses the experiences of Philip V (1316-1322) and particularly the strategies he devised in attempting to insure that grants of property he made to his wife would endure after his death. These strategies were diverse, and included gaining the approval of relatives for the acts and, most remarkably, using elaborate and unusual formulae of validation to warrant the acts. Philip used them for a number of reasons: he and his predecessor Louis X had demonstrated the fragility of the royal will by modifying and revoking a number i ii of royal acts; to increase the kingdom's wealth and elevate his own reputation, Philip had enunciated and enforced principles restricting the king's right and undermining his ability to alienate property; and finally, after early 1317, lacking a male heir, he found himself obliged to provide for a wife and daughters who, after his death, would lack dedicated and enthusiastic support at court. In discussing the fate of Philip V's donations, the article demonstrates the ultimate futility of the king's strategies in the face of his successor's sovereign control of the kingdom's resources, including his ability to use against Philip's heirs the same principles of inalienability Philip had used against others. It argues that as long as the ruler lacked a fixed body of resources to provide for his private needs, as long as these needs lacked clear definition, and as long as he possessed the power to dispense with law and custom, strict principles of inalienability could not be expected to be enacted or enforced in France, however great the kingdom's desire for such principles

Discussing Systemic Racism and Racial Privilege at a Large, Academic Health Center Using a Modified Privilege Walk

Background: There is a motivation for organizations to understand race and racism from the perspective of minoritized individuals. Academic health centers (AHC) are ideal organizations to have these conversations as they educate healthcare providers, support research in health disparities, and care for diverse patients. Methods: We piloted and evaluated a virtual Modified Privilege Walk (MPW) with faculty, staff, and students at an AHC in July 2020 to promote difficult conversations about race/racism, social class, and privilege. Each MPW session was voluntary, held virtually over Zoom, and lasted one hour and thirty minutes. Before attending, participants answered questions based on their race/ethnicity and social class to calculate a privilege score. After each session, attendees were asked to complete an evaluation survey. Results: There were five virtual MPWs with 132 attendees, and 74 participants completed an evaluation survey (56% response rate). Many respondents were students (n = 29, 39.2%). Most respondents either agreed (n = 36, 48.6%) or strongly agreed (n = 32, 43.2%) that the virtual MPW positively impacted how they will interact with those of a different race/ethnicity. Attendees requested having more virtual MPWs with leadership, incorporating virtual MPWs in various program curricula, and requiring new employees to participate. Conclusions: American organizations, particularly AHCs, should provide safe spaces and support these discussions surrounding race and racism as many were founded, built, or operated during a time of free labor and segregation that exerted power and control over minoritized individuals. Authors provide recommendations to dismantle organizational racism and support minoritized employees, patients, and students

Tent Caterpillars

4 pp., 4 photos, 1 tableTent caterpillars attack broadleaf trees and shrubs and produce unsightly webs or tents. The life cycles and identifying characteristics of and control measures for the four tent caterpillar species found in Texas are discussed. Recommended pesticides are also listed

Scorpions

4 pp., 1 illustrationScorpions are common in most of Texas. Their stinging behavior is unpredictable and individual reactions to stings may vary. This publication describes the life cycle and behavior of scorpions. Control measures also are included

Creating Successful Data Management Plans for your Grant Proposal

This presentation is part of a workshop about creating Data Management Plans (DMPs) using the DMPTool