A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Alternative Financing and Delivery of Water and Wastewater Services

Too many drinking water and wastewater systems across Canada threaten public health and the environment. In this report, the author writes that many of the municipally owned and operated systems that treat and distribute drinking water perform poorly and lack the financial resources and expertise to meet the challenges posed by aging infrastructure. Indeed, more than 1,000 systems across Canada violate provincial requirements or are subject to boil-water advisories. Brubaker recommends reforms to the financing and operating of utilities to ensure their long-term sustainability. These include introducing competition for water and wastewater services and taking steps to attract more private expertise and capital investment.The Water Series, water and sewage services, Canadian municipalities, capital investment

Viewer Perceptions and Preferences for Farmweek

A survey was conducted to determine how frequently viewers watched Farmweek and to determine what their perceptions were through the lens of Uses and Gratifications. Farmweek is a weekly 30-minute news broadcast produced by Mississippi State University Extension Service. Respondents were asked about what audiences they believed the show appealed to, what decisions they have made based on viewing the show, and what topics they wanted to see on the show in the future. Almost 40% of respondents viewed the show weekly. They believed the show presented a positive view of the state and its residents, but responses were not strong for the program appealing to all residents. Respondents reported landscaping and gardening decisions were the most likely to have been influenced by watching the show. The highest number of respondents wanted to see home and garden tips in the future, followed by livestock and animal health practices. Viewing frequency had a statistically significant relationship with respondents’ perceptions related to appeals of the show. However, viewing frequency had fewer statistically significant relationships with the types of decisions respondents made based on viewing the show and their preference for future topics. Future research was recommended to broaden the scope of this line of research to other states and other types of media produced by Extension in the country. It was also recommended to research why nonviewers did not watch Farmweek

Measuring Urinary Sensation with Current Perception Threshold: A Comparison between Method of Limits and Method of Levels

Purpose. To determine the association between the two methods of obtaining current perception thresholds (CPTs) in the lower urinary tract (LUT). Materials and Methods. Twenty-one women undergoing pelvic surgery underwent CPT determinations of the urethra. CPTs were measured at 2,000, 250, and 5 Hz (corresponding to A-β, A-δ, and C fibers, resp.) both pre- and postoperatively. Threshold values were obtained in all patients by using the method of limits and the method of levels. Results. CPT values obtained by using the method of levels and the methods of limits were highly correlated at all frequencies before and after surgery (ρ = 0.93–0.99, P < 0.0001). The mean threshold values obtained by the method of levels were significantly lower at all frequencies compared with those obtained by the method of limits. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the method of levels is more sensitive for the detection of CPTs compared to the method of limits

Computational translation of genomic responses from experimental model systems to humans

The high failure rate of therapeutics showing promise in mouse models to translate to patients is a pressing challenge in biomedical science. Though retrospective studies have examined the fidelity of mouse models to their respective human conditions, approaches for prospective translation of insights from mouse models to patients remain relatively unexplored. Here, we develop a semi-supervised learning approach for inference of disease-associated human differentially expressed genes and pathways from mouse model experiments. We examined 36 transcriptomic case studies where comparable phenotypes were available for mouse and human inflammatory diseases and assessed multiple computational approaches for inferring human biology from mouse datasets. We found that semi-supervised training of a neural network identified significantly more true human biological associations than interpreting mouse experiments directly. Evaluating the experimental design of mouse experiments where our model was most successful revealed principles of experimental design that may improve translational performance. Our study shows that when prospectively evaluating biological associations in mouse studies, semi-supervised learning approaches, combining mouse and human data for biological inference, provide the most accurate assessment of human in vivo disease processes. Finally, we proffer a delineation of four categories of model system-to-human "Translation Problems" defined by the resolution and coverage of the datasets available for molecular insight translation and suggest that the task of translating insights from model systems to human disease contexts may be better accomplished by a combination of translation-minded experimental design and computational approaches.Boehringer Ingelheim PharmaceuticalsInstitute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (Grant W911NF-09-0001

Dietary Intervention with Black Raspberries to Reduce Colitis Symptoms in Mice Fed Either Standard AIN93G Diet or the Total Western Diet (P05-021-19)

Approximately 1.4 million people suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which is a major risk factor for developing colitis associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Dietary interventions with the goal to reduce colon inflammation and encourage gut microbiome homeostasis may be a strategy to reduce the risk of CAC. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds present in black raspberries (BRB) have demonstrated protective effects in the colon epithelium and may alter the composition of the gut microbiome. Previously, we showed that dietary supplementation with black raspberries significantly suppressed colitis and colon tumorigenesis promoted by the consumption of a Western type diet in mice. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of dietary intervention with whole, freeze-dried black raspberries on colitis and colon tumorigenesis in mice consuming either a standard diet or a Western type diet that emulates typical U.S. nutrient intakes

The prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (PLUS) research consortium: A transdisciplinary approach toward promoting bladder health and preventing lower urinary tract symptoms in women across the life course

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are highly prevalent in women, and are expected to impose a growing burden to individuals and society as the population ages. The predominance of research related to LUTS has focused on underlying pathology, disease mechanisms, or the efficacy of treatments for women with LUTS. Although this research has been vital for helping to reduce or ameliorate LUTS conditions, it has done little to prevent the onset of LUTS. Health promotion and prevention require an expansion of scientific inquiry beyond the traditional paradigm of studying disease mechanisms and treatment to the creation of an evidence base to support recommendations for bladder health promotion and, in turn, prevention of LUTS. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) introduced the concept of prevention as an important priority for women's urologic research as a prelude to supporting the formation of the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) research consortium. In this article, we introduce the PLUS research consortium to the scientific community; share the innovative paradigms by which the consortium operates; and describe its unique research mission: to identify factors that promote bladder health across the life course and prevent the onset of LUTS in girls and women

Magnetic Resonance Angiography Visualization of Abnormal Tumor Vasculature in Genetically Engineered Mice

Previous research on the vasculature of tumor-bearing animals has focused upon the microvasculature. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) offers a noninvasive, complementary approach that provides information about larger vessels. Quantitative analysis of MRA images of spontaneous preclinical tumor models has not been previously reported. Eleven Tg

Does urethral competence affect urodynamic voiding parameters in women with prolapse?

Aims To (1) compare voiding parameters and (2) correlate symptoms and urodynamic findings in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and varying degrees of urethral competence. Methods We compared three groups of women with stages II–IV POP. Groups 1 and 2 were symptomatically stress continent women participating in the Colpopexy and Urinary Reduction Efforts (CARE) trial; during prolapse reduction before sacrocolpopexy, Group 1 (n = 67) did not have and Group 2 (n = 84) had urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) during prolapse reduction. Group 3 participants (n = 74), recruited specifically for this study, had stress urinary incontinence (SUI) symptoms and planned sacrocolpopexy. Participants completed standardized uroflowmetry, pressure voiding studies, and validated symptom questionnaires. Results Subjects' median age was 61 years, median parity 3 and 87% had stage III or IV POP. Fourteen percent of women in Group 3 demonstrated USI without, and 70% with, prolapse reduction. Women in Groups 2 and 3 had more detrusor overactivity (DO) than Group 1 (17 and 24% vs. 6%, P  = 0.02) and detrusor overactivity incontinence (DOI) (15 and 8% vs. 0%, P  = 0.004). Based on the Blaivis–Groutz nomogram, 60% of all women were obstructed. Post-void residual volume (PVR), peak flow rate, detrusor pressure at peak flow, voiding mechanisms, voiding patterns, obstruction and urinary retention did not differ among groups. Women in Group 3 had higher irritative and obstructive symptom scores than Group 1 or 2; neither score differed by presence of DO nor obstruction, respectively. Conclusion Women with POP have significant rates of urodynamic obstruction and retention, independent of their continence status. Symptoms of obstruction and retention correlate poorly with urodynamic findings. Neurourol. Urodynam. 26:1030–1035, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57365/1/20436_ftp.pd

Sleep pattern gender differences and fragmentation in postpartum parents of twins

Objective: Parents of newborn twins are at risk for both shortened sleep duration and sleep discontinuity. The purpose of this study was to characterize weekday and weekend sleep duration, sleep continuity, and awakenings in both mothers and fathers of newborn twins during the first 3 months at home. Material and Methods: Sleep-wake parameters were assessed at two time points using self-report diaries and actigraphy in 75 families with newborn twins. To assess sleep on weekdays and weekends with minimal subject burden, actigraphy recordings of both parents commenced at 9:00 p.m. Saturday and terminated at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday. Results: Mean sleep duration over 24 hours for parents of twins ranged between 6.7 and 7.5 hours during the first 3 months postpartum and did not significantly differ on weekdays or weekends for mothers. Weekend sleep was more fragmented for fathers at both one month and three months with more awakenings, compared to weekday sleep. Mothers had more fragmented night sleep compared to fathers at one month. In contrast, at three months postpartum fathers had shorter total sleep time and night sleep time, but fewer night awakenings on weekdays than mothers. No differences were observed in weekend sleep duration or sleep patterns between mothers and fathers at three months. Discussion: Consolidated sleep periods for both parents averages three hours or less during the first three months postpartum and sleep for both parents is fragmented. In families with newborn twins, the extent of sleep disruption for mothers and fathers is similar