“Worried About Them When We Left”: A Mixed-Methods Essay

The purpose of this visual inquiry using ethnographic photographic research was to examine fire safety in homes of 42 urban older adults. Photographs were taken to document home fire safety (HFS) practices and grouped according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Home Safety Checklist categories. Participants had a mean age of 74 years, and were mostly African American (n=21, 57%), and female (n=32, 78%). Major findings from the photographs demonstrated unsafe electrical, cooking, and heating practices. Other HFS hazards related to installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms, smoking safety, and identification and practice of home fire escape plans. The findings will provide future direction for community education and fire prevention advocacy for older adults

Side‐swiped: ecological cascades emanating from earthworm invasions

Non‐native, invasive earthworms are altering soils throughout the world. Ecological cascades emanating from these invasions stem from rapid consumption of leaf litter by earthworms. This occurs at a midpoint in the trophic pyramid, unlike the more familiar bottom‐up or top‐down cascades. These cascades cause fundamental changes (“microcascade effects”) in soil morphology, bulk density, and nutrient leaching, and a shift to warmer, drier soil surfaces with a loss of leaf litter. In North American temperate and boreal forests, microcascade effects can affect carbon sequestration, disturbance regimes, soil and water quality, forest productivity, plant communities, and wildlife habitat, and can facilitate other invasive species. These broader‐scale changes (“macrocascade effects”) are of greater concern to society. Interactions among these fundamental changes and broader‐scale effects create “cascade complexes” that interact with climate change and other environmental processes. The diversity of cascade effects, combined with the vast area invaded by earthworms, leads to regionally important changes in ecological functioning

Side-swiped : ecological cascades emanating from earthworm invasions

Non‐native, invasive earthworms are altering soils throughout the world. Ecological cascades emanating from these invasions stem from rapid consumption of leaf litter by earthworms. This occurs at a midpoint in the trophic pyramid, unlike the more familiar bottom‐up or top‐down cascades. These cascades cause fundamental changes (“microcascade effects”) in soil morphology, bulk density, and nutrient leaching, and a shift to warmer, drier soil surfaces with a loss of leaf litter. In North American temperate and boreal forests, microcascade effects can affect carbon sequestration, disturbance regimes, soil and water quality, forest productivity, plant communities, and wildlife habitat, and can facilitate other invasive species. These broader‐scale changes (“macrocascade effects”) are of greater concern to society. Interactions among these fundamental changes and broader‐scale effects create “cascade complexes” that interact with climate change and other environmental processes. The diversity of cascade effects, combined with the vast area invaded by earthworms, leads to regionally important changes in ecological functioning

Dysregulated claudin-5 cycling in the inner retina causes retinal pigment epithelial cell atrophy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central retinal vision loss worldwide, with an estimated 1 in 10 people over the age of 55 showing early signs of the condition. There are currently no forms of therapy available for the end stage of dry AMD, geographic atrophy (GA). Here, we show that the inner blood-retina barrier (iBRB) is highly dynamic and may play a contributory role in GA development. We have discovered that the gene CLDN5, which encodes claudin-5, a tight junction protein abundantly expressed at the iBRB, is regulated by BMAL1 and the circadian clock. Persistent suppression of claudin-5 expression in mice exposed to a cholesterol-enriched diet induced striking retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell atrophy, and persistent targeted suppression of claudin-5 in the macular region of nonhuman primates induced RPE cell atrophy. Moreover, fundus fluorescein angiography in human and nonhuman primate subjects showed increased retinal vascular permeability in the evening compared with the morning. These findings implicate an inner retina-derived component in the early pathophysiological changes observed in AMD, and we suggest that restoring the integrity of the iBRB may represent a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of GA secondary to dry AMD

Surface study of apoB1694–1880, a sequence that can anchor apoB to lipoproteins and make it nonexchangeable

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is a nonexchangeable apolipoprotein. During lipoprotein assembly, it recruits phospholipids and triacylglycerols (TAG) into TAG-rich lipoprotein particles. It remains bound to secreted lipoproteins during lipid metabolism in plasma. The β1 region (residues 827–1880) of apoB has a high amphipathic β strand (AβS) content and is proposed to be one region anchoring apoB to lipoproteins. The AβS-rich region between apoB37 and apoB41 (residues 1694–1880) was cloned, expressed, and purified. The interfacial properties were studied at the triolein/water (TO/W) and air/water (A/W) interfaces. ApoB[37–41] is surface-active and adsorbs to the TO/W interface. After adsorption the unbound apoB[37–41] was removed from the aqueous phase. Adsorbed apoB[37–41] did not desorb and could not be forced off by increasing the surface pressure up to 23 mN/m. ApoB[37–41] adsorbed on the TO/W interface was completely elastic when compressed and expanded by ±13% of its area. On an A/W interface, the apoB[37–41] monolayer became solid when compressed to 4 mN/m pressure indicating extended β-sheet formation. It could be reversibly compressed and expanded between low pressure and its collapse pressure (35 mN/m). Our studies confirm that the AβS structure of apoB[37–41] is a lipid-binding motif that can irreversibly anchor apoB to lipoproteins

Carbon and Communities: Linking Carbon Science with Public Policy and Resource Management in the Northeastern United States

Human activities emit 28 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere each year contributing to climate change. As developing nations industrialize, these emissions will likely increase. In addition, the loss of forest resources for agriculture and development decreases the ability of the Earth to reabsorb, or sequester, some of this carbon dioxide. Today scientists believe that this system—releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while reducing the landscape’s capacity to sequester it—may lead to changes in our global and local climate that could have large social, economic, and ecological consequences. The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF) convened a team of scientists to create detailed carbon budgets for eight counties and one city in the northeastern United States to better understand the magnitude of the release and removal of carbon dioxide at a scale meaningful for state and local officials. Analyses of carbon dioxide emissions from transportation, residential, industrial, commercial, and land-use sources are summarized to help communities understand which sources of carbon dioxide can most efficiently be decreased in order to achieve a smaller carbon footprint. Communities are increasingly interested in addressing climate change at the local level, but require methods to compare the cost and effectiveness of different carbon mitigation strategies over time. HBRF has developed several resources to assist regional planning agencies, local governments, and lawmakers compare the costs and benefits of major carbon mitigation options to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions. These resources, accompanied by scientific information, are intended to help evaluate such key issues as forest management practices, regional planning strategies, land-use decisions, transportation, energy efficiency upgrades, and alternative energy sources

Local-scale carbon budgets and mitigation opportunities for the northeastern United States

Economic and political realities present challenges for implementing an aggressive climate change abatement program in the United States. A high-efficiency approach will be essential. In this synthesis, we compare carbon budgets and evaluate the carbon-mitigation potential for nine counties in the northeastern United States that represent a range of biophysical, demographic, and socioeconomic conditions. Most counties are net sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, with the exception of rural forested counties, in which sequestration in vegetation and soils exceed emissions. Protecting forests will ensure that the region\u27s largest CO2 sink does not become a source of emissions. For rural counties, afforestation, sustainable fuelwood harvest for bioenergy, and utility-scale wind power could provide the largest and most cost-effective mitigation opportunities among those evaluated. For urban and suburban counties, energy-efficiency measures and energy-saving technologies would be most cost effective. Through the implementation of locally tailored management and technology options, large reductions in CO2 emissions could be achieved at relatively low costs