Subsidy: More or Less

This thesis explores whether a subsidized client in a federally funded program for older adults receives as much service as a client in the same program that does not receive subsidy for service. This was accomplished by examining records that spanned a year of service from two programs that deliver service to older adults that assist them to remain living in their own homes. Finding of the study indicated that there were no relationships between subsidized services and clients receiving service. Based on the study findings, recommendations were made for a larger study sample and a control of other variables

Weir River Estuary: Land Protection Plan

If economic growth were the only measure of a community’s health and vitality, then the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull are fairing well. But this economic success is generally accompanied by changes in the physical landscape that can be unsettling for residents, especially when it means more development and expansion at the expense of culturally and socially important open space areas such as parks, woods, and marshes. The rapid pace and fragmented nature of such sprawling development gives communities little opportunity to come to terms with the long-term impacts, which in turn can lead to a sense of powerlessness and an ensuing failure to intervene. The Weir River Estuary Park (WREP) Land Protection Plan builds upon the existing open space and public access inventory, Building a Vision for Our Weir River Estuary, which was prepared in August 2003 under a separate contract (Lefebvre 2003). The Building a Vision report identified unprotected lands around the Weir River ACEC, while this follow-up planning project provides strategies about how to protect these lands. This report identifies the shared vision and goals of the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull for protecting the region’s unique beauty, serenity, and important ecological functions. The plan examines various techniques and tools for land protection and provides guidance as to how these can best be applied to meet the goals for the estuary. Maps and a table with detailed parcel information at the end of the report identify the undeveloped properties around the estuary and the protection possibilities and priorities for each

South Shore Vessel Pumpout Evaluation & Outreach Plan, Final Report

During the course of this study, 413 boaters, seven pumpout facility operators and a number of state and municipal officials either were interviewed or completed questionnaires focused on the boat sewage pumpout facilities along the South Shore of Massachusetts. The aims of the boater survey were to:collect data on how boaters disposed of their sewage waste;learn how well informed boaters were regarding the location of sewage pumpouts;determine if boaters were able to find operational pumpout facilities when they needed them;learn what common problems had been experienced when using pumpouts;determine if there were adequate facilities to service the South Shore boating community. The operator survey aimed to:collect data on how frequently pumpouts were used;determine how each marina’s pumpout services worked;to learn what common problems operators experienced with the equipment;to learn how marina operators promoted their services. In addition to providing much needed statistical data on the number and size of boats, where they were used, the frequency at which they were used, etc., this study provided insight into what boaters and marina operators knew about the environmental impacts of vessel sewage in the coastal environment. These data, along with a web search for other outreach efforts and a literature search on environmental education and outreach, were reviewed to assess what future outreach may be needed and the shape it should take

Study on Alumina-silica-phosphate Compound as Problem Water Treatment: Case Study of Soil Water (Bekasi and Karawang)

Naturally, zeolite is a cation exchanger but this property is also depending on porosity, tetrahedral density and frame density. Cation exchange effectiveness can be changed by structure, Si/Al ratio and effective pore size. Tetrahedral group, T, in zeolite is negative charged and can be substituted isomorphycally by other group like PO2+. The new structure can be functioned as anion or cation exchanger. The exchange capacity of both ions depends on Si/Al/P ratio from the substitution process. The alumina-silica-phosphate (ASP) compound has been made from zeolite from Cikalong, Tasikmalaya, with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADHP) with substitution rate between 30-40%. This product has been tested to Pantura groundwater, in Bekasi and Karawang areas, which have groundwater type of NaCl, CaCl2, MgSO4 and CaCl2/CaSO4. ASP tests on ground water samples show decreasing content of Ca, Mg, Na and K cations in ground water by 32.94%, 3.35%, 2.52% and 23.60% respectively. Sulphate anion also decreases by 15.39% but chloride anion shows no changes. Dig-up well of CaCl2 type also shows a reduction of Ca, Mg, Na and sulphate contents by 46.26%, 18.37%, 16.39% and 10.84%, respectively. Dig-up well of CaSO4 type shows Ca, K and sulphate contents decrease of 89.71%, 33.31% and 5.26%, respectively. CaSO4 dig-up well can be changed to Mg-mix type after processing by ASP compound. Cation exchange capacity of ASP compound to Ca is higher than to K, Mg and Na (Ca>K>Mg>Na). Due to a high cation exchange capacity to K and Mg, ASP compound may be used to reduce the hard water level

Recent exposure to ultrafine particles in school children alters miR-222 expression in the extracellular fraction of saliva

Background: Ultrafine particles (< 100 nm) are ubiquitous present in the air and may contribute to adverse cardiovascular effects. Exposure to air pollutants can alter miRNA expression, which can affect downstream signaling pathways. miRNAs are present both in the intracellular and extracellular environment. In adults, miR-222 and miR-146a were identified as associated with particulate matter exposure. However, there is little evidence of molecular effects of ambient air pollution in children. This study examined whether exposure to fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) is associated with changes in the extracellular content of miR-222 and miR-146a of children. Methods: Saliva was collected from 80 children at two different time points, circa 11 weeks apart and stabilized for RNA preservation. The extracellular fraction of saliva was obtained by means of differential centrifugation and ultracentrifugation. Expression levels of miR-222 and miR-146a were profiled by qPCR. We regressed the extracellular miRNA expression against recent exposure to ultrafine and fine particles measured at the school site using mixed models, while accounting for sex, age, BMI, passive smoking, maternal education, hours of television use, time of the day and day of the week. Results: Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP) at the school site was positively associated with miR-222 expression in the extracellular fraction in saliva. For each IQR increase in particles in the class room (+8504 particles/cm(3)) or playground (+ 28776 particles/cm(3)), miR-222 was, respectively 23.5 % (95 % CI: 3.5 %-41.1 %; p = 0.021) or 29.9 % (95 % CI: 10.6 %-49.1 %; p = 0.0027) higher. No associations were found between miR-146a and recent exposure to fine and ultrafine particles. Conclusions: Our results suggest a possible epigenetic mechanism via which cells respond rapidly to small particles, as exemplified by miR-222 changes in the extracellular fraction of saliva

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article depicts the period of time Will Rogers, "Oklahoma's Favorite Son", spent performing in a Wild West Show in South Africa and how his experiences there impacted his future career

Pertactin-negative Bordetella pertussis strains in Canada: characterization of a dozen isolates based on a survey of 224 samples collected in different parts of the country over the last 20 years

SummaryObjectiveTo detect and characterize pertactin-negative Bordetella pertussis in Canada, especially for isolates collected in recent years.MethodsA total of 224 isolates from the years 1994–2013 were screened by Western immuno-blot for expression of pertactin. Pertactin-negative isolates were characterized by serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and genotyping of their pertactin, fimbriae 3, pertussis toxin subunit 1, and pertussis toxin gene promoter region, as well as the complete sequence of the pertactin gene.ResultsTwelve isolates were pertactin-negative, giving an overall prevalence of 5.4%. However, no such isolate was found prior to 2011 and 17.8% of 62 isolates examined in 2012 were pertactin-negative. Ten pertactin-negative isolates contained a significant mutation in their pertactin (prn) genes. IS481 was found in the prn genes of eight isolates, while a single point mutation occurred either in the coding region (resulting in a premature stop codon) or in the promoter region (preventing gene transcription) in two other isolates. PFGE analysis also showed multiple profiles suggesting that several independent genetic events might have led to the emergence of these pertactin-negative strains rather than expansion of a single clone.ConclusionsAs reported elsewhere, pertactin-negative B. pertussis has emerged in Canada in recent years, notably in 2012. This coincided with an increase in pertussis activity in Canada. A further systematic study with a larger geographical representative sample is required to determine how these vaccine-negative strains may contribute to the overall changing epidemiology of pertussis in Canada

Guide de prévention et d'intervention contre la violence envers le personnel de l'éducation

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 19 oct. 2007

Prenatal Air Pollution and Newborns' Predisposition to Accelerated Biological Aging.

Importance: Telomere length is a marker of biological aging that may provide a cellular memory of exposures to oxidative stress and inflammation. Telomere length at birth has been related to life expectancy. An association between prenatal air pollution exposure and telomere length at birth could provide new insights in the environmental influence on molecular longevity. Objective: To assess the association of prenatal exposure to particulate matter (PM) with newborn telomere length as reflected by cord blood and placental telomere length. Design, Setting, and Participants: In a prospective birth cohort (ENVIRONAGE [Environmental Influence on Ageing in Early Life]), a total of 730 mother-newborn pairs were recruited in Flanders, Belgium between February 2010 and December 2014, all with a singleton full-term birth (≥37 weeks of gestation). For statistical analysis, participants with full data on both cord blood and placental telomere lengths were included, resulting in a final study sample size of 641. Exposures: Maternal residential PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) exposure during pregnancy. Main Outcomes and Measures: In the newborns, cord blood and placental tissue relative telomere length were measured. Maternal residential PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy was estimated using a high-resolution spatial-temporal interpolation method. In distributed lag models, both cord blood and placental telomere length were associated with average weekly exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy, allowing the identification of critical sensitive exposure windows. Results: In 641 newborns, cord blood and placental telomere length were significantly and inversely associated with PM2.5 exposure during midgestation (weeks 12-25 for cord blood and weeks 15-27 for placenta). A 5-µg/m3 increment in PM2.5 exposure during the entire pregnancy was associated with 8.8% (95% CI, -14.1% to -3.1%) shorter cord blood leukocyte telomeres and 13.2% (95% CI, -19.3% to -6.7%) shorter placental telomere length. These associations were controlled for date of delivery, gestational age, maternal body mass index, maternal age, paternal age, newborn sex, newborn ethnicity, season of delivery, parity, maternal smoking status, maternal educational level, pregnancy complications, and ambient temperature. Conclusions and Relevance: Mothers who were exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 gave birth to newborns with shorter telomere length. The observed telomere loss in newborns by prenatal air pollution exposure indicates less buffer for postnatal influences of factors decreasing telomere length during life. Therefore, improvements in air quality may promote molecular longevity from birth onward