Urban water reuse: A triple bottom line assessment framework and review

Water reuse networks have been emerging globally for the last 50 years. This article reviews the economic, social and environmental issues related to implementing water reuse networks in cities. This is reflecting the fact that globally many cities are categorised as water scarce areas, where there is growing imbalance between water demand and availability. In this sense, there is a need for sustainable water supply solutions in the imminent future to provide and maintain service reliability, particularly in the face of climate change. To demonstrate the sustainability implications of water reuse practices, we review a case study in London, UK

Novel 2-amino-isoflavones exhibit aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist or antagonist activity in a species/cell-specific context

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates the induction of a variety of xenobiotic metabolism genes. Activation of the AhR occurs through binding to a group of structurally diverse compounds, most notably dioxins, which are exogenous ligands. Isoflavones are part of a family which include some well characterised endogenous AhR ligands. This paper analysed a novel family of these compounds, based on the structure of 2-amino-isoflavone. Initially two luciferase-based cell models, mouse H1L6.1c2 and human HG2L6.1c3, were used to identify whether the compounds had AhR agonistic and/or antagonistic properties. This analysis showed that some of the compounds were weak agonists in mouse and antagonists in human. Further analysis of two of the compounds, Chr-13 and Chr-19, was conducted using quantitative real-time PCR in rat H4IIE and human MCF-7 cells. The results indicated that Chr-13 was an agonist in rat but an antagonist in human cells. Chr-19 was shown to be an agonist in rat but more interestingly, a partial agonist in human. Luciferase induction results not only revealed that subtle differences in the structure of the compound could produce species-specific differences in response but also dictated the ability of the compound to be an AhR agonist or antagonist. Substituted 2-amino-isoflavones represent a novel group of AhR ligands that must differentially interact with the AhR ligand binding domain to produce their species-specific agonist or antagonist activity and future ligand binding analysis and docking studies with these compounds may provide insights into the differential mechanisms of action of structurally similar compounds

Is University Nursing Education in Canada Taking the Lead in a World Focused on Sustainable Development? / La formation universitaire au Canada est-elle à l’avant-plan dans un monde centré sur le développment durable?

Global Health is widely being adopted by universities and higher education institutions in Canada and around the world. The current global climate has given rise to an emphasis on the necessity of global health education for nurses. Nursing educators as well as nursing students are seeking guidance as they integrate global health as part of their learning, teaching, research and practice. In September 2015, the member states of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): seventeen goals to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure health and well-being for all. These seventeen goals will guide the world’s development agenda for the next 15 years. Canadian universities, especially nursing faculties/schools are uniquely placed to help implement the SDGs, particularly goals three and four which focus on good health and well-being and quality education. Little has been done in understanding universities and in particular nursing’s overall commitment to achieving these 17 goals. Nursing is the largest health care provider group and it is critical to understand our educational responsibilities in attaining the SDGs. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a study which examined Canada’s largest nursing faculties’/schools of nursing’s mission statements and strategic plans, and to discuss how these mandates align with the achievement of the SDGs. Résumé La notion de « santé mondiale » est largement utilisée par les universités et les établissements d’enseignement supérieur au Canada et partout dans le monde. Le climat mondial actuel a fait naître le besoin de former les infirmières au domaine de la santé mondiale. Les professeures et les étudiantes en sciences infirmières sont à la recherche d’orientations alors qu’elles intègrent la santé mondiale à leur apprentissage/enseignement, recherche et pratique. En septembre 2015, les États membres de l’ONU ont adopté les Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) : dix-sept objectifs qui visent à mettre fin à la pauvreté, à protéger l’environnement et à garantir la santé et le bien-être pour tous. Au cours des 15 prochaines années, ces dix-sept objectifs vont guider le développement à l’échelle mondiale. Les universités canadiennes, et surtout les facultés de sciences infirmières, sont particulièrement bien placées pour contribuer à la mise en œuvre de ces ODD, plus spécifiquement les objectifs trois et quatre qui portent sur la santé et le bien-être et une éducation de qualité. Peu d’efforts ont été faits pour comprendre l’engagement des universités et surtout, celui des sciences infirmières, pour atteindre ces 17 objectifs. Les infirmières représentent le plus important groupe de prestataires de soins de santé au pays, et il est essentiel de comprendre nos responsabilités en matière de formation pour la réalisation des ODD de l’ONU. Le but de cet article est de faire part des résultats d’une étude qui portait sur les énoncés de mission les plans stratégiques des plus grandes facultés de sciences infirmières/école de sciences infirmières au Canada, et de discuter de la correspondance de ces mandats avec l’atteinte de ces ODD

High Energy Cosmic Rays From Supernovae

Cosmic rays are charged relativistic particles that reach the Earth with extremely high energies, providing striking evidence of the existence of effective accelerators in the Universe. Below an energy around $\sim 10^{17}$ eV cosmic rays are believed to be produced in the Milky Way while above that energy their origin is probably extragalactic. In the early '30s supernovae were already identified as possible sources for the Galactic component of cosmic rays. After the '70s this idea has gained more and more credibility thanks to the the development of the diffusive shock acceleration theory, which provides a robust theoretical framework for particle energization in astrophysical environments. Afterwards, mostly in recent years, much observational evidence has been gathered in support of this framework, converting a speculative idea in a real paradigm. In this Chapter the basic pillars of this paradigm will be illustrated. This includes the acceleration mechanism, the non linear effects produced by accelerated particles onto the shock dynamics needed to reach the highest energies, the escape process from the sources and the transportation of cosmic rays through the Galaxy. The theoretical picture will be corroborated by discussing several observations which support the idea that supernova remnants are effective cosmic ray factories.Comment: Final draft of a chapter in "Handbook of Supernovae" edited by Athem W. Alsabti and Paul Murdi

Does patient-provider race/ethnicity concordance impact outcomes for adults with lupus?

Background: Health disparities exist among the 1.5 million Americans with lupus, with women of color bearing higher disease rates and burden. Complex reasons include genetics, comorbidities, and socioeconomics. These factors may lead to differences in health-related outcomes in lupus. Aim: To determine if patient-provider racial/ethnic concordance plays a role in outcomes for adults with lupus. Method: For this scoping review, the authors searched PubMed Medline and CINAHL using keywords and subject headings for lupus, race or ethnicity, and patient-health professional concordance. Results: Despite an intentionally broadened search of literature, the authors identified a lack of studies examining the topic. Conclusions: Certain factors may explain the results: a lack of scientists studying the phenomenon, a focus of funding on bench science, and a non-diverse U.S. healthcare provider workforce. Other factors may exist. Implications for practice, policy, and research are presented

Identification of Class I HLA T Cell Control Epitopes for West Nile Virus

The recent West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in the United States underscores the importance of understanding human immune responses to this pathogen. Via the presentation of viral peptide ligands at the cell surface, class I HLA mediate the T cell recognition and killing of WNV infected cells. At this time, there are two key unknowns in regards to understanding protective T cell immunity: 1) the number of viral ligands presented by the HLA of infected cells, and 2) the distribution of T cell responses to these available HLA/viral complexes. Here, comparative mass spectroscopy was applied to determine the number of WNV peptides presented by the HLA-A*11:01 of infected cells after which T cell responses to these HLA/WNV complexes were assessed. Six viral peptides derived from capsid, NS3, NS4b, and NS5 were presented. When T cells from infected individuals were tested for reactivity to these six viral ligands, polyfunctional T cells were focused on the GTL9 WNV capsid peptide, ligands from NS3, NS4b, and NS5 were less immunogenic, and two ligands were largely inert, demonstrating that class I HLA reduce the WNV polyprotein to a handful of immune targets and that polyfunctional T cells recognize infections by zeroing in on particular HLA/WNV epitopes. Such dominant HLA/peptide epitopes are poised to drive the development of WNV vaccines that elicit protective T cells as well as providing key antigens for immunoassays that establish correlates of viral immunity. © 2013 Kaabinejadian et al