201 research outputs found
Testing a global city hypothesis : an assessment of polarization across US cities
Social polarization is perhaps most evident within the world's large cities where we can easily observe stark contrasts between wealth and poverty. A world city theoretical perspective has emerged that associates large cities importance in a global network of cities to the degree of internal polarization within these cities. The research reported here locates 57 large US cities within this world city hierarchy and then empirically examines the hypothesized positive association between global centrality and social polarization using a multivariate, cross-city analysis. The findings are mixed, with some evidence that global centrality increases income polarization, but only in the context of higher levels of immigration. There is no evidence that a city's centrality affects occupational polarization. We conclude by suggesting implications for the world city literature and future research
Chronology of Range Expansion of the Coyote, Canis latrans, in New York
Coyotes (Canis latrans) were historically restricted to central North America. In less than two centuries, however, Coyotes have colonized most of the continent, including much of northeastern North America. Better understanding causes and proximate mechanisms of this expansion requires a detailed understanding of how Coyotes colonized areas on a fine scale. We examined the establishment of Coyotes in the State of New York by collecting and analyzing reports of their first occurrence throughout the state over the past century, and creating a detailed map of range expansion. Coyotes first entered New York from the north, circled the Adirondack region prior to colonizing it, and then expanded southward and westward at ca. 78-90 km/decade. The revealed pattern lends little support to the hypotheses that the range expansion is attributable to translocations and releases, or that Coyotes were historically present in the region and only recently expanded in numbers. Rather, the data suggest a correlative relationship between anthropogenic land use and Coyote range expansion
Understanding the Perceptions of Producers Regarding the Ogallala Aquifer Use: A Survey Report (2022)
This survey asked producers in the Ogallala aquifer how they view their role in groundwater use, what they see as the consequences of groundwater depletion, and why they believe groundwater should be conserved. Producers were also asked about their worldviews and values. Together, these questions help provide an understanding of the cultural state of the Ogallala aquifer, especially as it pertains to groundwater use
The Synergistic Action of Melittin and Phospholipase A2 with Lipid Membranes: Development of Linear Dichroism for Membrane-Insertion Kinetics
Here we present data on the kinetics of insertion of melittin, a peptide from bee venom, into lipid membranes of different composition. Another component of bee venom is the enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLAâ). We have examined the interaction of melittin and PLAâ with liposomes both separately and combined and demonstrate that they work synergistically to disrupt the membranes. A dramatic difference in the action of melittin and PLAâ is observed when the composition of the membrane is altered. Temperature also has a large effect on the kinetics of insertion and membrane disruption. We use a combination of techniques to measure liposome size (dynamic light scattering), peptide secondary structure (circular dichroism spectroscopy), peptide orientation relative to the membrane (linear dichroism spectroscopy) and enzymatic digestion of the lipids (mass spectrometry)
Attitude towards and factors affecting uptake of population based BRCA testing in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: a cohort study
Objective
To evaluate factors affecting unselectedâpopulationâbasedâBRCAâtesting in AshkenaziâJews (AJ).
Design
Cohortâstudy set within recruitment to the GCaPPSâtrial (ISRCTN73338115).
Setting
NorthâLondon AJâpopulation.
Population or Sample
AJ women/men >18âyears, recruited through selfâreferral.
Methods
AJâwomen/men underwent preâtest counselling for BRCAâtesting through recruitment clinics (clusters). Consenting individuals provided bloodâsample for BRCAâtesting. Socioâdemographic/familyâhistory/knowledge/psychological wellâbeing data alongâwith benefits/risks/culturalâinfluences (18âitemâquestionnaire measuring âattitudeâ) were collected.
4âitem likertâscales analysed initial âinterestâ and âintentionâtoâtestâ preâcounselling. Uniâ&âmultivariable logisticâregressionâmodels evaluated factors affecting uptake/interest/intentionâto undergo BRCAâtesting. Statistical inference was based on cluster robust standardâerrors and joint Waldâtests for significance. ItemâResponseâTheory and gradedâresponseâmodels modelled responses to 18âitem questionnaire.
Main Outcome Measures
Interest, intention, uptake, attitude towards BRCAâtesting.
Results
935 (women=67%/men=33%; meanâage=53.8(S.D=15.02) years) individuals underwent preâtest geneticâcounselling. Preâcounselling 96% expressed interest but 60% indicated clear intentionâto undergo BRCAâtesting. Subsequently 88% opted for BRCAâtesting. BRCAârelated knowledge (p=0.013) and degreeâlevel education(p=0.01) were positively and negatively (respectively) associated with intentionâtoâtest. Being married/cohabiting had fourâfold higherâodds for BRCAâtesting uptake (p=0.009). Perceived benefits were associated with higher preâcounselling odds for interest and intentionâto undergo BRCAâtesting. Reduced uncertainty/reassurance were the most important factors contributing to decisionâmaking. Increased importance/concern towards risks/limitations (confidentiality/insurance/emotionalâimpact/inability to prevent cancer/marriageâability/ethnicâfocus/stigmatization) were significantly associated with lowerâodds of uptakeâof BRCAâtesting, and discriminated between acceptors and decliners. Maleâgender/degreeâlevelâeducation (p=0.001) had weaker, while having children had stronger (p=0.005) attitudes towards BRCAâtesting.
Conclusions
BRCAâtesting in the AJâpopulation has high acceptability. Preâtest counselling increases awareness of disadvantages/limitations of BRCAâtesting, influencing final costâbenefit perception and decisionâmaking on undergoing testing.
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Same-day diagnostic and surveillance data for tuberculosis via whole genome sequencing of direct respiratory samples
Routine full characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is culture-based, taking many weeks. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can generate antibiotic susceptibility profiles to inform treatment, augmented with strain information for global surveillance; such data could be transformative if provided at or near point of care.
We demonstrate a low-cost DNA extraction method for TB WGS direct from patient samples. We initially evaluated the method using the Illumina MiSeq sequencer (40 smear-positive respiratory samples, obtained after routine clinical testing, and 27 matched liquid cultures). M. tuberculosis was identified in all 39 samples from which DNA was successfully extracted. Sufficient data for antibiotic susceptibility prediction was obtained from 24 (62%) samples; all results were concordant with reference laboratory phenotypes. Phylogenetic placement was concordant between direct and cultured samples. Using an 70 Illumina MiSeq/MiniSeq the workflow from patient sample to results can be completed in 44/16 hours at a reagent cost of ÂŁ96/ÂŁ198 per sample.
We then employed a non-specific PCR-based library preparation method for sequencing on an Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION sequencer. We applied this to cultured Mycobacterium bovis BCG strain (BCG), and to combined culture negative sputum DNA and BCG DNA. For flowcell version R9.4, the estimated turnaround time from patient to identification of BCG, detection of pyrazinamide resistance, and phylogenetic placement was 7.5 hours, with full susceptibility results 5 hours later. Antibiotic susceptibility predictions were fully concordant. A critical advantage of the MinION is the ability to continue sequencing until sufficient coverage is obtained, providing a potential solution to the problem of variable amounts of M. tuberculosis in direct samples
Developing a sustainability science approach for water systems
We convened a workshop to enable scientists who study water systems from both social science and physical science perspectives to develop a shared language. This shared language is necessary to bridge a divide between these disciplinesâ different conceptual frameworks. As a result of this workshop, we argue that we should view socio-hydrological systems as structurally co-constituted of social, engineered, and natural elements and study the âcharacteristic management challengesâ that emerge from this structure and reoccur across time, space, and socioeconomic contexts. This approach is in contrast to theories that view these systems as separately conceptualized natural and social domains connected by bi-directional feedbacks, as is prevalent in much of the water systems research arising from the physical sciences. A focus on emergent characteristic management challenges encourages us to go beyond searching for evidence of feedbacks and instead ask questions such as: What types of innovations have successfully been used to address these challenges? What structural components of the system affect its resilience to hydrological events and through what mechanisms? Are there differences between successful and unsuccessful strategies to solve one of the characteristic management challenges? If so, how are these differences affected by institutional structure and ecological and economic contexts? To answer these questions, social processes must now take center stage in the study and practice of water management. We also argue that water systems are an important class of coupled systems with relevance for sustainability science because they are particularly amenable to the kinds of systematic comparisons that allow knowledge to accumulate. Indeed, the characteristic management challenges we identify are few in number and recur over most of human history and in most geographical locations. This recurrence should allow us to accumulate knowledge to answer the above questions by studying the long historical record of institutional innovations to manage water systems
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