Road to survival.

William Vogt's best-selling and influential neo-Malthusian text Road to Survival articulated the conservation sensibility of his day and was literally read around the world. Vogt (1902--1968) came to his conclusions about land-use and population control through ecological research, confirming that conservation approach of natural resources would come by managing human behavior, rather than by directing the behavior of non-human organisms. Human behavior had indeed crossed into the realm of the natural sciences in so far as conservation was concerned. Specifically, Vogt urged humans to adopt population control to circumscribe land use.Vogt was one of a group of ecologists who claimed that humans must adapt to their environment, albeit an environment they were capable of altering; Frank Fraser Darling, Julian Huxley, and Fairfield Osborn joined him. Vogt called for population control to become part of United States foreign policy, as would happen in the 1960s. He assigns ecologists to the role of expert policy advisor in a democratic society; he wants individuals to voluntarily choose to limit family size but is prepared to demand coercion. Vogt's work has long been seen as an early example of a land-use sensibility associated with the modern environmental movement; in reality it reflects an intermediate stage between Progressive Era conservation and the late twentieth-century environmental concerns for quality of life. Finally, Vogt's ideas have real life consequences. He was influential in the origins of what is now the World Conservation Union, which in its earliest stages as the International Union for the Protection of Nature recommended The Road to Survival and he was national director of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the leading voice for birth control in the United States

Shedding Light on Transparency: An Analysis of the Breadth and Depth of Federal Agency Implementation of the Open Government Initiative in Online Environments

The Open Government Initiative (OGI) was signed by President Obama on January 21, 2009. The stated aims of the OGI are to promote transparency, participation, and collaboration in executive agencies. Implementation of the OGI focused initially on transparency and data integrity, particularly in online environments. Open government compliance is of interest to library and information science (LIS) professionals because it utilizes several core competencies taught during LIS graduate programs including data and knowledge management, outreach, collaboration, and data visualization. Managing OGI participation could be a growth area for LIS professionals because of its use of many components of library and information science. More than three years after the OGI was signed, no broad investigation of the level of agency participation with the OGI has been done. This paper reports on a study to determine how and why agencies are meeting or exceeding compliance minimums concerning online data transparency in online environments

Predictors of Bat Mortality Rates at North American Wind Facilities and an Evaluation of Biases Influencing Mortality Estimates

Wind energy helps close the gap between energy production and energy consumption; however, it is not entirely environmentally neutral as there are several indirect and direct impacts to birds and bats. The primary direct impact for bats is mortality by collisions with wind turbines. Several cross-site syntheses of bat collision data have resulted in national fatality estimates that vary by more than an order of magnitude (33,000 to 888,000 bats per year). However, no research has taken a national-scale approach to assess spatial, seasonal, and taxonomic variation in bat mortality and to evaluate the methodological factors that influence mortality estimation. I completed an exhaustive review of the published and unpublished literature on bat collisions with wind turbines and extracted data from 218 post-construction mortality reports representing 100 U.S. facilities and 12,000 bat fatality records. This database was used to conduct a national-scale meta-analysis to (1) Identify wind facility-scale correlates of bat collision mortality rates, (2) Assess how differences among studies in study design, data collection, and statistical analysis contribute variation to wind facility-scale estimates of mortality, and (3) Based on those analyses, identify specific study design, data collection, and analysis steps that should lead to relatively unbiased estimates of bat fatality rates. Information from these systematic data-driven analyses � the first of their kind to be based on a national data set of this size � will be useful in considering locations of future wind farms, designing mortality monitoring protocols, and ultimately, improving our understanding of impacts of wind facilities to bat populations.Natural Resources and Ecology Managemen

Prevalence and Severity of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Across the Urban‐Rural Continuum in the Michigan National Guard

PurposeThe National Guard provides critical support both domestically and abroad with soldiers dispersed throughout America and spanning the urban‐rural continuum. To determine if location‐specific interventions may be needed, we compared the prevalence and severity of cannabis and alcohol use among National Guard members across localities.MethodsMichigan National Guard members were enrolled (N = 2,746) during drill weekends as part of a larger randomized behavioral trial. Cannabis (ASSIST; prevalence = 5%) and alcohol use (AUDIT; prevalence = 82%) were compared using hurdle regression models across locality status after adjusting for covariates.FindingsPrevalence of cannabis and alcohol use was predicted by locality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.913, 95% CI: 0.838‐0.986, P = .029; AOR = 0.963, 95% CI: 0.929‐0.998, P = .038, respectively), with more use in urban localities. Neither severity of cannabis nor alcohol use was predicted by locality status.ConclusionsPrevalence of cannabis and alcohol use in the National Guard is differentially elevated across localities with higher prevalence in more central, densely populated areas. Findings may inform future work considering accessibility and utilization of prevention and treatment services for Guard members across the urban‐rural continuum.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154619/1/jrh12412.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154619/2/jrh12412_am.pd

Dependence on RAD52 and RAD1 for anticancer drug resistance mediated by inactivation of mismatch repair genes

AbstractMismatch repair (MMR) proteins repair mispaired DNA bases and have an important role in maintaining the integrity of the genome [1]. Loss of MMR has been correlated with resistance to a variety of DNA-damaging agents, including many anticancer drugs [2]. How loss of MMR leads to resistance is not understood, but is proposed to be due to loss of futile MMR activity and/or replication stalling [3,4]. We report that inactivation of MMR genes (MLH1, MLH2, MSH2, MSH3, MSH6, but not PMS1) in isogenic strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae led to increased resistance to the anticancer drugs cisplatin, carboplatin and doxorubicin, but had no effect on sensitivity to ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation. Sensitivity to cisplatin and doxorubicin was increased in mlh1 mutant strains when the MLH1 gene was reintroduced, demonstrating a direct involvement of MMR proteins in sensitivity to these DNA-damaging agents. Inactivation of MLH1, MLH2 or MSH2 had no significant effect, however, on drug sensitivities in the rad52 or rad1 mutant strains that are defective in mitotic recombination and removing unpaired DNA single strands. We propose a model whereby MMR proteins – in addition to their role in DNA-damage recognition – decrease adduct tolerance during DNA replication by modulating the levels of recombination-dependent bypass. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that, in human ovarian tumour cells, loss of hMLH1 correlated with acquisition of cisplatin resistance and increased cisplatin-induced sister chromatid exchange, both of which were reversed by restoration of hMLH1 expression

Uncovering Tacit Knowledge: A Pilot Study to Broaden the Concept of Knowledge in Knowledge Translation

BACKGROUND: All sectors in health care are being asked to focus on the knowledge-to-practice gap, or knowledge translation, to increase service effectiveness. A social interaction approach to knowledge translation assumes that research evidence becomes integrated with previously held knowledge, and practitioners build on and co-create knowledge through mutual interactions. Knowledge translation strategies for public health have not provided anticipated positive changes in evidence-based practice, possibly due in part to a narrow conceptualization of knowledge. More work is needed to understand the role of tacit knowledge in decision-making and practice. This pilot study examined how health practitioners applied tacit knowledge in public health program planning and implementation. METHODS: This study used a narrative approach, where teams from two public health units in Ontario, Canada were conveniently selected. Respondents participated in individual interviews and focus groups at each site. Questions were designed to understand the role of tacit knowledge as it related to the program planning process. Data were analyzed through a combination of content analysis and thematic comparison. RESULTS: The findings highlighted two major aspects of knowledge that arose: the use of tacit knowledge and the integration of tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge included: past experiences, organization-specific knowledge, community contextual knowledge, and the recognition of the tacit knowledge of others. Explicit knowledge included: research literature, the Internet, popular magazines, formal assessments (surveys and interviews), legislation and regulations. Participants sometimes deliberately combined tacit and explicit knowledge sources in planning. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot demonstrated that front-line public health workers draw upon both tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge in their everyday lived reality. Further, tacit knowledge plays an important role in practitioners\u27 interpretation and implementation of explicit research findings. This indicates a need to broaden the scope of knowledge translation to include other forms of knowledge beyond explicit knowledge acquired through research. Strategies that recognize and support the use of tacit knowledge, such as communities of practice or networks, may be important components of a comprehensive approach to knowledge translation. This study provides support for further investigation of the role of tacit knowledge in the planning and delivery of effective public health services

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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