Forever Chemicals Needing Immediate Solutions: Mainers’ Preferences for Addressing PFAS Contamination

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of synthetic fluorinated chemicals also referred to as “forever chemicals.” The release of these chemicals into the environment presents an urgent, emerging threat to human and environmental health. Decision-makers seeking to address a variety of PFAS-related issues need better understanding of citizens’ knowledge of PFAS contamination and their preferences for managing the issue. To provide this vital information, we analyze data from a survey of Maine citizens. We assess Maine residents’ baseline knowledge of PFAS contamination, as well as their preferences for generation and allocation of funds to address PFAS contamination in Maine. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of synthetic fluorinated chemicals also referred to as “forever chemicals.” The release of these chemicals into the environment presents an urgent, emerging threat to human and environmental health. Decision-makers seeking to address a variety of PFAS-related issues need better understanding of citizens’ knowledge of PFAS contamination and their preferences for managing the issue. To provide this vital information, we analyze data from a survey of Maine citizens. We assess Maine residents’ baseline knowledge of PFAS contamination, as well as their preferences for generation and allocation of funds to address PFAS contamination in Maine

Impaired Bone Formation in Transgenic Mice Resulting from Altered Integrin Function in Osteoblasts

AbstractTo determine the role of integrins in mature osteoblasts in vivo, we expressed in transgenic mice a dominant-negative integrin subunit (β1-DN) consisting of the β1 subunit cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains, driven by the osteoblast-specific osteocalcin promoter. Immature osteoblasts isolated from transgenic animals differentiated normally in vitro until the osteocalcin promoter became active; thereafter they detached from the substratum, suggesting that β1-DN was impairing adhesion in mature osteoblasts. Transgenic animals had reduced bone mass, with increased cortical porosity in long bones and thinner flat bones in the skull. At 35 days, the rate of bone formation was reduced in cortical bone, and the parietal bones were 45% thinner than in wild-type animals. Active osteoblasts were less polar and had larger areas of cytoplasm with intracellular stores of matrix molecules. Osteocyte lacunae appeared normal around the cell body but did not have normal canilicular structures. At 90 days, the parietal bone of transgenic males was of normal width, suggesting that the original defect in matrix deposition had been repaired or compensated for. In contrast, transgenic females still had decreased bone mass in the parietal bone at 90 days. The decreased bone mass in TG females was accompanied by increased staining for osteoclast activity, suggesting that there was a sex-specific defect in mature animals

Editors' Notes

Welcome to the Editors' Notes&nbsp

Editors' Notes

Welcome to the Editors' Notes&nbsp

The Art of Inclusion: Marketing Toward Social Good

The theme of this research emerges from a pedagogical philosophy that it is essential to learn the significance that business has upon society while working with a neighborhood non-profit. Undergraduate Business students from Molloy College pitch their business and marketing recommendations to a local non-profit supporting the mission of the College through transformative learning. Having students enter into the business world where profit is a healthy by-product, but acquiring the proper disposition in the process is critical toward today’s career development. The Capstone project helps develop tomorrow’s sought out ethical and social leaders. The learning activity leading to this learning outcome requires the undergraduate business students to experience this type of real-world project. The students are presented with an opportunity to study the most prevalent issues their assigned non-profit is facing and they are to collectively make a set of turnkey recommendations that will ultimately lead to social good

Caprock integrity and public perception studies of carbon storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs

Capture and subsurface storage of CO2 is widely viewed as being a necessary component of any strategy to minimise and control the continued increase in average global temperatures. Existing oil and gas reservoirs can be re-used for carbon storage, providing a substantial fraction of the vast amounts of subsurface storage space that will be required for the implementation of carbon storage at an industrial scale. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) in depleted reservoirs aims to ensure subsurface containment, both to satisfy safety considerations, and to provide confidence that the containment will continue over the necessary timescales. Other technical issues that need to be addressed include the risk of unintended subsurface events, such as induced seismicity. Minimisation of these risks is key to building confidence in CCS technology, both in relation to financing/liability, and the development and maintenance of public acceptance. These factors may be of particular importance with regard to CCS projects involving depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, where the mechanical effects of production activities must also be considered. Given the importance of caprock behaviour in this context, several previously published geomechanical caprock studies of depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs are identified and reviewed, comprising experimental and numerical studies of fourteen CCS pilot sites in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, in seven countries (Algeria, Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, UK). Particular emphasis is placed on the amount and types of data collected, the mathematical methods and codes used to conduct geomechanical analysis, and the relationship between geomechanical aspects and public perception. Sound geomechanical assessment, acting to help minimise operational and financial/liability risks, and the careful recognition of the impact of public perception are two key factors that can contribute to the development of a successful CCS project in a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir

Trabalhando como militar-músico: subjetividade, afetos e antinomias no Exército Brasileiro

This study aimed to reflect on military musicians’ work experience in the Brazilian Army and its effects on their subjectivity, identifying strategies of accommodation, resistance, and singularization (invention of life) to deal with the disciplinary and vigilant model of the Army. It is characterized as a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory research. In total, seven military sergeant musicians, belonging to an army music band from a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, participated in this study. We employed the focus group technique to approach participants’ experiences. We built our analyses considering the notion of power, especially the Foucauldian reference, and Social Representations authors. We found a distinction between musicians and military musicians and the latter’s strong feeling of devaluation. However, the pleasure of music triggers processes of resistance. We conclude that music is an important device for army workers’ mental health, providing permanence and existence in a military context. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo reflexionar sobre la experiencia laboral en el Ejército Brasileño y sus efectos en la subjetivación de militares-músicos, identificando las estrategias de acomodación, resistencia y singularización (invención de la vida) para enfrentar el modelo disciplinario y vigilante del Ejército. Se caracterizó por ser una investigación cualitativa, descriptiva y exploratoria. En este estudio participaron siete músicos sargentos militares, pertenecientes a una banda de música del ejército de una ciudad del estado de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Se utilizó la técnica de Focus Group para abordar las experiencias de los participantes. Los análisis se construyeron teniendo en cuenta las ideas de los autores que desarrollan el pensamiento crítico en relación con las sociedades, las instituciones y las relaciones de poder. Se constató que existe una distinción entre ser músico o músico militar, que la música es el elemento que mantiene a muchos en la institución militar y que hay un fuerte sentimiento de devaluación de los músicos militares.O presente estudo teve como objetivo refletir acerca da experiência de trabalho no Exército Brasileiro e seus efeitos na subjetivação de militares- músicos, identificando suas estratégias de acomodação, resistência e singularização (invenção de vida) para lidarem com o modelo disciplinar e vigilante da instituição. Participaram deste estudo, de caráter qualitativo, descritivo e exploratório, sete sargentos músicos, pertencentes a uma banda de música do exército de uma cidade do Rio Grande do Sul, no  Brasil. Para se aproximar das experiências dos participantes, utilizou-se a técnica de grupo focal. As análises foram construídas considerando a noção de poder, especialmente a partir do referencial foucaultiano, e autores do campo das representações sociais. Foi percebida uma distinção entre ser músico ou militar músico, além de um forte sentimento de desvalorização dos militares-músicos. Concluiu-se que a música é um dispositivo importante para a saúde mental dos trabalhadores no exército, propiciando processos de resistência e a permanência em contexto militar

T-MoCA: A valid phone screen for cognitive impairment in diverse community samples

Introduction: There is an urgent need to validate telephone versions of widely used general cognitive measures, such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), for remote assessments. Methods: In the Einstein Aging Study, a diverse community cohort (n = 428; mean age = 78.1; 66% female; 54% non-White), equivalence testing was used to examine concordance between the T-MoCA and the corresponding in-person MoCA assess- ment. Receiver operating characteristic analyses examined the diagnostic ability to dis- criminate between mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition. Conversion meth- ods from T-MoCA to the MoCA are presented. Results: Education, race/ethnicity, gender, age, self-reported cognitive concerns, and telephone administration difficulties were associated with both modes of administra- tion; however, when examining the difference between modalities, these factors were not significant. Sensitivity and specificity for the T-MoCA (using Youden’s index opti- mal cut) were 72% and 59%, respectively. Discussion: The T-MoCA demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties to be use- ful for screening of MCI, especially when clinic visits are not feasible

The Golden Age of European Cabaret

Program for the second annual RISD Cabaret held in the Cellar in the Pit. Design and layout by Anne Johnson, Susan Sellers and Georgie Stout.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/liberalarts_cabaret_programs/1001/thumbnail.jp

The Transit Phase of Migration: Circulation of Malaria and Its Multidrug-Resistant Forms in Africa

In the third article in a six-part <I>PLoS Medicine</I> series on Migration & Health, Cally Roper and Caroline Lynch use a case study of migration and anti-malarial drug resistance in Uganda to discuss the specific health risks and policy needs associated with the transit phase of migration