A Systematic Review of the Evidence for the Sustainability of Household Water Treatment Interventions

This systematic review assesses the quantity and quality of evidence for the sustainability of household water treatment (HWT) since the World Health Organization (WHO) recently endorsed HWT based on growing evidence of HWT's ability to improve microbial water quality, effectiveness at reducing diarrheal disease, cost-effectiveness, and rapid application and acceptance. A large portion of the world population still relies on unsafe sources of drinking water, but whether HWT can support scaling-up efforts and be considered sustainable, it remains to be seen. Ultimately this systematic review found limited evidence of a sustained uptake and usage of HWT interventions, and results from studies that found high levels of confirmed usage after one year must be considered alongside their methodological quality

Strange Loops: Apparent versus Actual Human Involvement in Automated Decision-Making

The era of AI-based decision-making fast approaches, and anxiety is mounting about when, and why, we should keep “humans in the loop” (“HITL”). Thus far, commentary has focused primarily on two questions: whether, and when, keeping humans involved will improve the results of decision-making (making them safer or more accurate), and whether, and when, non-accuracy-related values—legitimacy, dignity, and so forth—are vindicated by the inclusion of humans in decision-making. Here, we take up a related but distinct question, which has eluded the scholarship thus far: does it matter if humans appear to be in the loop of decision-making, independent from whether they actually are? In other words, what is stake in the disjunction between whether humans in fact have ultimate authority over decision-making versus whether humans merely seem, from the outside, to have such authority? Our argument proceeds in four parts. First, we build our formal model, enriching the HITL question to include not only whether humans are actually in the loop of decision-making, but also whether they appear to be so. Second, we describe situations in which the actuality and appearance of HITL align: those that seem to involve human judgment and actually do, and those that seem automated and actually are. Third, we explore instances of misalignment: situations in which systems that seem to involve human judgment actually do not, and situations in which systems that hold themselves out as automated actually rely on humans operating “behind the curtain.” Fourth, we examine the normative issues that result from HITL misalignment, arguing that it challenges individual decision-making about automated systems and complicates collective governance of automation

De novo human genome assemblies reveal spectrum of alternative haplotypes in diverse populations.

The human reference genome is used extensively in modern biological research. However, a single consensus representation is inadequate to provide a universal reference structure because it is a haplotype among many in the human population. Using 10× Genomics (10×G) "Linked-Read" technology, we perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) and de novo assembly on 17 individuals across five populations. We identify 1842 breakpoint-resolved non-reference unique insertions (NUIs) that, in aggregate, add up to 2.1 Mb of so far undescribed genomic content. Among these, 64% are considered ancestral to humans since they are found in non-human primate genomes. Furthermore, 37% of the NUIs can be found in the human transcriptome and 14% likely arose from Alu-recombination-mediated deletion. Our results underline the need of a set of human reference genomes that includes a comprehensive list of alternative haplotypes to depict the complete spectrum of genetic diversity across populations

The Perilous Journey from Melancholy to Love: A Kristevan Reading of Le Médianoche amoureux

Since the publication of Michel Tournier\u27s first novel Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique in 1967, in which his protagonist Robinson makes fruitful the very earth of his desert island and eventually accedes to the cosmic transcendence embodied in his mentor and companion Vendredi, this contemporary French writer has boldly explored alternative forms of sexual expression that challenge traditional biological definitions of identity as well as norms of accepted behavior. The basis of his investigations is the anguish-ridden separation from the maternal, as experienced under diverse manifestations usually by male characters, and the irremediable solitude which then stretches over that empty space. In this study, we shall explore Tournier\u27s latest and perhaps most unexpected treatment of the phenomenon of separation and loss as depicted in his latest anthology of short stories Le Médianoche amoureux from the point of view of two of Julia Kristeva\u27s most recent theoretical analyses. Her works probe precisely the kind of psychological wounds from which Tournier\u27s protagonists suffer and, as we shall see, suggest possibilities for healing that significantly enhance our understanding of his undertaking. Kristeva\u27s discussion of melancholy in Soleil noir; Dépression et mélancolie and her demystifying analysis of the intricacies of amatory discourse in Histoires d\u27amour will enable us to discern the kind of movement that draws the disparate stories of Le Médianoche amoureux together and will reveal how this latest of Tournier\u27s works greatly extends the scope of his preoccupations without closing any of the other doors he has so daringly opened

The Effects of host physiological conditions on the expression of icsP in Shigella flexneri

Shigella flexneri is a gram-negative bacterium capable of causing diarrhea and dysentery known as shigellosis. It is estimated there are 167.4 million shigellosis episodes throughout the world each year causing 1.1 million deaths. Shigella invades cells in the lower intestine through an induced phagocytosis. Once in the cytoplasm, bacteria move from one cell to another using actin-based motility. The Shigella outer membrane protease IcsP regulates actin-based motility and cell-to-cell spread by cleaving the actin assembly protein IcsA from the bacterial cell surface. We hypothesize that IcsP may serve additional functions during infection. By examining which environmental signals trigger icsP expression, we aim to identify other regions of the body where IcsP might function. Shigellae are exposed to an array of environmental conditions in the body. We examined the presence of bile salts, low pH, and anaerobic conditions in this study. Expression of icsP and IcsP levels were assessed in bacteria grown under each of these physiological conditions using β-galactosidase assays and western blots, respectively. Growth of Shigella strains was reduced in the presence of deoxycholate, a common bile salt, as compared to the control. In stationary growth phase, icsP expression increased when the bacteria were grown in the presence of bile salts. Growth of Shigella in medium buffered at pH 5.5 was slightly elevated (\u3c10% more growth) when compared to bacteria grown in medium at pH 7.4. We also found that anaerobic conditions negatively impact the growth of Shigella. Expression of icsP has not yet been measured under this condition