Modernizing Frontier Chemical Transformations of Young People’s Minds and Bodies in Puerto Princesa

Palawan is a land of promise, and of paradox. On maps, it appears on the edge of the Philippines, isolated. Indeed, it is a kind of last frontier. Its population remained tiny for centuries, the government offering homestead land in the 1950s practically for free to attract migrants from outside. The Palawan State University was established by law in 1965, but did not become operational until 1972. A commercial airport did not exist until the 1980s, and for many years, flights were limited. Yet Palawan is one of the oldest sites of human habitation in the Philippines with the famous Tabon Cave human fossils. The oldest bone fragment here has been dated to be about 47,000 years. We know, too, that trade with China goes back several centuries. Today, Palawan seems to be making up for lost time with new commercial investments pouring in at breakneck speed. In particular, outsiders have rediscovered its potentials around logging, mining, fisheries, and tourism. This has caused concern among individuals and civil society organizations who want sustainable development, and see the commercial developments mainly as extractive, not just of natural resources but of the human. There’s very cheap labor available. And when potential investors marvel about cheap land, they’re actually talking about displacing earlier settlers, including indigenous people, from their lands. A subtle but still insidious aspect of the exploitation of human resources is a transformation of the very concept of human development. Using the rhetoric of modernity, residents in Palawan are reorienting the way they view themselves as well as their families and friends. The value of a human being now hinges on how they look, and the desired appearance is defined from the outside, as we see in this anthology of research reports coming from the Chemical Youth project of the University of Amsterdam and the University of the Philippines Diliman. We read about the importance of fair skin as a projection of cleanliness, of high social status (meaning someone not engaged in manual labor and therefore not exposed to the sun). We read of how “femininity” is defined around body contours, and cosmetics, and how hormones are used by male-to-female transgenders. We go beyond the visual, reading about the importance of controlling or enhancing body odors among tour guides, who interestingly are especially concerned about the bad odor management of their foreign customers, using car perfumes to keep their work manageable and we learn how difficult it is for security guards to stay alert during their long shifts. Energy drinks and cigarettes help them perform their duties. All these transformations through what the French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault has called “technologies of the self” are as paradoxical as Palawan. On the surface, the products—which are technologies—seem to be mainly in the realm of the self but are, in reality, pushed, through marketing, from the outside, in contexts of inequality and exploitative labour relations. Personal aspirations are not personal but are for predefined standards of modernity, related to work-related demands and expectations. The self must be made presentable to the tourist, to the customers in malls, and to those who may threaten the properties that young people protect. It is not surprising that these transformations become problematic for the “self.” The skin whiteners, the hormones, the body deodorants, and the energy drinks are expensive and can distort budgetary priorities. The money for tonic drinks, for example, could well go into more nutritious food. The tragedy, too, many of the products used are of doubtful safety and efficacy. Even the energy drinks have much too high levels of caffeine that can cause cardiac palpitations. Cosmetics and the skin whiteners imported from China and unregistered with the Food and Drug Administration may contain toxic chemicals like mercury. But even registered skin whiteners can be problematic, their so-called “skin-whitening effect” coming about because they take away the upper layers of the skin, leaving behind a red glow (seen as “whitening”) which is actually inflammation. The whitened skin fails to protect against the sun, leading to adverse effects such as black spots. Ultimately though, the problems come with the very definition of the self. As the reports show, young people use the chemicals with some ambivalence, knowing how expensive they are and experiencing some of the undesirable side effects. There is, too, doubt about whether what they’re doing is indeed “good,” captured by how IP women will put on cosmetics only when they’re away from home and about to go to work. The cosmetics have to be removed before they return home because they are not socially acceptable. The research reports are not for Palawan alone. It must make us more critical and discerning as we revisit concepts of development and exploitation, modernity and tradition, self and community. The chemicals, in many ways, are like the products used in precolonial barter trade. For the Chinese, the beeswax and the sea cucumbers, for the inhabitants of Palawan the ceramics, represented faraway lands. To have those products gave prestige. Today, the skin whiteners and tonic drinks and other chemicals described in this anthology represent modernity with promises of not just of a more attractive self, but of better jobs, a better life. We are proud to have worked with the Palawan State University, and the people of Palawan, to gather powerful narratives that will now challenge the outside, the purveyors of modernity, to be more critical and discerning, the chemicals now to be seen not just as stuff applied to the biological body, but as powerful shapers of social bodies

Evaluation of synthetic vascular grafts in a mouse carotid grafting model

Current animal models for the evaluation of synthetic grafts are lacking many of the molecular tools and transgenic studies available to other branches of biology. A mouse model of vascular grafting would allow for the study of molecular mechanisms of graft failure, including in the context of clinically relevant disease states. In this study, we comprehensively characterise a sutureless grafting model which facilitates the evaluation of synthetic grafts in the mouse carotid artery. Using conduits electrospun from polycaprolactone (PCL) we show the gradual development of a significant neointima within 28 days, found to be greatest at the anastomoses. Histological analysis showed temporal increases in smooth muscle cell and collagen content within the neointima, demonstrating its maturation. Endothelialisation of the PCL grafts, assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and CD31 staining, was near complete within 28 days, together replicating two critical aspects of graft performance. To further demonstrate the potential of this mouse model, we used longitudinal non-invasive tracking of bone-marrow mononuclear cells from a transgenic mouse strain with a dual reporter construct encoding both luciferase and green fluorescent protein (GFP). This enabled characterisation of mononuclear cell homing and engraftment to PCL using bioluminescence imaging and histological staining over time (7, 14 and 28 days). We observed peak luminescence at 7 days post-graft implantation that persisted until sacrifice at 28 days. Collectively, we have established and characterised a high-throughput model of grafting that allows for the evaluation of key clinical drivers of graft performance.Alex H.P. Chan, Richard P. Tan, Praveesuda L. Michael, Bob S.L. Lee, Laura Z. Vanags, Martin K.C. Ng, Christina A. Bursill, Steven G. Wis

Sleep deprivation impairs object-selective attention: A view from the ventral visual cortex

10.1371/journal.pone.0009087PLoS ONE52

The actin-myosin regulatory MRCK kinases: regulation, biological functions and associations with human cancer

The contractile actin-myosin cytoskeleton provides much of the force required for numerous cellular activities such as motility, adhesion, cytokinesis and changes in morphology. Key elements that respond to various signal pathways are the myosin II regulatory light chains (MLC), which participate in actin-myosin contraction by modulating the ATPase activity and consequent contractile force generation mediated by myosin heavy chain heads. Considerable effort has focussed on the role of MLC kinases, and yet the contributions of the myotonic dystrophy-related Cdc42-binding kinases (MRCK) proteins in MLC phosphorylation and cytoskeleton regulation have not been well characterized. In contrast to the closely related ROCK1 and ROCK2 kinases that are regulated by the RhoA and RhoC GTPases, there is relatively little information about the CDC42-regulated MRCKα, MRCKβ and MRCKγ members of the AGC (PKA, PKG and PKC) kinase family. As well as differences in upstream activation pathways, MRCK and ROCK kinases apparently differ in the way that they spatially regulate MLC phosphorylation, which ultimately affects their influence on the organization and dynamics of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton. In this review, we will summarize the MRCK protein structures, expression patterns, small molecule inhibitors, biological functions and associations with human diseases such as cancer

Performance Evaluation of Centralized Reconfigurable Transmitting Power Scheme in Wireless Network-on-chip

Network-on-chip (NoC) is an on-chip communication network that allows parallel communication among all cores to improve inter-core performance. Wireless NoC (WiNoC) introduces long-range and high bandwidth radio frequency (RF) interconnects that can possibly reduce the multi-hop communication of the planar metal interconnects in conventional NoC platforms. In WiNoC, RF transceivers account for a significant power consumption, particularly its transmitter, out of its total communication energy. This paper evaluates the energy and latency performance of a closed loop power management mechanism which enables transmitting power reconfiguration in WiNoC based on number of erroneous received packets. The scheme achieves significant energy savings with limited performance degradation and insignificant impact on throughput

Dynamical response of a pinned two-dimensional Wigner crystal

We re-examine a long-standing problem of a finite-frequency conductivity of a weakly pinned two-dimensional classical Wigner crystal. In this system an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line (pinning mode) centered at disorder and magnetic field dependent frequency $\omega_p$ is known to appear. We show that the relative linewidth $\Delta \omega_p / \omega_p$ of the pinning mode is of the order of one in weak magnetic fields, exhibits a power-law decrease in intermediate fields, and eventually saturates at a small value in strong magnetic fields. The linewidth narrowing is due to a peculiar mechanism of mixing between the stiffer longitudinal and the softer transverse components of the collective excitations. The width of the high-field resonance proves to be related to the density of states in the low-frequency tail of the zero-field phonon spectrum. We find a qualitative agreement with recent experiments and point out differences from the previous theoretical work on the subject.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures. Supersedes cond-mat/990424

Awakening, Efficacy, and Action: A Qualitative Inquiry of a Social Justiceâ Infused, Science Education Program

This article describes an innovative application of a social justiceâ infused pedagogy to an outâ ofâ school program for urban high school students. Using an interdisciplinary framework, the program featured a coherent synthesis of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, highlighting environmental and food justice perspectives; social justice education; and career and college planning. We used qualitative content analysis to analyze two separate interviews with six female and three male students of color ranging in age from 15 to 18 with an average age of 16.1 (SD=1.26) across an approximately 10â month time span. Utilizing a model of critical consciousness development as our organizing framework, we explored the studentsâ understanding of environmental and food justice issues. Participants indicated that they were actively engaged in learning about food and environmental justice, exploring STEM careers, and investigating the various ways that social justice is manifested in their lives. Implications for social justice and STEM education interventions as well as broader public policies are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141159/1/asap12136.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141159/2/asap12136_am.pd

Age and anatomy of the Gongga Shan batholith, eastern Tibetan Plateau, and its relationship to the active Xianshui-he fault

The Gongga Shan batholith of eastern Tibet, previously documented as a ca. 32–12.8 Ma granite pluton, shows some of the youngest U-Pb granite crystallization ages recorded from the Tibetan Plateau, with major implications for the tectonothermal history of the region. Field observations indicate that the batholith is composite; some localities show at least seven crosscutting phases of granitoids that range in composition from diorite to leucocratic monzogranite. In this study we present U-Pb ages of zircon and allanite dated by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry on seven samples, to further investigate the chronology of the batholith. The age data constrain two striking tectonic-plutonic events: a complex Triassic–Jurassic (ca. 215–159 Ma) record of biotite-hornblende granodiorite, K-feldspar megacrystic granite and leucogranitic plutonism, and a Miocene (ca. 14–5 Ma) record of monzonite-leucogranite emplacement. The former age range is attributed to widespread Indosinian tectonism, related to Paleo-Tethyan subduction zone magmatism along the western Yangtze block of south China. The younger component may be related to localized partial melting (muscovite dehydration) of thickened Triassic flysch-type sediments in the Songpan-Ganze terrane, and are among the youngest crustal melt granites exposed on the Tibetan Plateau. Zircon and allanite ages reflect multiple crustal remelting events; the youngest, ca. 5 Ma, resulted in dissolution and crystallization of zircons and growth and/or resetting of allanites. The young garnet, muscovite, and biotite leucogranites occur mainly in the central part of the batholith and adjacent to the eastern margin of the batholith at Kangding, where they are cut by the left-lateral Xianshui-he fault. The Xianshui-he fault is the most seismically active strike-slip fault in Tibet and is thought to record the eastward extrusion of the central part of the Tibetan Plateau. The fault obliquely cuts all granites of the Gongga Shan massif and has a major transpressional component in the Kangding-Moxi region. The course of the Xianshui Jiang river is offset by ∼62 km along the Xianshui-he fault and in the Kangding area granites as young as ca. 5 Ma are cut by the fault. Our new geochronological data show that only a part of the Gongga Shan granite batholith is composed of young (Miocene) melt, and we surmise that as most of eastern Tibet is composed of Precambrian–Triassic Indosinian rocks, there is no geological evidence to support regional Cenozoic internal thickening or metamorphism and no evidence for eastward-directed lower crustal flow away from Tibet. We suggest that underthrusting of Indian lower crust north as far as the Xianshui-he fault resulted in Cenozoic uplift of the eastern plateau

Risk Factors and Effect of Acute Kidney Injury on Outcomes Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Introduction: Development of acute kidney injury (AKI) following primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is a potentially avoidable complication associated with negative outcomes including increased length of stay and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of AKI on short-term outcomes and identify risk factors for developing AKI following either total hip or total knee arthroplasty. It was hypothesized that AKI has significant adverse effects on short-term outcomes metrics. Methods: Patients undergoing primary TJA at a single hospital from 2005 to 2017 were identified and patient demographics, comorbidities, short-term outcomes, and perioperative laboratory results were recorded. AKI was defined as an increase in creatinine levels by 50% or 0.3 points. Demographics, comorbidities, and outcomes were compared between patients who developed AKI and those who did not. Multivariate regressions identified the independent effect of AKI on outcomes. Results: In total, 814 (3.9%) of 20,800 patients developed AKI. AKI independently increased length of stay by 0.26 days (P \u3c .001), in-hospital complication risk (odds ratio = 1.73,P \u3c .001), and discharge to facility risk (odds ratio = 1.26, P = .012). Potentially modifiable variables including body mass index, perioperative hemoglobin levels, surgery duration, and operative fluids administered were predicative of AKI. Discussion: AKI following TJA has significant adverse effects on outcomes including length of stay, discharge, and complications. Although many identified risk factors are nonmodifiable, maintaining adequate renal perfusion through optimizing preoperative hemoglobin, sufficient fluid resuscitation, and reducing blood loss may aid in mitigating the risk of developing AKI