Manufacturer perspectives on content transparency and material health in the US building products industry

Flawed U.S. federal regulation of chemicals has resulted in a materials market that undervalues human and environmental health in favor of the more traditional attributes of price, performance and aesthetics. In the building products industry, global, dynamic supply chains and proprietary information concerns further complicate the task of assessing the material health of products. Voluntary material health programs in the green building industry are intended to incentivize the manufacture and selection of safer products by getting companies to gather and assess ingredient, hazard and risk information from their supply chain. Building product manufacturers considered early adopters of the main material health programs of interest were interviewed and surveyed in order to identify the barriers they face to further program adoption and disclosure of product content and hazard information. The research reinforced findings that data collection requirements should be further aligned between different material health programs in order to streamline the process for manufacturers. Release of appropriate levels of information for consumers is also crucial to incentivizing informed decision-making. Supplier engagement and consumer education were identified as pathways to accelerating the demand and release of better information. Addressing these barriers is important to progress, as voluntary measures are likely to remain the most efficient pathway to a healthier materials market

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Women Living with HIV in South Africa

South Africa‟s constitutional and legal framework reflects the country‟s commitment to women‟s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), in line with international commitments. Numerous policies detail the provision of services around sexual and gender-based violence, fertility, maternal, perinatal and newborn health, sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), and cancers of the reproductive system. However, these policies exist in a social climate of extreme inequality, with high rates of poverty and unemployment. Despite almost equal representation of women in government and other high-profile areas, women in South Africa experience unprecedented rates of sexual and gender-based violence, and women‟s autonomy is all too often compromised by poverty, limited access to education, limited access to health care, and ongoing gender inequality that is bolstered by patriarchal norms.DFI

Modelling beef meat quality traits during ageing by early post-mortem pH decay descriptors

Previous work has demonstrated that beef carcasses can be promptly and accurately classified into optimal quality and cold-shortened in accordance to the concept of pH/temperature ‘ideal window’ by using carcass characteristics and early post-mortem pH/temperature decay descriptors. The objective of this study was to assess the combined effects of the aforementioned variables on the two main eating quality attributes of meat – namely, tenderness (measured as shear force) and juiciness (measured as cooking loss) – during chill ageing. The pH and temperature in longissimus thoracis muscle of 51 beef carcasses were recorded during 24 h post-mortem, and decay descriptors were then obtained by fitting exponential models. Measures of Warner-Bratzler shear force and cooking loss were obtained from cooked meat after 3, 8 and 13 days of cold ageing. The fitted mixed-effect models revealed that both meat tenderisation and cooking loss increased with ageing (P<0.01) although their rates slowed down in time (P<0.05). Beef carcasses with a higher pH (obtained at different endpoints: 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 or 6.0 h post-mortem) produced aged meat with increased tenderness (P=0.013) and increased water retention during cooking (P=0.016) than those of lower pH. Nonetheless, the slower the pH decay rate, as happens in a cold-shortened carcass, the lower the potential for tenderisation (P=0.038) and water retention (P=0.050) during ageing. Whereas sex affected shear force, with females producing meat of higher tenderness, aged meat of increased water retention was produced by heavier beef carcasses (P<0.001). The good fitting quality of the shear force (R2=0.847) and cooking loss (R2=0.882) models and their similarity among the different endpoints post-mortem indicated that both eating quality attributes can be approached by recording the pH decline of a beef carcass during the first 3.0 hours after slaughter.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A note on connected greedy edge colouring

Following a given ordering of the edges of a graph $G$, the greedy edge colouring procedure assigns to each edge the smallest available colour. The minimum number of colours thus involved is the chromatic index $\chi'(G)$, and the maximum is the so-called Grundy chromatic index. Here, we are interested in the restricted case where the ordering of the edges builds the graph in a connected fashion. Let $\chi_c'(G)$ be the minimum number of colours involved following such an ordering. We show that it is NP-hard to determine whether $\chi_c'(G)>\chi'(G)$. We prove that $\chi'(G)=\chi_c'(G)$ if $G$ is bipartite, and that $\chi_c'(G)\leq 4$ if $G$ is subcubic.Comment: Comments welcome, 12 page

Synthesizing and standardizing criteria for the evaluation of sustainability indicators in the water sector

This is a pre-print of an article published in Environment, Development and Sustainability. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00508-zIndicators are one of the tools available in planning and management projects that aid in the decision-making process and the monitoring of those decisions on the path to sustainable use and management of water and natural resources. However, the quality and trustworthiness of the indicators depend on the constant improvement in the means to assess and design criteria sets. The identification of criteria to evaluate indicators and its subsequence selection are not an ordinary task. The research identified a proliferation of unconsolidated criteria in use in the sustainability and water resource management domains. In response, a process of synthesis and consolidation was undertaken in order to reduce the level of redundancies and to identify possible candidates for “core criteria” that are identified as being a relevant part of most evaluation frameworks. A representative collection of sources from the specialized literature was screened for evaluation criteria. Altogether, 74 sources were assessed, comprising 346 mentions of criteria applied for indicator assessment. A detailed synthesis was performed to organize the criteria and identify possible redundancies. The analysis allowed a reduction from the 346 initial criteria to 60 unique criteria. The study offers a standard title and description for each criterion, contributing to improve clarity and avoid ambiguity. The criteria were also ranked to identify which criteria were in more systemic use. Of the 60 criteria found, the 12 most cited were identified as possible core criteria for framework development. Also, in order to facilitate the design of indicator sets, all 60 criteria were divided into two approaches (scientific/top-down or end-use/bottom-up). This study identified significant redundancies and a lack of standardization in the use of criteria, and it also ranked criteria to facilitate multi-method framework development. Thus, it is essential that indicator designers not only consider criteria that have some level of standardization to be able to compare and communicate with other agencies and communities but also consider how to utilize core criteria in the design of indicator sets.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Preschool children's problem-solving interactions at computers and jigsaw puzzles

Preschool children's interactions while working on problem-solving tasks were investigated. In Study I, preschool children were observed working on learning games at a computer. Sharing, verbal and nonverbal instruction, and initiation of interaction were recorded. Sixty-three percent of the children's time at the computer was spent with a peer, and they often spontaneously shared and instructed each other.Age-related increases in time spent at the computer, as well as in self-initiation of interaction and sharing, were evident. No differences were found between boys' and girls' activities at the computer. In Study II, children were observed while working with jigsaw puzzles. In this context, children worked with peers just 7% of the time, and exhibited far fewer instances of cooperative interaction. The results of the research indicate that preschool children can engage in cooperative social interaction and instruction, and that under certain circumstances this activity may aid problem-solving. The research provides evidence that even children younger than school age can work effectively at computers. Moreover, the findings contradict common stereotypes about gender differences and social isolation from effects of computers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25718/1/0000275.pd

Structure and functional analysis of a tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) growth hormone gene: activation and repression by pituitary transcription factor Pit-1

A gene encoding the Tilapia mossambica (Oreochromis mossambicus) growth hormone (tiGH) was isolated and sequenced. The gene spans 5.6 kb, including 3.7 kb of 5' and 0.2 kb of 3' flanking sequences and a 1.7-kb transcription unit comprised of six exons and five introns. The gene and the 5' flanking region contain several potential binding sites for Pit-1, a key transcription activator of mammalian GH genes. One of these (-57/-42) is highly conserved in fish GH genes. It activates transcription in pituitary cells and binds Pit-1. Transfection of luciferase reporter plasmids containing either the -3602/+19 tiGH sequence or one of its 5' deletion mutants (-2863/, -1292/, and -463/+19) resulted in strong activity in Pit-1-producing rat pituitary GC cells. A dose-dependent activation of the tiGH promoter was achieved in nonpituitary fish EPC and monkey COS cells cotransfected with a rat Pit-1 expression vector, demonstrating the crucial role played by Pit-1 as an activator of the tiGH gene. Fusion of the tiGH promoter with the beta-galactosidase gene led to transient expression specifically in the nervous system of microinjected zebrafish embryos. The activity of the tiGH promoter in GC and EPC cells was strongly repressed by extending its 3' end from +19 to +40, a sequence in which a Pit-1-binding site was identified using gel retardation assays. Point mutations of the site that suppressed Pit-1 binding in vitro restored full tiGH promoter activity. Thus, a Pit-1-binding site located in the 5' untranslated region mediates Pit-1-dependent repression of the tiGH gene

A stabilized subunit vaccine for ebola virus

The ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa has claimed over eleven thousand lives and has highlighted our unpreparedness to counter emerging viral epidemics. While two recombinant vaccines have shown promising results in clinical trials, we have developed an alternate subunit vaccine candidate that could be called upon in the event that problems are encountered with regard to safety or protection efficacy. Our subunit vaccine candidate is based on a soluble version of the recombinant Ebola glycoprotein (GP) stabilized in its pre-fusion conformation. This protein is recognized by the neutralizing monoclonal antibody KZ52 and all three ZMapp antibodies (currently employed as a therapeutic for clinical treatment), indicating both GP1/2 and glycan cap domains are available and are presented in the desired conformation. Immunization via NanopatchTM (NP) microneedle delivery and intradermal injection were compared in C57 black mice. We assessed the antibody response elicited in immunized mice against Ebola virus (Zaire strain) using facilities at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong (AAHL). Promising plaque reduction neutralization titers (PRNT50 = 1/80 sera dilution) were demonstrated. Furthermore, we have shown this vaccine is thermostable, retaining significant antigenicity after extended incubation at 37°C, indicating this vaccine strategy may not require cold chain delivery. In addition, the absence of any replicative elements ensures that it is likely to have a safer profile than live recombinant vaccines