Living review framework for better policy design and management of hazardous waste in Australia

The significant increase in hazardous waste generation in Australia has led to the discussion over the incorporation of artificial intelligence into the hazardous waste management system. Recent studies explored the potential applications of artificial intelligence in various processes of managing waste. However, no study has examined the use of text mining in the hazardous waste management sector for the purpose of informing policymakers. This study developed a living review framework which applied supervised text classification and text mining techniques to extract knowledge using the domain literature data between 2022 and 2023. The framework employed statistical classification models trained using iterative training and the best model XGBoost achieved an F1 score of 0.87. Using a small set of 126 manually labelled global articles, XGBoost automatically predicted the labels of 678 Australian articles with high confidence. Then, keyword extraction and unsupervised topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) were performed. Results indicated that there were 2 main research themes in Australian literature: (1) the key waste streams and (2) the resource recovery and recycling of waste. The implication of this framework would benefit the policymakers, researchers, and hazardous waste management organisations by serving as a real time guideline of the current key waste streams and research themes in the literature which allow robust knowledge to be applied to waste management and highlight where the gap in research remains.

The FIELDS Instrument Suite for Solar Probe Plus: Measuring the Coronal Plasma and Magnetic Field, Plasma Waves and Turbulence, and Radio Signatures of Solar Transients

NASA's Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission will make the first in situ measurements of the solar corona and the birthplace of the solar wind. The FIELDS instrument suite on SPP will make direct measurements of electric and magnetic fields, the properties of in situ plasma waves, electron density and temperature profiles, and interplanetary radio emissions, amongst other things. Here, we describe the scientific objectives targeted by the SPP/FIELDS instrument, the instrument design itself, and the instrument concept of operations and planned data products.

Inter- and intra-year variation in foraging areas of breeding kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)

While seabird conservation efforts have largely focused on protection from threats at the colony (e.g. reducing disturbance and predation), attention is increasingly being given to implementing protection measures for foraging areas at sea. For this to be effective, important foraging areas must be identified. Although numerous studies have examined seabird foraging behaviour, information is still lacking on the variability in area utilisation within and among breeding seasons. GPS devices were attached to adult black-legged kittiwakes breeding at an expanding North Sea colony (55°20'N, 1°32'W) during both incubation and chick-rearing in 2012 and during chick-rearing in 2011, to determine whether foraging areas remained consistent and to identify the oceanographic characteristics of areas used for foraging. The type and size of prey items consumed at different stages of the breeding cycle was also examined. During incubation (April-May 2012), kittiwakes foraged substantially further from the colony and fed on larger sandeels than when feeding chicks, and there was significant inter-annual variation in foraging areas used during the chick-rearing period (June-July 2011 and 2012). Foraging areas were characterised by cooler sea surface temperatures and areas of high chlorophyll a concentration, although association with specific oceanographic features changed within the breeding season and between years. These results emphasise the importance of considering how foraging areas and reliance on specific oceanographic conditions change over time when seeking to identify important marine areas for seabirds.

First Report of Root Rot of Chicory Caused by Phytophthora cryptogea in Chile

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var sativum Bisch.), a relatively new high-value crop in Chile, was introduced for commercial production of inulin. Inulins are polysaccharides extracted from chicory tap roots that are used in processed foods because of their beneficial gastrointestinal properties. Approximately 3,000 ha of chicory are grown for local processing in the BioBio Region near Chillan in south central Chile. Recently, a severe rot of 1 to 3% of mature roots in the field and after harvest has been observed in most fields, which caused yield and quality losses. Typical symptoms include a brown discoloration and a soft, watery decay of the root. Tissue pieces from symptomatic roots were placed on water agar and clarified V8 juice agar medium amended with antibiotics (1) for isolation of the causal pathogen. A Phytopthora sp. had been consistently isolated from root lesions, and axenic cultures were obtained using single-hypha transfers. The species was provisionally identified as Phytopthora cryptogea (Pethybridge and Lafferty, 1919) on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics (1). Mycelia grew between 5 and 30°C with optimal growth at 20 to 25°C and no growth at 35°C. All isolates produced hyphal swellings and nonpapillate, persistent, internally proliferating, and ovoid to obpyriform sporangia with mean dimensions of 45 × 31 μm in sterile soil extract. The isolates were of A1 mating type because they produced oospores only when paired with reference isolates of P. cinnamomi A2 on clarified V8 juice agar amended with thiamine, tryptophan, and β-sitosterol (1) after 20 days at 20°C in the dark. On the basis of morphological and sequence data from cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 2, internal transcribed spacer 2, and β-tubulin (GenBank Accession Nos. JQ037796 to JQ037798, respectively), the pathogen was identified as P. cryptogea. Pathogenicity tests were conducted using three isolates of P. cryptogea by placing a 7-mm-diameter disk from a 1-week-old V8 agar culture on 10 wounded and nonwounded healthy chicory roots (2). Control roots were mock inoculated with agar plugs. The inoculated roots were incubated at 20°C in a moist chamber. Root rot symptoms, identical to those observed both in field and storage, developed after 4 to 6 days only on wounded sites inoculated with the pathogen, and P. cryptogea was reisolated from these inoculated plants. Mock-inoculated roots remained healthy. This experiment was completed twice and similar results were obtained. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Phytophthora root rot of chicory caused by P. cryptogea in Chile. References: (1) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1996. (2) M. E. Stanghellini and W. C. Kronland. Plant Dis. 66:262, 1982.

Sympatric speciation by allochrony in a seabird

The importance of sympatric speciation (the evolution of reproductive isolation between codistributed populations) in generating biodiversity is highly controversial. Whereas potential examples of sympatric speciation exist for plants, insects, and fishes, most theoretical models suggest that it requires conditions that are probably not common in nature, and only two possible cases have been described for tetrapods. One mechanism by which it could occur is through allochronic isolation-separation of populations by breeding time. Oceanodroma castro (the Madeiran or band-rumped storm-petrel) is a small seabird that nests on tropical and subtropical islands throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In at least five archipelagos, different individuals breed on the same islands in different seasons. We compared variation in five microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial control region among 562 O. castro from throughout the species' range. We found that sympatric seasonal populations differ genetically within all five archipelagos and have ceased to exchange genes in two. Population and gene trees all indicate that seasonal populations within four of the archipelagos are more closely related to each other than to populations from the same season from other archipelagos; divergence of the fifth sympatric pair is too ancient for reliable inference. Thus, seasonal populations appear to have arisen sympatrically at least four times. This is the first evidence for sympatric speciation by allochrony in a tetrapod, and adds to growing indications that population differentiation and speciation can occur without geographic barriers to gene flow.

Contact area inside the distal radioulnar joint: effect of axial loading and position of the forearm

BACKGROUND

A biomechanical study was performed to define the normal profiles of contact area inside the distal radioulnar joint and how these profiles change as a result of damage to the distal radioulnar ligaments.

METHODS

Twelve cadaver arms were used and a custom-made jig was designed to allow axial loading of the hand. Tekscan sensor film was used to measure the contact area inside the joint. Measurements were taken with different loads and in different positions of the forearm. The same measurements were taken after dividing either the volar or dorsal distal radioulnar ligament. Finally the measurements were repeated after reconstruction of the divided ligament.

FINDINGS

The contact area increases with axial loading of the hand and is greater in supination than pronation. Division of a single distal radioulnar ligament increases the contact area inside the distal radioulnar joint (123% of normal) and reconstruction of the divided distal radioulnar ligament restores the contact patterns towards the normal values (113% of normal).

INTERPRETATION

The results show that axial loading of the hand and position of the forearm has a significant effect on the contact area inside the distal radioulnar joint. The study also shows that injury of the distal radioulnar ligament disturbs the normal profiles of contact.

The load-bearing characteristics of the forearm: pattern of axial and bending force transmitted through ulna and radius

A biomechanical study was performed on 12 cadaveric arms to define the normal profiles of force transmission through the ulna and radius and demonstrate the effect on these of simulated injury of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ). Strain gauges were used to measure the axial and bending forces transmitted through each bone. Axial force transmitted through the ulna is, broadly, reciprocal to that seen in the radius, with the greatest force seen in supination. In all 12 arms, axial loading of the hand created an anterior bending force (to create a posterior convexity) in the distal radius. Axial loading of the hand created an anterior bending force in the distal ulna for half the specimens and a posterior bending force in the remaining half. Division and division with reconstruction of either the volar or the dorsal distal radioulnar ligament (DRUL) had no significant effect on force transmission through the ulna and radius, while excision of the ulnar head significantly disrupted the profiles of the axial and bending forces.

Avian dark cells

Dark cells (DCs) of mammalian and non-mammalian species help to maintain the homeostasis of the inner ear fluids in vivo. Although the avian cochlea is straight and the mammalian cochlea is coiled, no significant difference in the morphology and/or function of mammalian and avian DCs has been reported. The mammalian equivalent of avian DCs are marginal cells and are located in the stria vascularis along a bony sheet. Avian DCs hang free from the tegmentum vasculosum (TV) of the avian lagena between the perilymph and endolymph. Frame averaging was used to image the fluorescence emitted by several fluorochromes applied to freshly isolated dark cells (iDCs) from chickens (Gallus domesticus) inner ears. The viability of iDCs was monitored via trypan blue exclusion at each isolation step. Sodium Green, BCECF-AM, Rhodamine 123 and 9-anthroyl ouabain molecules were used to test iDC function. These fluorochromes label iDCs ionic transmembrane trafficking function, membrane electrogenic potentials and Na+/K+ ATPase pump's activity. Na+/K+ ATPase pump sites, were also evaluated by the p-nitrophenyl phosphatase reaction. These results suggest that iDCs remain viable for several hours after isolation without special culturing requirements and that the number and functional activity of Na+/K+ ATPase pumps in the iDCs were indistinguishable from in vivo DCs. Primary cultures of freshly iDCs were successfully maintained for 28 days in plastic dishes with RPMI 1640 culture medium. The preparation of iDCs overcomes the difficulty of DCs accessability in vivo and the unavoidable contamination that rupturing the inner ear microenvironments induces.

An adverse interaction between warfarin and capecitabine: a case report and review of the literature

Warfarin is one of the most commonly used oral anticoagulants in the clinic. It is well established that a wide range of antineoplastic drugs interact with warfarin, resulting in altered coagulation parameters and/or bleeding sequelae. While altered coagulation parameters have been observed in patients taking the oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug, capecitabine, in combination with warfarin, no report to date has described clinically overt evidence of bleeding. Herein, we report 2 cancer patients who presented with bleeding episodes that most likely resulted from an adverse interaction between capecitabine and warfarin after 6 weeks of concomitant therapy. In each case, there was a marked elevation in both the prothrombin time and international normalized ratio (> 10), with subsequent gastrointestinal bleeding. The exact mechanism of this interaction is yet unknown, but it is possible that capecitabine might, in some manner, reduce the hepatic metabolism of warfarin. Close monitoring of coagulation parameters is recommended for all patients receiving concomitant warfarin and capecitabine, with appropriate adjustment of warfarin dosage. The nature and extent of this interaction requires further investigation.

Weekly docetaxel and estramustine in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer

The combination of docetaxel and estramustine has exhibited synergistic activity both in prostate cancer cell lines and in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Based on these promising preclinical and phase I/II data, we conducted a study of weekly docetaxel and estramustine in patients with metastatic HRPC and a poor performance status. A total of 30 patients received (1) a 3-day course of oral estramustine during weeks 1 and 2 of each 3-week cycle plus (2) docetaxel, 35 mg/m(2) intravenously on day 2 of weeks 1 and 2. The median number of cycles per patient was 5, ranging from 1 to 22. The median patient age was 74 years (range, 61 to 90 years), and the median baseline Karnofsky performance status was 60% (range, 50% to 80%). Twenty-three patients (76%) had a > or =50% decrease in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA); 17 (56%) of these patients had a > or =75% decrease in PSA. Pain scores and performance status likewise improved in 70% of patients. Three complete responses and four partial responses were observed among 12 patients with measurable disease. Toxicities were primarily nonhematologic in nature, with the most common being grade 1 through 3 nausea, asthenia, diarrhea, and edema. Given the activity and tolerability of weekly docetaxel and estramustine in this study, this regimen appears to be more suitable than previously studied docetaxel/estramustine administration schedules for treating metastatic HRPC in elderly patients with a poor performance status.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the colon with an elevated serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen responding to combination chemotherapy

Primary squamous cell colorectal carcinomas are uncommon, and their characteristics are not well known. They seem to occur most commonly in the fifth decade of life with a slight predominance for men. The most commonly reported anatomic locations are the rectum and the proximal colon. Clinical features and common diagnostic methods do not easily differentiate squamous cell colorectal carcinomas from adenocarcinomas. Because of their extremely rare occurrence, it is difficult to study their natural course, clinical behavior, and response to therapy. This report presents the case of a pure squamous cell colorectal cancer and provides a brief review of the literature, which includes 60 previously published cases. The case of a patient with T3N2M0 primary squamous cell carcinoma of the rectosigmoid colon, which was initially treated with abdominoperineal resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation, is presented. During the follow-up, an elevated squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC Ag) level led to restaging computed tomography scans, which confirmed recurrent metastatic disease in the liver. Response to chemotherapy with a decrease in tumor size correlated with a decrease in the serum SCC Ag level. Although SCC Ag has been used as a tumor marker for squamous cell cancers of the lung, head and neck, uterine cervix, and esophagus, this is the first reported case of a squamous cell colon carcinoma presenting with an elevated SCC Ag at the time of recurrence. In addition, this patient showed an objective partial response to combination chemotherapy, with a decrease in the serum level of this tumor marker.

What mothers in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program feel about WIC and immunization linkage activities. A summary of focus groups in Wisconsin

BACKGROUND

Although studies indicate that strategies to improve immunization coverage among preschool-age children enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are effective, the attitudes of parents of children enrolled in WIC toward the linkage between WIC and immunization programs is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To gain a better understanding of how parents using WIC resources feel about the association of WIC and immunization services, their attitudes toward WIC immunization activities, factors that may cause clients to drop out of the program, and the effects of racial background on parent attitudes.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

We conducted 8 focus group sessions with mothers whose children receive WIC services in Milwaukee, Wis. Mothers were between 18 and 35 years old, with at least 1 child between 6 and 24 months of age. The 47 mothers participating were each assigned to 1 of 8 focus groups, including 2 groups each of Asian, white, African American, and Hispanic mothers. A systematic content analysis was conducted for themes and key points within and across ethnic groups.

RESULTS

Socially disadvantaged mothers reported their overall experiences in WIC to be very positive. Lengthy waiting time during a WIC visit was identified as the most important barrier to participation. Mothers believed strongly that it was the responsibility of parents to get their children vaccinated, but that WIC staff and the primary care provider should work together to remind parents when vaccinations were due. Mothers expressed very positive attitudes toward the linking of WIC and immunization activities. Telephone reminders and education were mentioned as the best ways to encourage mothers to get their child vaccinated on time. Immunization linkage activities and the requirement that a parent report to a WIC center more frequently if the child was underimmunized were not mentioned as reasons for dropping out of the WIC program; indeed, more frequent visits to a WIC center were actually viewed as a potentially effective strategy by several mothers. Some mothers found obtaining immunizations and WIC services at the same time and place to be very convenient. There did not seem to be any significant differences among ethnic groups in attitudes toward immunization linkage activities being performed in WIC.

CONCLUSIONS

Mothers with preschool-age children enrolled in WIC feel that the linkage of immunization activities with WIC services is a helpful way to improve the health of their children. This linkage was not identified as a contributing factor for leaving the WIC program.

Neural circuitry of capsaicin-sensitive afferents innervating submucosal arterioles in guinea pig ileum

The circuitry of capsaicin-sensitive nerves innervating submucosal arterioles in the guinea pig ileum was examined. The orientation of in vitro submucosal preparations in a double-chamber bath was varied so that nerves on differing segments of arterioles could be stimulated with capsaicin. Capsaicin-evoked dilation of preconstricted arterioles was recorded using videomicroscopy. Superfusion of capsaicin onto either proximal or distal segments of a parent arteriole divided between the chambers evoked a dilation in the opposite chamber (63 and 58%, respectively) but had no effect on extrinsically denervated preparations. When the divider separated the vascular arcades joining the two parent arterioles on the opposite or same side of the intestine, capsaicin evoked little or no response (8 and 11%, respectively). Capsaicin stimulation confined to one branch of a single vessel dilated the opposite branch (42%). In preparations with adjacently attached mucosa, application of capsaicin to the mucosa dilated arterioles in the opposite chamber. These findings suggest that capsaicin stimulation of the mucosa evokes dilation of arterioles through a submucosal reflex and that both afferent and efferent elements are confined to the submucosa and mucosa.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a Candida tsukubaensis alpha-glucosidase gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The molecular cloning of an alpha-glucosidase gene isolated from a Candida tsukubaensis (CBS 6389) genomic library in Saccharomyces cervisiae is reported. The cloned gene is contained within a 6.2 kb Sau3A DNA fragment and directs the synthesis and secretion of an amylolytic enzyme into the extracellular medium of the recombinant host, S. cerevisiae. The cloned enzyme was found to have an unusually broad substrate specificity and is capable of hydrolysing alpha-1,2, alpha-1,3, alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linked, as well as aryl and alkyl, D-glucosides. On the basis of its substrate specificity profile, the cloned enzyme was classified as an alpha-glucosidase (E.C. 3.2.1.20). It has a pH optimum in the range 4.2-4.6, a temperature optimum of 58 degrees C and is readily inactivated at pasteurization temperature (60 degrees C). Southern blot analysis failed to reveal any homology between the cloned gene and genomic DNA isolated from other well characterized amylolytic yeasts. A rapid plate-assay, based on the utilization of a chromogenic substrate X-alpha-D-glucoside to detect the expression of the cloned alpha-glucosidase in S. cerevisiae transformants, was developed.

Seroepidemiology of amebiasis in the Orang Asli (Western Malaysian aborigine) and other Malaysians

The indirect hemagglutination test was used to study antibody titers to Entamoeba histolytica in different Malaysian populations. Eighty-seven percent of Orang Asli (western Malaysian aborigines) adults and 79% of Orang Asli children with acute amebic dysentery were seropositive. However, significantly fewer children (39%) with amebic dysentery had high titer responses (titer greater than or equal to 1:1,280) than did adults with amebic dysentery (76%). No correlation between proctoscopic severity and amebic titer was found. Forty-four percent of asymptomatic family members were seroresponders. Satak, an Orang Asli village located near towns, had significantly more seroresponders (32%) than did the isolated, deep jungle village, Belatim (4%).