Imprisonment and internment: Comparing penal facilities North and South

Recent references to the ‘warehouse prison’ in the United States and the prisión-depósito in Latin America seem to indicate that penal confinement in the western hemisphere has converged on a similar model. However, this article suggests otherwise. It contrasts penal facilities in North America and Latin America in terms of six interrelated aspects: regimentation; surveillance; isolation; supervision; accountability; and formalization. Quantitatively, control in North American penal facilities is assiduous (unceasing, persistent and intrusive), while in Latin America it is perfunctory (sporadic, indifferent and cursory). Qualitatively, North American penal facilities produce imprisonment (which enacts penal intervention through confinement), while in Latin America they produce internment (which enacts penal intervention through release). Closely entwined with this qualitative difference are distinct practices of judicial involvement in sentencing and penal supervision. Those practices, and the cultural and political factors that underpin them, represent an interesting starting point for the explanation of the contrasting nature of imprisonment and internment

The adaptive capacity of maize-based conservation agriculture systems to climate stress in tropical and subtropical environments: A meta-regression of yields

Conservation agriculture is widely promoted across sub-Saharan Africa as a sustainable farming practice that enhances adaptive capacity to climate change. The interactions between climate stress, management, and soil are critical to understanding the adaptive capacity of conservation agriculture. Yet conservation agriculture syntheses to date have largely neglected climate, especially the effects of extreme heat. For the sub-tropics and tropics, we use meta-regression, in combination with global soil and climate datasets, to test four hypotheses: (1) that relative yield performance of conservation agriculture improves with increasing drought and temperature stress; (2) that the effects of moisture and temperature stress exposure interact; (3) that the effects of moisture and temperature stress are modified by soil texture; and (4) that crop diversification, fertilizer application rate, or the time since no-till implementation will enhance conservation agriculture performance under climate stress. Our results support the hypothesis that the relative maize yield performance of conservation agriculture improves with increasing drought severity or exposure to high temperatures. Further, there is an interaction of moisture and heat stress on conservation agriculture performance and their combined effect is both non-additive and modified by soil clay content, supporting our second and third hypotheses. Finally, we found only limited support for our fourth hypothesis as (1) increasing nitrogen application rates did not improve the relative performance of conservation agriculture under high heat stress; (2) crop diversification did not notably improve conservation agriculture performance, but did increase its stability with heat stress; and (3) a statistically robust effect of the time since no-till implementation was not evident. Our meta-regression supports the narrative that conservation agriculture enhances the adaptive capacity of maize production in sub-Saharan Africa under drought and/or heat stress. However, in very wet seasons and on clay-rich soils, conservation agriculture yields less compared to conventional practices

Heat management strategies for MSW landfills

Heat is a primary byproduct of landfilling of municipal solid waste. Long-term elevated temperatures have been reported for MSW landfills under different operational conditions and climatic regions around the world. A conceptual framework is presented for management of the heat generated in MSW landfills. Three main strategies are outlined: extraction, regulation, and supplementation. Heat extraction allows for beneficial use of the excess landfill heat as an alternative energy source. Two approaches are provided for the extraction strategy: extracting all of the excess heat above baseline equilibrium conditions in a landfill and extracting only a part of the excess heat above equilibrium conditions to obtain target optimum waste temperatures for maximum gas generation. Heat regulation allows for controlling the waste temperatures to achieve uniform distribution at target levels at a landfill facility. Two approaches are provided for the regulation strategy: redistributing the excess heat across a landfill to obtain uniform target optimum waste temperatures for maximum gas generation and redistributing the excess heat across a landfill to obtain specific target temperatures. Heat supplementation allows for controlling heat generation using external thermal energy sources to achieve target waste temperatures. Two approaches are provided for the supplementation strategy: adding heat to the waste mass using an external energy source to increase waste temperatures and cooling the waste mass using an external energy source to decrease waste temperatures. For all strategies, available landfill heat energy is determined based on the difference between the waste temperatures and the target temperatures. Example analyses using data from landfill facilities with relatively low and high heat generation indicated thermal energy in the range of −48.4 to 72.4 MJ/m3 available for heat management. Further modeling and experimental analyses are needed to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of design, installation, and operation of heat management systems in MSW landfills

Plasma Markers of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology, Neuronal Injury, and Astrocytic Activation and MRI Load of Vascular Pathology and Neurodegeneration: The SMART-MR Study

BACKGROUND: Two of the main causes for dementia are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular pathology, with most patients showing mixed pathology. Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease-related pathology have recently emerged, including Aβ (amyloid-beta), p-tau (phosphorylated tau), NfL (neurofilament light), and GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein). There is a current gap in the literature regarding whether there is an association between these plasma biomarkers with vascular pathology and neurodegeneration. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional data from 594 individuals (mean [SD] age: 64 [8] years; 17% female) were included from the SMART-MR (Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease-Magnetic Resonance) study, a prospective cohort study of individuals with a history of arterial disease. Plasma markers were assessed using single molecular array assays (Quanterix). Magnetic resonance imaging markers included white matter hyperintensity volume, presence of infarcts (yes/no), total brain volume, and hippocampal volume assessed on 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging. Linear regressions were performed for each standardized plasma marker with white matter hyperintensity volume, total brain volume, and hippocampal volume as separate outcomes, correcting for age, sex, education, and intracranial volume. Logistic regressions were performed for the presence of lacunar and cortical infarcts. Higher p-tau181 was associated with larger white matter hyperintensity volume ( b per SD increase=0.16 [95% CI, 0.06-0.26], P=0.015). Higher NfL ( b=-5.63, [95% CI, -8.95 to -2.31], P=0.015) was associated with lower total brain volume and the presence of infarcts (odds ratio [OR], 1.42 [95% CI, 1.13-1.78], P=0.039). Higher GFAP levels were associated with cortical infarcts (OR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.09-1.92], P=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma biomarkers that have been associated with tau pathology, axonal injury, and astrocytic activation are related to magnetic resonance imagingmarkers of vascular pathology and neurodegeneration in patients with manifest arterial disease

Acute and Chronic Effects of Particles on Hospital Admissions in New-England

Background: Many studies have reported significant associations between exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ and hospital admissions, but all have focused on the effects of short-term exposure. In addition all these studies have relied on a limited number of $PM_{2.5}$ monitors in their study regions, which introduces exposure error, and excludes rural and suburban populations from locations in which monitors are not available, reducing generalizability and potentially creating selection bias. Methods Using our novel prediction models for exposure combining land use regression with physical measurements (satellite aerosol optical depth) we investigated both the long and short term effects of $PM_{2.5}$ exposures on hospital admissions across New-England for all residents aged 65 and older. We performed separate Poisson regression analysis for each admission type: all respiratory, cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke and diabetes. Daily admission counts in each zip code were regressed against long and short-term $PM_{2.5}$ exposure, temperature, socio-economic data and a spline of time to control for seasonal trends in baseline risk. Results: We observed associations between both short-term and long-term exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ and hospitalization for all of the outcomes examined. In example, for respiratory diseases, for every10-µg/m$^3$ increase in short-term $PM_{2.5}$ exposure there is a 0.70 percent increase in admissions (CI = 0.35 to 0.52) while concurrently for every10-µg/m$^3$ increase in long-term $PM_{2.5}$ exposure there is a 4.22 percent increase in admissions (CI = 1.06 to 4.75). Conclusions: As with mortality studies, chronic exposure to particles is associated with substantially larger increases in hospital admissions than acute exposure and both can be detected simultaneously using our exposure models

Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time.

Proteins persist longer in the fossil record than DNA, but the longevity, survival mechanisms and substrates remain contested. Here, we demonstrate the role of mineral binding in preserving the protein sequence in ostrich (Struthionidae) eggshell, including from the palaeontological sites of Laetoli (3.8 Ma) and Olduvai Gorge (1.3 Ma) in Tanzania. By tracking protein diagenesis back in time we find consistent patterns of preservation, demonstrating authenticity of the surviving sequences. Molecular dynamics simulations of struthiocalcin-1 and -2, the dominant proteins within the eggshell, reveal that distinct domains bind to the mineral surface. It is the domain with the strongest calculated binding energy to the calcite surface that is selectively preserved. Thermal age calculations demonstrate that the Laetoli and Olduvai peptides are 50 times older than any previously authenticated sequence (equivalent to ~16 Ma at a constant 10°C)

Biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and cognition: a two-step IPD meta-analysis

INTRODUCTIONThis study assessed the association of plasma biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction with cognitive performance and decline.METHODSData from 9414 individuals from eight Dutch cohorts were included (Ø  age-range: 57–93 years). Plasma biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), soluble E-selectin) were combined into a standardized composite score. Cognitive outcomes included executive function, processing speed, immediate and delayed memory, attention, and language. Linear regressions and linear mixed models were run in the individual cohorts and standardized coefficients were subsequently pooled using random-effects meta-analyses.RESULTSA higher endothelial dysfunction composite score was cross-sectionally associated with worse performance on executive function, processing speed, delayed memory, and attention, but not immediate memory or language (pooled β-range: −0.04, −0.02). We found no association with change in cognition over time.DISCUSSIONThis comprehensive two-step, individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis showed a small, consistent cross-sectional association between endothelial dysfunction and worse cognitive performance across multiple domains but no support for a longitudinal association.Molecular Epidemiolog

Depressive Symptoms and Plasma Markers of Alzheimer's Disease and Neurodegeneration: A Coordinated Meta-Analysis of 8 Cohort Studies

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There has been a recent emergence in plasma biomarkers for AD pathophysiology, such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), as well as for axonal damage (neurofilament light, NfL) and astrocytic activation (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP). Hypothesizing that depressive symptoms may occur along the AD process, we investigated associations between plasma biomarkers of AD with depressive symptoms in individuals without dementia. METHODS: A two-stage meta-analysis was performed on 2 clinic-based and 6 population-based cohorts (N = 7210) as part of the Netherlands Consortium of Dementia Cohorts. Plasma markers (Aβ42/40, p-tau181, NfL, and GFAP) were measured using Single Molecular Array (Simoa; Quanterix) assays. Depressive symptoms were measured with validated questionnaires. We estimated the cross-sectional association of each standardized plasma marker (determinants) with standardized depressive symptoms (outcome) using linear regressions, correcting for age, sex, education, and APOE ε4 allele presence, as well as subgrouping by sex and APOE ε4 allele. Effect estimates were entered into a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 71 years. The prevalence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms ranged from 1% to 22%. None of the plasma markers were associated with depressive symptoms in the meta-analyses. However, NfL was associated with depressive symptoms only in APOE ε4 carriers (β 0.11; 95% CI: 0.05-0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Late-life depressive symptoms did not show an association to plasma biomarkers of AD pathology. However, in APOE ε4 allele carriers, a more profound role of neurodegeneration was suggested with depressive symptoms