University of California

About: University of California is a education organization based out in Oakland, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Layer (electronics). The organization has 55175 authors who have published 52933 publications receiving 1491169 citations. The organization is also known as: UC & University of California System.

Rail and property development in Hong Kong: Experiences and extensions

Abstract: Hong Kong has aggressively pursued transit value capture to finance railway infrastructure through its ‘Rail + Property’ development programme, or R+P. More than half of all income to the railway operators comes from property development. Most R+P projects focus on housing although all have some commercial development. Recent generation R+P projects have stressed pedestrian quality. This research shows this has in turn increased ridership and housing prices. An R+P station with a transit-oriented design averages 35 000 additional weekday passengers. Housing price premiums in the range of 5—30 per cent were found. Hong Kong’s R+P model, it is suggested, is well suited for financing rail infrastructure and advancing transit-oriented designs in the rapidly growing cities of mainland China.

The temporary nature of the inhibitory action of excess iodine on organic iodine synthesis in the normal thyroid.

Abstract: In 1944, Morton et al. observed that when 300 mg. of sheep thyroid slices were incubated in 3 cc. of a bicarbonate-Ringer medium to which various amounts of I127 as inorganic iodide had been added, inhibition of thyroxine and diiodotryosine formation occurred when the added I127 exceeded 20 gamma. The resemblance of this in vitro effect to the action of excess iodide in Graves’ disease in man led us to investigate this phenomenon in the normal intact thyroid (Wolff and Chaikoff, 1948a). In addition to confirming the inhibitory action of excess iodide upon thyroxine synthesis in intact thyroids, the investigation showed that such inhibition by a single injection of iodide was related to the level of plasma iodine (Wolff and Chaikoff, 1948b). So long as the concentration of plasma iodine exceeded 20–35 gamma per cent, organic binding of iodine failed to occur in the gland,

Age-dependent effects of nicotine on locomotor activity and conditioned place preference in rats

Abstract: Most adult smokers start smoking during their adolescence. This adolescent initiation may be due to multiple factors, but little evidence is available regarding whether their brains are differentially sensitive to the addictive effects of nicotine during adolescence. To test the hypothesis that adolescents are more sensitive than adults to nicotine’s rewarding actions. An unbiased, counterbalanced, place-conditioning procedure was used to examine drug-induced reward and locomotor activity. Early adolescent (postnatal day 28), late adolescent (P38) and adult (P90) rats received either saline or nicotine (0.125, 0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) and were tested for place conditioning. During early adolescence, a single nicotine injection (0.5 mg/kg) induced significant conditioned place preference (CPP). In contrast, during late adolescence or adulthood, nicotine did not induce CPP after either one or four conditioning trials. Initial locomotor responses to acute nicotine administration during the first conditioning trial also differed with age, with no effect at P28, but substantial inhibitory responses at all doses studied (0.125–0.5 mg/kg) at later ages. Although not differing in their initial locomotor response to nicotine, there was a significantly greater tolerance/sensitization during the second and subsequent drug exposures in late adolescents than in adults. These findings provide evidence that adolescent brain is differentially sensitive to both the acute and repeated effects of nicotine relative to adult brain. Furthermore, there are significant differences in nicotine sensitivity between early and late phases of adolescence.

Emerging patterns for engineered nanomaterials in the environment: a review of fate and toxicity studies

Abstract: A comprehensive assessment of the environmental risks posed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) entering the environment is necessary, due in part to the recent predictions of ENM release quantities and because ENMs have been identified in waste leachate. The technical complexity of measuring ENM fate and transport processes in all environments necessitates identifying trends in ENM processes. Emerging information on the environmental fate and toxicity of many ENMs was collected to provide a better understanding of their environmental implications. Little research has been conducted on the fate of ENMs in the atmosphere; however, most studies indicate that ENMs will in general have limited transport in the atmosphere due to rapid settling. Studies of ENM fate in realistic aquatic media indicates that in general, ENMs are more stable in freshwater and stormwater than in seawater or groundwater, suggesting that transport may be higher in freshwater than in seawater. ENMs in saline waters generally sediment out over the course of hours to days, leading to likely accumulation in sediments. Dissolution is significant for specific ENMs (e.g., Ag, ZnO, copper ENMs, nano zero-valent iron), which can result in their transformation from nanoparticles to ions, but the metal ions pose their own toxicity concerns. In soil, the fate of ENMs is strongly dependent on the size of the ENM aggregates, groundwater chemistry, as well as the pore size and soil particle size. Most groundwater studies have focused on unfavorable deposition conditions, but that is unlikely to be the case in many natural groundwaters with significant ionic strength due to hardness or salinity. While much still needs to be better understood, emerging patterns with regards to ENM fate, transport, and exposure combined with emerging information on toxicity indicate that risk is low for most ENMs, though current exposure estimates compared with current data on toxicity indicates that at current production and release levels, exposure to Ag, nZVI, and ZnO may cause toxicity to freshwater and marine species.

The Impact of Endocrine Disruption: A Consensus Statement on the State of the Science

Abstract: Perspectives | Editorial The Impact of Endocrine Disruption: A Consensus Statement on the State of the Science doi:101289/ehp1205448 Ake Bergman, 1 Jerrold J Heindel, 2,a Tim Kasten, 3,b Karen A Kidd, 4 Susan Jobling, 5 Maria Neira, 6,c R Thomas Zoeller, 7 Georg Becher, 8 Poul Bjerregaard, 9 Riana Bornman, 10 Ingvar Brandt, 11 Andreas Kortenkamp, 5 Derek Muir, 12 Marie-Noel Brune Drisse, 6,c Roseline Ochieng, 13 Niels E Skakkebaek, 14 Agneta Sunden Bylehn, 3,b Taisen Iguchi, 15 Jorma Toppari, 16 and Tracey J Woodruff 17 1 Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; 2 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; 3 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Geneva, Switzerland; 4 Department of Biology & Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; 5 Institute for the Environment, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom; 6 Department of Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; 7 Biology Department, Morrill Science Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; 8 Division of Environmental Medicine, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; 9 Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; 10 Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; 11 Department of Environmental Toxicology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; 12 Aquatic Ecosystems Protection Research Division, Water Science & Technology Directorate, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada; 13 Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya; 14 University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; 15 Department of Bioenvironmental Science, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki Aichi, Japan; 16 Departments of Physiology and Paediatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; 17 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco, Oakland, California, USA In 2002, the joint International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) published a report titled Global Assessment of the State-of-the-Science of Endocrine Disruptors (http://wwwwhoint/ ipcs/publications/new_issues/endocrine_disruptors/en/) Since 2002, intense scientific work has improved our understanding of the impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human and wildlife health, such that in 2012, the UNEP and WHO, in collaboration with international experts, have produced an updated document on EDCs, State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012 (http:// wwwwhoint/ceh/publications/endocrine/en/indexhtml) that includes scientific information on human and wildlife impacts and lists key concerns for decision makers and others concerned about the future of human and wildlife health The basis for these key concerns is described in the State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012 (http://wwwwho int/ceh/publications/endocrine/en/indexhtml) and includes extensive references to the science behind the concerns A shorter summary, primarily for decision makers, elabo­rates on the key concerns listed below and and also on suggested considerations related to EDCs (State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012: Summary for Decision-Makers; http://wwwwhoint/ceh/publications/endocrine/en/ indexhtml) The key concerns noted in the State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012 (http://wwwwhoint/ceh/publications/ endocrine/en/indexhtml) are as follows: • Human and wildlife health depends on the ability to reproduce and develop normally This is not possible without a healthy endocrine system • Three strands of evidence fuel concerns over endocrine disruptors: ǹ ǹ The high incidence and the increasing trends of many endocrine- related disorders in humans; ǹ ǹ Observations of endocrine-related effects in wildlife populations; ǹ ǹ The identification of chemicals with endocrine disrupting proper- ties linked to disease outcomes in laboratory studies • Many endocrine-related diseases and disorders are on the rise ǹ ǹ Large proportions (up to 40%) of young men in some countries have low semen quality, which reduces their ability to father children ǹ ǹ The incidence of genital malformations, such as non-descending testes (cryptorchidisms) and penile malformations (hypospadias), in baby boys has increased over time or levelled off at unfavour- ably high rates ǹ ǹ The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight, has increased in many countries ǹ ǹ Neurobehavioural disorders associated with thyroid disruption affect a high proportion of children in some countries and have increased over past decades ǹ ǹ Global rates of endocrine-related cancers (breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate, testicular and thyroid) have been increasing over the past 40–50 years ǹ ǹ There is a trend towards earlier onset of breast development in young girls in all countries where this has been studied This is a risk factor for breast cancer ǹ ǹ The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes has dramatically increased worldwide over the last 40 years WHO estimates that 15 billion adults worldwide are overweight or obese and that the number with type 2 diabetes increased from 153 million to 347 million between 1980 and 2008 • Close to 800 chemicals are known or suspected to be capable of inter- fering with hormone receptors, hormone synthesis or hormone con- version However, only a small fraction of these chemicals have been investigated in tests capable of identifying overt endocrine effects in intact organisms ǹ ǹ The vast majority of chemicals in current commercial use have not been tested at all ǹ ǹ This lack of data introduces significant uncertainties about the true extent of risks from chemicals that potentially could disrupt the endocrine system • Human and wildlife populations all over the world are exposed to EDCs ǹ ǹ There is global transport of many known and potential EDCs through natural processes as well as through commerce, leading to worldwide exposure ǹ ǹ Unlike 10 years ago, we now know that humans and wildlife are exposed to far more EDCs than just those that are POPs [persis- tent organic pollutants] ǹ ǹ Levels of some newer POPs in humans and wildlife are still increasing, and there is also exposure to less persistent and less bioaccumulative, but ubiquitous, chemicals Address correspondence to A Bergman, Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden E-mail: akebergman@mmksuse United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) address: 13 chemin des Anemones, CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland a The author is an employee of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH); any statements, opinions, or conclusions contained herein do not necessar- ily represent the statements, opinions, or conclusions of the NIEHS, NIH, or the US government b The authors are staff members of the United Nations Environment Programme (ASB is now retired) The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of the United Nations Environment Programme c The authors are staff mem- bers of the World Health Organization (WHO) The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions, or policies of the WHO This article should not be reproduced for use in association with the promotion of commercial products, services, or any legal entity The WHO does not endorse any specific organization or products Any reproduction of this article cannot include the use of the WHO logo The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing ­financial interests A 104 Environmental Health Perspectives volume 121 | number 4 | April 2013 •