President's Research Research Articles

'The Machine Takes Our Jobs Away': The problem of technological unemployment in the work of Chicago sociologist William F. Ogburn.

This paper examines the Chicago sociologist William F. Ogburn's (1886-1959) views about technological unemployment, which were intimately connected to his analysis of the social impacts of technological developments and resulting social problems due to cultural lag. We trace the development of his views as seen through his well-known 1922 book, Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature, his important contributions to the President's Research Committee on Social Trends (1933), and his lesser-known pamphlets designed for a broader audience-Living with Machines (1933), You and Machines (1934), and Machines and Tomorrow's World (1938). He used these pamphlets to educate the public about the dangers of new machines and technological unemployment. In doing so, he drew upon sociological analysis in his professional scholarly writings and his long-standing personal interests in social betterment and social reform. Our analysis also calls into question the adequacy of existing scholarship on Ogburn that has emphasized his commitment to a statistical, dispassionate, and "objectivist" approach to social science research. We call for a revised, richer, and more complex view of Ogburn's work and legacy as one of the nation's leading social scientists during the first half of the 20th century.

Remote COVID-19 Assessment in Primary Care (RECAP) risk prediction tool: derivation and real-world validation studies

BackgroundAccurate assessment of COVID-19 severity in the community is essential for patient care and requires COVID-19-specific risk prediction scores adequately validated in a community setting. Following a qualitative phase to identify signs, symptoms, and risk factors, we aimed to develop and validate two COVID-19-specific risk prediction scores. Remote COVID-19 Assessment in Primary Care-General Practice score (RECAP-GP; without peripheral oxygen saturation [SpO2]) and RECAP-oxygen saturation score (RECAP-O2; with SpO2).MethodsRECAP was a prospective cohort study that used multivariable logistic regression. Data on signs and symptoms (predictors) of disease were collected from community-based patients with suspected COVID-19 via primary care electronic health records and linked with secondary data on hospital admission (outcome) within 28 days of symptom onset. Data sources for RECAP-GP were Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre (RCGP-RSC) primary care practices (development set), northwest London primary care practices (validation set), and the NHS COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service (CCAS; validation set). The data source for RECAP-O2 was the Doctaly Assist platform (development set and validation set in subsequent sample). The two probabilistic risk prediction models were built by backwards elimination using the development sets and validated by application to the validation datasets. Estimated sample size per model, including the development and validation sets was 2880 people.FindingsData were available from 8311 individuals. Observations, such as SpO2, were mostly missing in the northwest London, RCGP-RSC, and CCAS data; however, SpO2 was available for 1364 (70·0%) of 1948 patients who used Doctaly. In the final predictive models, RECAP-GP (n=1863) included sex (male and female), age (years), degree of breathlessness (three point scale), temperature symptoms (two point scale), and presence of hypertension (yes or no); the area under the curve was 0·80 (95% CI 0·76–0·85) and on validation the negative predictive value of a low risk designation was 99% (95% CI 98·1–99·2; 1435 of 1453). RECAP-O2 included age (years), degree of breathlessness (two point scale), fatigue (two point scale), and SpO2 at rest (as a percentage); the area under the curve was 0·84 (0·78–0·90) and on validation the negative predictive value of low risk designation was 99% (95% CI 98·9–99·7; 1176 of 1183).InterpretationBoth RECAP models are valid tools to assess COVID-19 patients in the community. RECAP-GP can be used initially, without need for observations, to identify patients who require monitoring. If the patient is monitored and SpO2 is available, RECAP-O2 is useful to assess the need for treatment escalation.FundingCommunity Jameel and the Imperial College President's Excellence Fund, the Economic and Social Research Council, UK Research and Innovation, and Health Data Research UK.

Paper-Based Lactate Biofuel Cell Using Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-Grafted MgO-Templated Carbon

Enzymatic lactate/O2 biofuel cells (BFCs) are energy conversion systems in which enzymes oxidize lactate at a bioanode and reduce oxygen at a biocathode. These enzymes are highly safe toward humans, and highly selective for substrates. In addition, lactate is contained abundant in a human sweat. Thus, the lactate/O2 BFCs have been attracting attention as a next-generation wearable power source1).We have produced a paper-based lactate biofuel cell in which lactate oxidase (LOx) and a mediator are physically absorbed on MgO-templated carbon (MgOC) having mesopores suitable for enzyme2).By using MgOC for electrode, long-term stability may be improved because the elution of the enzyme is suppressed by entrapping the enzyme in the mesopore3). On the other hand, covalent immobilization of mediators and enzymes seems to be effective for further improvement of stability of the electrodes. We recently reported that poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (poly(GMA)) bearing pendant glycidyl groups, grafted on the surface of MgO-templated carbon (GMgOC), was useful for forming strong multipoint covalent bonds with amino functional groups on the surface of flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (FAD-GDH) molecules4). The stability of FAD-GDH-immobilized GMgOC electrode showed good stability with a simple immobilization scheme by suppressing elution of FAD-GDH from the electrode surface.In this study, we newly fabricated a paper-based lactate biofuel cell using a GMgOC electrode formed by screen printing. A lactate biofuel cell anode, in which Azure A, as a mediator, was covalently immobilized on the GMgOC. LOx was also immobilized in the GMgOC. We evaluated the output current and the stability of the electrode. The synthesis reaction of the GMgOC is shown in Fig. 1(a). MgOC was irradiated with an electron beem to generate radicals, and then glycidyl methacrylate was introduced to form GMgOC on the electrode surface. Polyvinylidene difluoride(PVdF) as a binder and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone(NMP) as a solvent were added to GMgOC as a carbon ink.The paper-based carbon electrodes were fabricated by screen printing. A carbon leads and MgOC ink was printed on a water-repellent paper substrate, successively. The AzureA as a mediator and LOx as an enzyme were dropped on the porous carbon electrode surface. Chronoamperometry was performed using the prepared bioanode. The measurement was performed by the three-electrode method using a platinum wire as the counter electrode and a saturated KCl/Ag/AgCl electrode as the reference electrode, respectively. The chlonoamperometry was performed in 1 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer containing 0.1 mol dm-3 lactate. The potential was set at 0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl.Figure 1(b) shows the cyclic voltammetry of the GMgOC electode. A catalytic oxidation current was observed at a nobler potential than -0.1 V. The peak current value of the present enzyme electrode was larger than that of an enzyme electrode in which MgOC was used as the electrode material. The results indicated that the use of GMgOC will obtain a larger peak value because of immobilizing mediator and enzymes makes electrons to transport more efficiently to the electrode.A chronoamperograms using GMgOC and MgOC electrodes were measured at 0.1 V. Figure 1(c) shows that the current value of MgOC was 0.09 mA cm-2 after 30000 s, and that of GMgOC was 1.7 mA cm-2. It was found to exhibit that the current density was about twice as high as MgOC. It’s because, mediators and enzymes are immobilized by physical adsorption on the carbon surface when using MgOC, while elution of LOx could be suppressed by using GMgOC because the amino group of the enzyme shell and the epoxy group on the carbon surface are bonded successfully.Reference1) E. Katz et al., J. Electroanal. Chem., 479 (1999) 64.2) I. Shitanda et al., J. Electrochem. Soc, 166(12) (2019) B1063-B1068.3) S. Tsujimura et al., Electrochemistry 83 (2015) 372.4) I. Shitanda, T. Kato et al., Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 93 (2020) 32.AcknowledgmentsThis work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． Figure 1

Evaluation of Wearable Potassium Ion Sensor Fabricated By Heat Transfer Printing

Printable wearable sensors for monitoring biomarkers in sweat of people exercising has attracted attention. For example, wearable ion sensors in sweat based on tattoo paper has been reported1).A wearable textile-based sensor has advantages such as low cost, flexibility, and light weight. For example, a stretchable self-powered biosensor has been reported previously 2). On the other hand, when a sensor is formed by printing directly on a cloth, the problem is that the resistance value increases, and the accuracy of the sensor may decrease due to the irregularity of the electrode surface.To solve the problem, we recently reported a wearable potentiometric sodium ion sensor by transfer printing technique3). In case of transfer printing, a sensor is firstly formed on a smooth substrate. Then the sensor is transferred by heating with pressure on a textile with high accuracy irregularities. In this study, we newly produced and evaluated potassium ion sensors by transfer printing technique.Schematic diagram of electrodes and the potassium ion sensor is shown in Figure 1 (a). Electrodes of the sensor were formed on a PET film by laminating overcoat, resist ink, carbon ink, Ag/AgCl ink, and adhesive using screen printing. The potassium ion selective membrane was prepared on the carbon electrode surface by drop-casting 8 μL of the solution which valinomycin, PVC, DOS, and KTCIPB were dissolved in THF and drying overnight. The Ag/AgCl reference electrode was prepared by drop-casting 8 μL of the solution which PVB and NaCl were dissolved in methanol and drying overnight. The sensor on the PET film was formed on the cloth using a heat transfer machine, and the potential difference measurement between the potassium ion selective electrode and the reference electrode was measured using a potassium chloride solution of 10-7 ~ 10-1 M.Figure 1 (b) shows the relationship between EMF of the sensor formed on the cloth by thermal transfer and potassium ion concentration. The sensor shows a linear region proportional to the potassium ion concentration in the range of 0.1 ~ 100 mM. Since the concentration of potassium ions in general human sweat is 4 ~ 24 mM4), the calculated detection lower limit suggests that this sensor may be used to quantify potassium ions in human sweat. Furthermore, selectivity coefficients of sensors for sodium ions and ammonium ions abundant in human sweat were calculated by a single solution method. The selectivity coefficient of sodium ions is , and the selectivity of ammonium ions is . These results suggest selectively measure potassium ion levels in human sweat.References1) Guinovart et al., Anal. Chem., 138, 7031-7038 (2013).2) Jeerapan et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 4, 18342 (2016).3) Watanabe et al., Chemical Sensors, 33 (Supplement A), 67-69 (2017).4) Sonner et al., Biomicrofluidics, 9, 031301-10 (2015).AcknowledgmentsThis work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． Figure 1

Improvement of Total Capacity of a Lactate/Oxygen Biofuel Cell Based on a Three-Enzyme-Modified Carbon Cloth Electrode

A biofuel cell using MgO-templated carbon (MgOC) is highly attention as a wearable power source1). A lactate/oxygen biofuel cell, in which lactate oxidase (LOx) is normally used, utilize two-electron oxidation of lactate to pyruvate 2). On the other hand, it is possible to improve the total capacity of the lactate/oxygen biofuel cells by using an enzyme cascadereaction3 ).In the present study, we developed a new biofuel cell that modifies pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) with LOx in anode. A total of four-electron oxidation reaction can be occurred from lactate to acetic acid via acetaldehyde. In this study, we examined the relationship between the battery capacity and the current density by enzyme cascade in detail.A carbon cloth was used as anode. 1,2-naphthoquinone, ALDH (20 units), PDC (40 units) and LOx (20 units) were dropped on the anode surface, successively. On the other hand, a MgO-templated carbon (MgOC)-coated carbon cloth was used as cathode. A bilirubin oxidase (BOD, 9 units) was immobilized on the MgOC-coated carbon cloth surface. The performance of the biofuel cell was evaluated by performing chronopotentiometry at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 and 2 mA cm-2. The electrolyte (50 mL) used was 1 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 100 mmol dm-3 lactic acid.Figure 1 shows the chlonopotentiogram of the biofuel cell. It was confirmed that the open-circuit potential of the multi-enzyme-modified biofuel cell was increased compared with that of a conventional lactic acid biofuel cell [2]. The voltage of multi-enzyme-modified biofuel cell was firstly about 0.6 V and then gradually decreased to 0.4 V. Finally, the voltage was drastically dropped at 0 V after 330 s. On the other hand, a voltage of a biofuel cell, which only LOx was modified on the anode, was dropped at 150 s at 1 mA cm-2. The time to reach 0 V was shorter at 2 mA cm-2 at each anode, due to the drastically decrease of the substrate concentration of the electrode surface. From these results, it was indicated that the capacity of the biofuel cell was improved by the enzymatic cascade reactions.(1) A. Niiyama et al., Journal of Power Sources, 427, (2019), 49.(2) I. Shitanda et al., Journal of Power Sources, 436, (2019), 226844.(3) D. Sokic-Lazic et al., Electrochimica Acta, 56, (2011), 10772.Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． Figure 1

Fabrication and Electrochemical Evaluation of Organic Secondary Battery Capable of Charging and Discharging in Neutral Solution

There are attractive attentions on organic secondary batteries as new energy storage devices, in which organic compounds as electrode active materials supported on a porous carbon. Dilute sulfuric acid and organic solvents were used as electrolytes1,2). On the other hand, an organic electrolyte has a risk of ignition, and an acidic electrolyte is low safety when leaked.In this study, we newly fabricated an organic secondary battery that can be charged and discharged with a non-flammable, non-poisonous neutral aqueous solution, and evaluated its electrochemical performance.4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-benzoate (TEMPO-benzoate) was used as the cathode active material, and 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) was used as the anode active material. Both active materials are hydrophobic and expected to overcome the problem of elution of the active material into the electrolyte.Firstly, carbon cloth was immersed in a slurry of acetylene black and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) ultrasonically dispersed in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dried at 60 ° C for 48 hours. Next, each active material solution was dropped, dried under reduced pressure for 4 hours to adsorb each active material, and a porous carbon electrode was produced. For single electrode evaluation, cyclic voltammetry was performed at a scanning speed of 10 mV s-1. The as-fabricated electrodes were used as the working electrode, a platinum mesh was used as the counter electrode, a saturated KCl/Ag/AgCl electrode (SSE) was used as the reference electrode, and a 1 mol/dm3 KCl aqueous solution was used as the electrolyte. An organic secondary battery was fabricated using the as-fabricated electrode, and electrochemical evaluation was performed by a charge and discharge test using a reference electrode. A cellophane was used for the separator.Figure 1 (A) shows the reaction mechanism of the active materials of both electrodes used in this study. Figure 1 (B) and (C) show the cyclic voltammograms of AQ and TEMPO-benzoate. It was found that AQ showed an anodic peak near -0.65 V vs. SSE and a cathodic peak near -0.8 V vs. SSE (Fig. 1(B)). The anodic current and cathodic current is related to the two-electron transfer reaction between quinone and hydroquinone shown on the left side of Fig.1 (A). TEMPO-benzoate showed an anodic peak near 0.85 V vs. SSE and a cathodic peak near 0.65 V vs. SSE (Fig. 1(C)) due to the one-electron transfer reaction between the NO radical and the NO cation on TEMPO-benzoate shown on the right side of Fig. 1 (A). The peak appeared near 1.1 V vs. SSE in Fig. 1 (C) is considered to be due to chlorine gas generation on the electrode surface by chloride ions in the electrolyte.Figure1 (D) shows the results of a charge and discharge test performed by applying a constant current of 820 mA to an organic secondary battery. The cut-off voltage were 2 V and 0.4 V, respectively. A large irreversible capacity appeared during the first charge. The potentials of the two electrodes during charging and discharging using the reference electrode suggested that reduction of dissolved oxygen in the negative electrode and oxygen in the porous carbon pores and side reactions were caused. On the other hand, it was confirmed that charge and discharge was performed stably repeatedly after the first discharge. We also tried to improve cycling characteristics by suppressing irreversible capacity by performing thorough degassing of porous carbon and degassing of electrolyte, and assembling cells in an inert gas atmosphere. References 1) T. Tomai et al., Scientific reports, 4, 3591 (2014).2) B. Huskinson et al., Nature, 505, 195-198 (2014). Acknowledgments This work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． Figure 1

Screen-Printed Lactate Biosensor Based on a Lox-Immobilized MgO-Templated Carbon for Continuously Monitoring of Lactate Concentration in Sweat

Lactate concentration in sweat is closely related to exercise intensity. Thus, real-time monitoring of lactate concentration is extremely important for improving athlete training and health management. There are many reports for monitoring the change in the lactic acid concentration in sweat over a long period of time using a wearable lactate biosensor 1,2). For practical application of a wearable lactate biosensor for long-term monitoring, it is important to suppress elution of the enzyme from the electrode by simple enzyme immobilization scheme. Recently, we have reported that long-term stability of a glucose oxidase (GOD)-immobilized electrode was dramatically improved by introducing a poly(glycidyl methacrylate) on a mesoporous carbon, namely MgO-templated carbon (MgOC), which binds to a GOD by coavalent bonding scheme. In this study, we applied the method mentioned above to a printed lactate biosensor. A lactate oxidase (LOx) was immobilized on the electrode by covalent bonding with a poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-modified carbon surface. Firstly, radicals were introduced on the MgOC surface by electron beam irradiation, and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) having an epoxy group was polymerized according to the previously reported scheme3). We referred the poly(GMA)-immobilized MgOC was “GMgOC” in this study. GMgOC and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) were dispersed in N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) to prepare a graft polymerized carbon ink for printing. A printed electrode tips were fabricated by screen printing. Then, an enzyme-immobilized electrode was prepared by modifying 1,2-naphthoquinone as a mediator and lactate oxidase as an enzyme. The stability of the enzyme-immobilized electrode was evaluated by 10 cycles of cyclic voltammetry. The measurement was performed in a 1 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 25 mmol dm-3 lactic acid with a three-electrode system. A platinum wire as a counter electrode, and a sat. KCl/Ag/AgCl electrode as a reference electrode were used. The maximum current density was observed at about 0.13 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Figure 1 shows the maximum current of the cyclic voltammogram plotted against the number of cycles during multiple sweeps. In case of the GMgOC, the current value retained 95.7% after 10 cycles, but it was 68.4% in the case of unmodified MgOC. By performing graft polymerization on the MgOC surface to fabricate the electrode, no significant change in the current value was observed. These results indicated that LOx was stably immobilized on the GMgOC surface without degeneration. Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． References 1) W. Jia, A. J. Bandodkar, G. Valdés-Ramírez, J.R. Windmiller, Z. Yang,J. Ramírez ,G. Chan, J. Wang, Analytical Chemistry, 85 (2013), 6553.2) R.A.Escalona-Villalpando,E.Ortiz-Ortega,J.P.Bocanegra-Ugalde,Shelley,D.Minteer,J.Ledesma-García, L.G. Arriaga, Journal of Power Sources, 412 (2019),496-504.3) I. Shitanda ,T. Kato ,R. Suzuki ,T. Aikawa ,Y. Hoshi ,M. Itagaki , and S. Tsujimura , Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 93 (2019), 32-36． Figure 1

Continuous Sweat Lactate Sensor Based on Screen-Printed MgO-Templated Carbon with Integrated Flow System

Lactate has long been known as the indicator for distinguishing aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, and thus is a useful marker for metabolic disorders and the state of exercise [1]. Especially, the continuous monitoring of sweat lactate is a useful non-invasive method for real-time tracking the progress of exercise, e.g. of athletes, or of physical therapy patients. In biosensors for continuous monitoring, the biological recognition element, e.g. lactate oxidase (LOx) has to be immobilized on the electrode. Our group previously reported of a glucose sensor in which glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) was immobilized covalently on screen-printed MgO-templated mesoporous carbon (MgOC) modified by graft polymerization, and showed improved stability [2]. Likewise, in this study, radicals were introduced on the surface of the MgOC by electron beam irradiation. Next, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was polymerized on the radicalized MgOC, which resulted in epoxy groups on the surface. Ink was prepared by dispersing this poly(GMA)-MgOC (GMgOC) and a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVdF) derivative in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The ink then was used for the final layer of the working electrode (WE) of a screen-printed 3-electrode strip. Next, 1,2-naphthoquinone was deposited on the WE as mediator, which is insoluble in water and thus is unlikely to dissolve into sweat during the measurement. Finally, LOx derived from Enterococcus faecium was immobilized on the WE by binding covalently to the epoxy groups. This combination of LOx immobilized on screen-printed GMgOC and naphthoquinone promises the construction of stable lactate biosensors suitable for continuous measurements.Furthermore, in this study, two other points were considered for the design and construction of the sensor device. Firstly, the sensor should be constantly supplied with a minimum amount of sweat, without the supply being interrupted. Secondly, the materials and texture of the parts of the sensor in direct contact with the skin should not be irritating. An integrated flow system can solve both points; it ensures a constant supply of sweat, and limits the material and texture in direct contact with the skin. For the construction of the flow system, first, a mold was formed on a silicon wafer using an epoxy-based negative photoresist. Next a degassed mixture of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) monomer and catalyst was poured over the mold and cured at 80°C for 1 hour.In first trials, the sensor and flow system were pressed together tightly onto artificial sweat glands. Leakage was prevented by constructing a connector for the sensor out of conducting adhesive tape. Potassium phosphate buffer (100 mM, pH 7.0) containing various amounts of sodium lactate were pumped through the system at 80 µL/min using a syringe pump. Figure 1a shows the response of this system to varying concentrations of lactate. The spikes at the change of concentration are due to a change in the flow when switching the syringe. The delay between the switch of the syringe and the change in response current is due to the lag time until the lactate reached the sensor. The plot of the response current vs the lactate concentration (Fig. 1b) shows a concentration dependent response up to 20 mM lactate. These results indicate that this system is suitable for measuring sweat lactate continuously. Acknowledgement: This work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． References [1] M.E. Payne, et al.; Sci. Rep., 9, 13720 (2019).[2] I. Shitanda, et al.; Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 93, 32-36 (2020). Figure 1

Preparation of Chitosan-Based Enzyme Inks for Paper-Based Screen-Printed Biofuel Cells

We have developed paper-based screen-printed biofuel cells using MgO-templated carbon (MgOC) as an electrode material1) in which a mediator and an enzyme were immobilized by dropping the solutions on the MgOC surface. However, the immobilization scheme should be shortened for practical applications. In this study, we newly prepare an enzyme-modified carbon ink using chitosan, which has high bio-affinity as a binder. By preparing chitosan-based enzyme ink, it becomes possible to immobilize the enzyme on the electrode by a simple printing process. A paper-based glucose/O2 biofuel cell was fabricated by screen printing with the enzyme-modified carbon inks. In this abstract, we describe the results of the glucose anode.Firstly, a glucose oxidase (GOx) and 1,2-naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ) were physically adsorbed in the pores of the MgOC. Then a chitosan-based enzyme ink was prepared by mixing the GOD and 1,2-NQ immobilized MgOCwith chitosan, and then cross-linked with genipin. A commercially available carbon ink and the as-prepared chitosan-based enzyme ink were successively printed on a water-repellent Japanese paper and dried overnight in a refrigerator to prepare a bioanode. In this study, we used two kinds of carbon. One is an untreated MgOC (normal MgOC). Another is a “washed MgOC”, which were washed with 0.25M NaOH and pure water before the chitosan-based enzyme ink was prepared.Anodes prepared with chitosan-based enzyme inks using normal MgOC and washed MgOC were evaluated by chronoamperometry (measurement potential: 0.2 V) in phosphate buffer containing 100 mM glucose (Fig.1 (a)).The catalytic oxidation reaction was not observed in the anode using normal MgOC, whereas the catalytic oxidation current of about 0.5 mA/cm2 was obtained after 500 seconds in the anode using the washed MgOC. From the SEM (accelerating voltage: 15.0 kV) of the anode using washed MgOC, a structure with many macroporesof about 5 to 10 µm was observed clearly. (Fig. 1(b)). On the other hand, no such macropores were observed in the anode using normal MgOC.The surface of normal MgOC has many functional groups such as -COOH, and it shows acidity when mixed with water. The cross-linking reaction does not occur sufficiently in between genipin and chitosan under acidic condition. On the other hand, in the neutral condiiton, the cross-linking reaction that accompanies the self-polymerization of genipin proceeds enough to form long and flexible chains 2). Therefore, the neutralization of the MgOC surface by the washing treatment forms an electrode with macropores between carbons, resulting in increase of glucose supply to the GOD immobilized in the mesopore of MgOC. References 1) Isao Shitanda et al., J. Electrochem. Soc, 166(12) (2019) B1063-B1068.2) Elí Emanuel Esparza Floreset et al., Process Biochemistry, 84, (2019) 73-80. Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by JST-ASTEP Grant Number JPMJTS1513, JSPS Grant Number 17H02162 and Private University Research Branding Project (2017-2019) from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Tokyo University of Science Grant for President's Research Promotion． Figure 1

SEX‐SPECIFIC HORMONES PRODUCED DURING PROESTROUS AND ESTROUS EXERT A REGULATORY EFFECT ON NESFATIN‐1 MRNA LEVELS AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN FEMALE CYCLING RATS

Nesfatin‐1/NUCB2 is a protein derived from the nucleobindin‐2 precursor originally localized in different appetite controlling areas of the brain, such as the hypothalamic PVN, ARC, SON, LHA and NTS, and is thought to be regulated in a sex‐specific manner. It has recently been suggested that nesfatin‐1 might play an important metabolic role during pregnancy and fetal development (2) and the expression of nesfatin‐1/NUCB2 is regulated by progesterone and 17b‐estradiol in mouse pituitary gland (1). We investigated Nesfatin‐1 mRNA expression in female, cycling rats across the estrous cycle and observed a decrease in Nesfatin‐1 mRNA during Proestrous, corresponding to a period of increased levels of Estradiol. We therefore hypothesized that the ability of centrally administered Nesfatin‐1 to raise mean arterial pressure (MAP) in conscious, cycling, freely moving female rats would no longer be seen during the Proestrous day of the estrous cycle. We, therefore, monitored MAP changes across estrous cycle with central Nesfatin‐1 administration. We found that the ability of Nesfatin‐1 to increase MAP is no longer prevalent in female, cycling rats on proestrous and estrous days. We then monitored MAP changes in ovariectomized females with and without estradiol supplementation. We found that the ability of Nesfatin‐1 to increase MAP is no longer prevalent in female rats that were pretreated with estradiol, suggesting that sex‐specific hormones produced during proestrous and estrous exert a regulatory effect on the Nesfatin‐1 mRNA levels and autonomic function.Support or Funding InformationThis work was funded through a President's Research Fund grant (Saint Louis University) to GLCY. WKS and GLCY are supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, HL‐121456This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Microscopic Theory of the Thermodynamic Properties of Sr3Ru2O7**Supported by the NSF DMR-1410375 and AFOSR FA9550-14-1-0168, the President's Research Catalyst Award (No CA-15-327861) from the University of California Office of the President, and the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams.

The thermodynamic properties of the bilayer ruthenate compound Sr3Ru2O7 at very low temperatures are investigated by using a tight-binding model yielding the realistic band structure combined with the on-site interactions treated at the mean-field level. We find that both the total density of states at the Fermi energy and the entropy exhibit a sudden increase near the critical magnetic field for the nematic phase, echoing the experimental findings. A new mechanism to explain the anisotropic transport properties is proposed based on scatterings at the anisotropic domain boundaries. Our results suggest that extra cares are necessary to isolate the contributions due to the quantum criticality from the band structure singularity in Sr3Ru2O7.

Reproductive effects of phoenixin (911.8)

Phoenixin is a peptide hormone identified by our group to be produced in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus and pituitary gland (J Neuroendocrinol 25:206,2013). We have demonstrated a direct pituitary action of phoenixin to augment GnRH‐stimulated LH secretion and that compromise of endogenous phoenixin production in hypothalamus delayed the onset of estrus in female rats, suggesting an important role for the peptide in reproductive function. We report here that phoenixin mRNA levels are significantly elevated in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary on diestrous day one when estrogen levels are at their lowest during the rat estrous cycle. In cultures of an immortalized mouse gonadotroph cell line, LβT2, phoenixin treatment for two hours increases Luteinizing Hormone β‐chain mRNA, as determined by real time polymerase chain reaction. Treatment of the cells with estradiol benzoate abrogates this effect. Additionally, ovariectomized animals treated with estradiol benzoate also show a trend toward a decrease in phoenixin gene expression in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland. These data demonstrate that phoenixin production and action may be controlled by ambient, gonadal steroid levels, and further support a physiologically relevant role for endogenous phoenixin in the control of gonadotropin release.Grant Funding Source: SLU President's Research Fund

Recruitment of inflammatory cells to the bladder endothelium exposed to cigarette smoke extract (669.1)

Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a debilitating disease of unknown etiology. Several risk factors are associated with IC/PBS including smoking, weight and diet. Platelet activating factor (PAF) plays a role in inflammatory cell recruitment to the endothelium and we have shown that PAF metabolism by PAF‐acetylhydrolase (PAF‐AH) is inhibited by cigarette smoke. We propose that cigarette smoking inhibits bladder endothelial PAF‐AH activity and contributes directly to inflammatory cell recruitment in the bladder wall. Incubation of human bladder microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) with cigarette smoke extract (CSE, 20 µg/mL) resulted in a significant inhibition of PAF‐AH activity with increased PAF accumulation and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adherence. Pretreatment of HBMEC with (S)‐bromoenol lactone to inhibit calcium‐independent phospholipase A2β and PAF production prior to CSE incubation lead to a significant reduction in PMN adherence to the bladder endothelium. Similarly, pretreatment of PMN with PAF receptor antagonists (WEB 4086 or Ginkgo biloba) prior to CSE caused a significant reduction in PMN adherence. We propose that targeting endothelial cell PAF production or blocking the PAF receptor may represent novel therapies for management of IC/PBS patients, particularly smokers.Grant Funding Source: Supported by a President's Research Fund, Saint Louis University grant

Acetaminophen at low doses depletes airway glutathione and alters respiratory reflex responses

The goal of this study was to determine if acetaminophen (APAP), at non‐hepatotoxic doses, causes physiologically significant depletion of the important antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in the respiratory tract. Airway GSH levels were measured in female C57Bl/6J mice after 30, 60, or 100 mg/kg APAP ip. A dose/time dependent reduction of GSH occurred with maximal depletion (~60% of control) at 1hr (liver) and 2hrs (lung, trachea, and nose). Acrolein is a pro‐oxidant vapor that is detoxified by GSH, but in sufficient concentration stimulates the trigeminal nerve Transient Receptor Potential A1 receptor to elicit the sensory irritation response. We reasoned that if the decrease in GSH induced by APAP was physiologically significant, then APAP would enhance the acrolein‐induced irritation; APAP (100 mg/kg 1 hr prior to 2 ppm acrolein exposure) increased the irritation response 75% over acrolein alone. Nasal GSH averaged to 88, 69, and 59% of control at 30, 60, and 100 mg/kg APAP, respectively. It has been hypothesized that APAP, due to its increased usage and pro‐oxidant properties, has contributed to the 2‐fold increase in asthma prevalence that has occurred since 1980. These results support this hypothesis by indicating that APAP, at doses approximating the therapeutic dose of 15 mg/kg, depletes airway GSH and modulates acute respiratory responses. (Supported by the UConn President's Research Award).

Dental microwear texture analysis of mandibular molars from Medieval Ireland and England

Excavation of the Medieval ecclesiastical site at Kilteasheen (Co. Roscommon, Ireland) recovered the skeletal remains of 131 individuals, which demonstrate poor dental health and significant physiological stress at the site. Historical records suggest the site was a stronghold for the O'Conor Kings of Connacht from the mid‐7th to 14th centuries, but little is known about the subsistence patterns practiced by its residents. This study uses white light scanning confocal microscopy and scale‐sensitive fractal analysis to quantify the occlusal microwear fabric of 32 adult mandibular molars from Kilteasheen and 3 other Medieval sites in England and Ireland. Results indicate a smaller enamel surface scale of maximum complexity (smc) at Kilteasheen than at All Saint's church (York, England), which suggests that wear‐causing particles may have been smaller at Kilteasheen than at York. Historical records suggest similar diets among sites, but potentially different food preparation techniques: Mill usage at York may have left behind larger non‐food abrasives than at Kilteasheen, where no evidence of similar practices is available. Funded by Saint Louis University (President's Research Fund).

… Changes to Micro- and Mycobiome Affect Some Cancers, Too

Endogenous microbes may help in driving or suppressing cancer development and may also affect therapy outcomes, according to Giorgio Trinchieri from the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Md., part of the National Institutes of Health. He and other experts spoke last June during a President's Research Seminar at the Rockefeller Research Laboratories in New York, N.Y.

Reviews Editor's Note

Reviews Editor's Note Alessa Johns I am the fortunate recipient of a UC President's Research Fellowship in the Humanities for 2008–2009, a grant that will allow me to complete my book on Alternative Enlightenments, Cultural Translation, and Anglo-German Exchange, 1750–1837. As a result, in the coming year my talented colleague Mike Ziser, who specializes in early American literature, will be acting as Interim Reviews Editor. He can be contacted at mgziser@ucdavis.edu. Books for review can be sent to him at the same address as heretofore: Department of English, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California, 95616. I will be back in July 2009. [End Page 155] Copyright © 2008 American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies

Neorealists as Critical Theorists: The Purpose of Foreign Policy Debate

The international relations field has recently taken a communicative turn. Social constructivists, for instance, regularly examine frames, persuasion, and other discursive mechanisms by which actors reach intersubjective agreement. Critical theorists add an overtly normative dimension by embracing the transformative potential of public deliberation. In contrast, realists and neorealists claim that outcomes are determined by the distribution of material power—political communication and discursive ideals are virtually meaningless elements in international politics. Put simply, talk is cheap. Given this view, it is puzzling that many prominent realists participate actively in national foreign policy debates and in that context both implicitly and explicitly embrace views about political discourse that are remarkably consistent with those held by constructivists and critical theorists. In the recent Iraq debate, the realists reveal lies, political spin, and other distortions of the debate promulgated by government elites and their allies. They challenge the legitimacy of established policies and critique excessive secrecy. Most importantly, these neorealists seek to transform public and elite consciousness so as to produce social pressures for alternative outcomes. Realists have apparently rejected their own theoretical presuppositions about the meaning and role of political communication, which has important implications for both policy debate and IR theorizing. Rodger A. Payne is Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville and Director of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order ( r.payne@louisville.edu ). He would like to thank Josh Busby, Peter Dombrowski, Peter Howard, Jacques Hymans, Piki Ish-Shalom, Avery Kolers, Doug Lemke, John Mearsheimer, Tom Mowle, Stan Scott, and the three anonymous reviewers for offering valuable comments and suggestions. Portions of this paper were previously delivered at the Annual Meetings of the International Studies Association, at Montreal in 2004 and at Honolulu in 2005. Financial and institutional support was provided by a President's Research Initiative Project Initiation Grant from the University of Louisville and by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard.

Nicotine (NIC) reduces body weight (BW) by decreasing food intake (FI).

NIC is known to decrease FI and BW and BW remains attenuated long after FI has returned to normal. This suggests NIC might be increasing metabolism. To test this idea, male Sprague Dawley rats were housed in computerized FI modules and fed 45 mg pellets. Three groups of rats were used: (1) saline (SAL) injected (i.p.), fed ad lib; (2) NIC injected (i.p.) 1.4 mg/kg/day (free base), fed ad lib; and (3) SAL injected (i.p.), pair-fed (PF) by computer with group 2. The rats received 4 equally spaced injections over the dark phase. The three groups were given: (1) NIC or SAL for 14 days then, (2) SAL only for 8 days; and then (3) SAL for 15 days with the PF group being “unyoked” and fed ad lib. Results show NIC reduced ( P <0.01) FI over the first 6 days with FI recovering to group 1 levels by day 9. FI suppression resulted from a persistent decrease in meal size and recovery of FI was caused by an increase in meal frequency. On termination of NIC, group 2 showed a reversal in meal patterns. Despite the lower BW upon termination of NIC a compensatory hyperphagia was not observed in either group 2 or 3. BW was attenuated ( P <0.05) by day 2 and was reduced ( P <0.05) similarly in groups 2 and 3 until day 30. Interestingly, the PF, but not the NIC, group's BW remained lower ( P <0.05) on day 37. Thus the BW of the NIC group only slowly returns to normal after termination of NIC and during the duration of the experiment the BW of the PF group did not recover to control levels even after they were “unyoked”. Supported by TAM-HSC Vice President's Research Funds.

Criminal Defense Advocacy in Russia Under the 2001 Criminal Procedure Code

Journal Article Criminal Defense Advocacy in Russia Under the 2001 Criminal Procedure Code Get access Pamela A. Jordan Pamela A. Jordan 1Assistant Professor of History, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. The author's research for this article was funded by a President's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Grant and the University of Regina. The author would like to thank William Burnham, Eugene Huskey, Nikolai Kipnis, Gordon Smith, Peter H. Solomon, Jr., and participants of the April 2004 History Research Workshop at the University of Saskatchewan for their comments on an earlier version of this article. However, she takes full responsibility for the opinions and potential errors in the work Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Journal of Comparative Law, Volume 53, Issue 1, Winter 2005, Pages 157–188, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcl/53.1.157 Published: 01 January 2005