All Your Bases Belong to Us: A Conversation with Japanese Activist Hiroshi Inaba | In The Fray

US military bases occupy a fifth of the Japanese island of Okinawa. The latest round of base construction, says activist Hiroshi Inaba, threatens not only the environment but also the idea that the Okinawan people have a real say over what a foreign military does on their land.

Source: All Your Bases Belong to Us: A Conversation with Japanese Activist Hiroshi Inaba | In The Fray

Facebook lets advertisers target users based on sensitive interests

Social network categorises users based on inferred interests such as Islam or homosexuality

Facebook allows advertisers to target users it thinks are interested in subjects such as homosexuality, Islam or liberalism, despite religion, sexuality and political beliefs explicitly being marked out as sensitive information under new data protection laws.

The social network gathers information about users based on their actions on Facebook and on the wider web, and uses that data to predict on their interests. These can be mundane – football, Manhattan or dogs, for instance – or more esoteric.

Continue reading…

Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1): a primer

What is HTLV-1?

HTLV-1 is a human delta retrovirus assigned to the genus Deltaretrovirus, species Primate T-lymphotropic virus 1 [5]. It was first described in 1980.[10]

ViralZone:www.expasy.org/viralzone,
SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics [6]

Soon thereafter Japanese researchers identified endemic virus, especially in southwestern Japan.[8,9]

These viruses infect a cell and make new DNA from their RNA genetic blueprint using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.[7] This DNA then acts as a blueprint to manufacture more RNA and then viral proteins. The DNA form inserts into a random site in the host cell genome.[19] This form of HTLV-1 is called the provirus. The order of making RNA first then DNA is the reverse (retro) of the usual ‘direction’ of protein manufacture in human cells which is from DNA to RNA to protein.

HTLV-1 infects T and B lymphocytes, monocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts, using a common molecular, ubiquitous cell surface molecule, the glucose transporter 1, as its receptor.[12]

HTLV-1 is established mostly in resource-limited regions of the world, infecting an estimated 10-20 million people.[9] Australia hosts the distinct HTLV-1c strain although little is known about its distribution.[1,17] It is predicted that HTLV-1c arrived and then divided into at least 2 further distinct groups (clades) around 3,000-9,000 years ago.[17,18]

In Australia, HTLV-1 infection occurs in the middle of the country (‘central Australia’ mostly reported in the Northern Territory but also Western Australia and South Australia) and antibodies in sera collected in 1956 from Aboriginal Australians in Cape York, Queensland.[20] In some communities, greater than 40% of Aboriginal Australian adults are HTLV-1 infected.[13]

An HTLV-1 timeline. Some discoveries of interest are shown. Click to enlarge.

What does HTLV-1 do?

Infection is generally without symptoms. In 3-5% of those infected develop a highly malignant T-cell neoplasm known as adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL).[11] This can take decades to develop. There is an estimated 23.6 ATLL cases /100,000 population among Australian adult HTLV-1 carriers.[16]

Infection can also result in HTLV-1-associated-myeIopathy/tropical-spastic-paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and other inflammatory diseases involving the lungs, central nervous system and eyes.[1,10]

Crusted scabies has also been described as a marker for HTLV-1 infection.[2,3]

Bronchiectasis is the most common evidence of HTLV-1 infection among Aboriginal Australians.[1] 

How is HTLV-1 transmitted?

Epidemiological aspects and world distribution of HTLV-1 infection. Gessain & Cassar 2012. Front. Microbiol., 15 November 2012  [8]

The virus can be passed to a susceptible new host via prolonged breastfeeding, sexual transmission ( 4X more frequently male to female[9]),  via HTLV-1-contaminated blood or blood-product transfusion or intravenous drug use.[8]

Japan successfully deployed a program to reduce transmission methods to reduce mother-to-child-transmission.[14]

How do we test for HTLV-1?

Detecting the presence of antibody to viral proteins as a result of infection is a widely used and relatively inexpensive method that fits into the workflow of the modern serology laboratory. Specificity issues were an early and ongoing issue.[8]

The detection of proviral DNA using PCR methods is a sensitive way to identify infected blood cells. Enhanced methods can quantify how much provirus is present which is related to disease progression. A typical healthy infected person may have proviral DNA in 0.1-1% of peripheral blood cells.[10] Virus levels are generally stable but a rise has been associated with the development of HAM/TSP and proviral load is higher in bronchiectasis.[10,15] 

References…

  1. Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1c subtype proviral loads, chronic lung disease and survival in a prospective cohort of Indigenous Australians.
    http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006281
  2. Crusted scabies: a clinical marker of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection in central Australia.
    https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2014/200/11/crusted-scabies-clinical-marker-human-t-lymphotropic-virus-type-1-infection
  3. HTLV-I and scabies in Australian Aborigines
    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PII0140-6736(93)91186-P/abstract
  4. Human T-lymphotropic virus 1: recent knowledge about an ancient infection
  5. https://talk.ictvonline.org/ictv-reports/ictv_9th_report/reverse-transcribing-dna-and-rna-viruses-2011/w/rt_viruses/161/retroviridae
  6. https://viralzone.expasy.org/59
  7. Retrovirus
    https://www.britannica.com/science/retrovirus
  8. Epidemiological aspects and world distribution of HTLV-1 infection
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00388/full
  9. HTLV-1 infections
    http://jcp.bmj.com/content/53/8/581
  10. Detection and isolation of type c retrovirus particles from fresh and cultured lymphocytes of a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC350514/
  11. HTLV-1 Infection and Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma—A Tale of Two Proteins: Tax and HBZ
    http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/8/6/161
  12. The Ubiquitous Glucose Transporter GLUT-1 Is a Receptor for HTLV
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00881-X
  13. The prevalence and clinical associations of HTLV-1 infection in a remote Indigenous community
    https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/7/prevalence-and-clinical-associations-htlv-1-infection-remote-indigenous
  14. Establishment of the milk-borne transmission as a key factor for the peculiar endemicity of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1): the ATL Prevention Program Nagasaki
    https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab/87/4/87_4_152/_article
  15. Higher Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Subtype C Proviral Loads Are Associated With
    Bronchiectasis in Indigenous Australians: Results of a Case-Control Study
    https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ofid/ofu023
  16. Variant Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1c and Adult T-cell Leukemia, Australia
    https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/10/13-0105_article
  17. Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Subtype C Molecular Variants among Indigenous Australians: New Insights into the Molecular Epidemiology of HTLV-1 in Australo-Melanesia
    http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0002418
  18. Detailed phylogenetic analysis of primate T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (PTLV-1) sequences from orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) reveals new insights into the evolutionary history of PTLV-1 in Asia
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567134816302180
  19. Nonspecific integration of the HTLV provirus genome into adult T-cell leukaemia cells.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6328324
  20. Antibodies to HTLV‐I in populations of the southwestern Pacific
    https://ift.tt/2GqBKQG

The post Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1): a primer appeared first on Virology Down Under.

Illinois Governor Uses Gun-Control Veto to Attempt to Re-Enact Death Penalty

What follows is the definition of a political A-hole trying to save his skin by “looking” tough and undermining the democratic process!

lllinois Governor Bruce Rauner has conditionally vetoed a gun-control initiative unless the legislature agrees to reinstate capital punishment in the state. Exercising an amendatory veto—a power some governors are granted that permits them to amend legislation in lieu of an outright veto—Rauner called for making the killing of a police officer or any murder in which more than one person was killed a new crime of “death penalty murder.” In a May 14, 2018 news conference at the Illinois State Police forensic laboratory in Chicago, Rauner said “individuals who commit mass murder, individuals who choose to murder a law enforcement officer, they deserve to have their life taken.” He attached his death-penalty plan and several other gun-control amendments to a bill that would have established a 72-hour waiting period for the purchase of assault rifles in Illinois. Legislative leaders and major Illinois newspapers blasted the action as diversionary political gamesmanship by a weakened governor facing a difficult re-election campaign, and said the death-penalty plan had little chance of enactment. Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, the gun-control bill’s sponsor, said the governor had not consulted him about possible changes and had “hijacked my bill and put politics ahead of policy.” Senate President John Cullerton said: “The death penalty should never be used as a political tool to advance one’s agenda. Doing so is in large part why we had so many problems and overturned convictions. That’s why we had bipartisan support to abolish capital punishment.” Thomas Sullivan, the co-chair of Commission on Capital Punishment in Illinois appointed by Republican Gov. George Ryan, said Rauner’s plan was a “lousy idea.” He called the death penalty expensive and time-consuming, and said, “It doesn’t reduce crime.” The Chicago Tribune editorial board characterized Rauner’s amendatory veto as “cynical” and a “death penalty ploy” that the paper said was intended “to re-establish [Rauner’s] bona fides with disgruntled conservative Republicans.” A Chicago Sun-Times editorial said the governor knew he was “load[ing] up the bill with so many major new provisions that there is no way” the state legislature would approve it, enabling Rauner to claim he “didn’t technically kill the cooling off period … without strictly telling a lie.” In 2000, after a series of death-row exonerations, Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in Illinois and appointed the commission, and in 2003 commuted the sentences of everyone on the state’s death row. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill to abolish the state’s death penalty in 2011. The Tribune editorial said: “The death penalty issue in Illinois was examined and debated for years in light of notorious incidents of wrongly convicted defendants sent to death row. In Illinois, the legitimate sentiment of many that certain heinous criminals should be put to death was weighed against the risk of errors, and the decision was made to end capital punishment. … [N]othing has changed to make Rauner’s [May 14] announcement worthy of consideration.”

Rauner’s plan would mandate the death penalty upon conviction of “death penalty murder.” A conviction would require proof “beyond all doubt” and appeals courts would conduct an independent review of the evidence without deferring to the jury’s judgment. Although the jury would be told a death sentence would be imposed upon conviction, there would be a separate hearing before a judge in which the defendant would present mitigating circumstances in an attempt to spare his or her life. Mandatory death sentences and falsely instructing juries about the law both violate the constitution, and the judicial factfinding provision may violate a capital defendant’s right to a jury trial. 

A Death Penalty Information Center analysis of U.S. murder data from 1987 through 2015 has found no evidence that the death penalty deters murder or protects police. Instead, the evidence shows that murder rates, including murders of police officers, are consistently higher in death-penalty states than in states that have abolished capital punishment. The data showed that 18 of the 20 states that have the highest rate of officer victimization are death-penalty states, while 8 of the 9 safest states for police officers do not have the death penalty. The study hypothesized that if the death penalty contributed to the safety of police officers, death penalty states would experience comparatively fewer killings of police officers as a percentage of all murders. But the data showed no such effects, and states without the death penalty—including Illinois—comprised 9 of the 10 states with the smallest percentage of homicides involving law-enforcement victims. 

(Kim Geiger, Monique Garcia, and Dan Hinkel, Rauner proposes reinstating death penalty in Illinois, which outlawed it earlier this decade, Chicago Tribune, May 14, 2018; John O’Connor, Gov. Rauner seeks to reinstate death penalty, Associated Press, May 14, 2018; Editorial: Rauner’s death penalty ploy, Chicago Tribune, May 14, 2018; EDITORIAL: Bruce Rauner plays pure politics with death penalty and guns, Chicago Sun-Times, May 14, 2018.) Read Governor Rauner’s amendatory veto message. See Editorials and Recent Legislative Activity.

  • 151 reads

Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

Baldacchino di Perla

"Luce di parole, ombra di sogni."

Northern Desert Photography

Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Susana Cabaço

Spiritual Insights & Personal Empowerment

Barbara Picci

Artist & Art Blogger

craft journey

Furnicraft, woodwork, and art

musings corner

reveries and rants

Japão para Românticos

Bem Vindos a este espaço onde compartilhamos um pouco da realidade do Japão à todos aqueles que desejam visitar ou morar no Japão. Aqui neste espaço, mostramos a realidade do Japão e dos imigrantes. O nosso compromisso é com a realidade. Fique por dentro do noticiário dos principais jornais japoneses, tutoriais de Faça você mesmo no Japão e acompanhe a Série Histórias de Imigrantes no Japão. Esperamos que goste de nossos conteúdos, deixe seu like, seu comentário, compartilhe e nos ajudar você e à outras pessoas. Grande abraço, gratidão e volte sempre!

Leben als Mensch

Willkommen auf Elke´s Glücks-Blog

Sharpshot Nature .Com

- Specializing in the great outdoors, capturing nature at its finest!

Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss education and democracy

Expansão e Percepção

Seu Guia de Inspirações e Reflexões Diárias

noga noga.

my-health-and-beauty.com/

Uğurcan'ın Ütopyası

Benim Gezegenime Hoş geldiniz !!!

AKILS

Blog de viajes y lugares

Ed Mooney Photography

The official blog of Ed Mooney Photography. Dad of 3, Photographer, Blogger, Powerlifter. Exploring the historical sites of Ireland.

everything Explored on the earth

It has new aidias,news, about education , motivation, social, historical, culture, marketing creation new aidias education of language science culture and history

Born to die

L'unico modo sensato di vivere è senza regole

Early Morning Memories

by Anuran (A) & Sayoni (S)

My thoughts

Fun for the Brain

Neo Vision College

An exemplary learning community.

Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy

Loves, lamentation, and life through prose, stories, passions, and essays.

Episodic Squalid Rants

public tantrums by a non-two-year-old

The Street Art Directory

Public, street and urban art worldwide

Artie & Stu

all the rules of free form

Everyone read that they fell in love first

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2937106805202763" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

davidscottmoyer

Lapsed Painter, Occasional Photographer, Compulsive Writer

Health & Fitness

Health Blogs

Buildings Tell Tales

Exploring the hidden architectural heritage of Budapest

Divit kalem

Yaşamdan

Roy's Weblog

The third incarnation...

Thought Pukes

More than a thought less than a question

"بوصلة الحياة"

"بوصلة الحياة: مدونة متعددة المجالات، من السياسة إلى الرومانسية، ومن تطوير الذات إلى الأدب وأكثر!" بقلم مشاعر بنت عبدالرحمن

parallax

The view from here ... Or here!

ClearingSpace4Joy

Bringer and seeker of joy

Belladonna’s Flashlight

The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40's and Faced Her Demons

~ Trivial Music Silliness ~

Baw wit da baw. Just sayin'.

mo mnsoor blog

Website storys

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Welcome to the Anglo Swiss World

gnaddrig ad libitum

Querbeet und ohne Gewähr

Peace & Truth

KINDNESS IS FREE, sprinkle it all over the world, and 😁 smile

Ética de la vida diaria

Nuestra ética de todos los días...

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing