Variation in survival after diagnosis of breast cancer in Switzerland

Background: Survival after diagnosis of cancer is a key criterion for cancer control. Major survival differences between time periods and countries have been reported by the EUROCARE studies. We investigated whether similar differences by period and region existed in Switzerland. Methods: Survival of 11 376 cases of primary invasive female breast cancer diagnosed between 1988 and 1997 and registered in seven Swiss cancer registries covering a population of 3.5 million was analysed. Results: Comparing the two periods 1988-1992 and 1993-1997, age-standardized 5 year relative survival improved globally from 77% to 81%. Furthermore, multivariate analysis adjusting for age, tumour size and nodal involvement identified regional survival differences. Survival was lowest in the rural parts of German-speaking eastern Switzerland and highest in urbanised regions of the Latin- and German-speaking northwestern parts of the country. Conclusions: This study confirms that survival differences are present even in a small and affluent, but culturally diverse, country like Switzerland, raising the issue of heterogeneity in access to care and quality of treatmen

Localized Nanoresonator Mode in Plasmonic Microcavities.

Submicron-thick hexagonal boron nitride crystals embedded in noble metals form planar Fabry-Perot half-microcavities. Depositing Au nanoparticles on top of these microcavities forms previously unidentified angle- and polarization-sensitive nanoresonator modes that are tightly laterally confined by the nanoparticle. Comparing dark-field scattering with reflection spectroscopies shows plasmonic and Fabry-Perot-like enhancements magnify subtle interference contributions, which lead to unexpected redshifts in the dark-field spectra, explained by the presence of these new modes

Heat and moisture budgets from airborne measurements and high-resolution model simulations

High-resolution simulations with a mesoscale model are performed to estimate heat and moisture budgets of a well-mixed boundary layer. The model budgets are validated against energy budgets obtained from airborne measurements over heterogeneous terrain in Western Germany. Time rate of change, vertical divergence, and horizontal advection for an atmospheric column of air are estimated. Results show that the time trend of specific humidity exhibits some deficiencies, while the potential temperature trend is matched accurately. Furthermore, the simulated turbulent surface fluxes of sensible and latent heat are comparable to the measured fluxes, leading to similar values of the vertical divergence. The analysis of different horizontal model resolutions exhibits improved surface fluxes with increased resolution, a fact attributed to a reduced aggregation effect. Scale-interaction effects could be identified: while time trends and advection are strongly influenced by mesoscale forcing, the turbulent surface fluxes are mainly controlled by microscale processes

Equal pay by gender and by nationality: a comparative analysis of Switzerland's unequal equal pay policy regimes across time

What explains the adoption of two different policies on equal pay by gender (EPG) and by nationality (EPN) in Switzerland? And why is the liberal, litigation-based, equal pay policy regime set up by the Gender Equality Act of 1996 much less effective than the neocorporatist ‘accompanying measures' to the Bilateral European Union-Switzerland Agreement on Free Movement of Persons adopted in 1999 to ensure equal pay for workers of different national origins? The formation of two different policy regimes cannot be explained by different levels of political will. Equally, different ‘varieties of capitalism' cannot explain the setup of the two different equal pay policy regimes within the very same country. Instead, our qualitative comparative analysis across time suggests that the differences can be best explained by a particular constellation of attributes, namely the use of different policy frames—i.e. ‘anti-discrimination' in the EPG and ‘unfair competition' in the EPN case—and the different setting of interest politics epitomised by the opposite stances adopted by Switzerland's employer associations in the two case

The limited importance of size-asymmetric light competition and growth of pioneer species in early secondary forest succession in Vietnam

It is generally believed that asymmetric competition for light plays a predominant role in determining the course of succession by increasing size inequalities between plants. Size-related growth is the product of size-related light capture and light-use efficiency (LUE). We have used a canopy model to calculate light capture and photosynthetic rates of pioneer species in sequential vegetation stages of a young secondary forest stand. Growth of the same saplings was followed in time as succession proceeded. Photosynthetic rate per unit plant mass (Pmass: mol C g−1 day−1), a proxy for plant growth, was calculated as the product of light capture efficiency [Φmass: mol photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) g−1 day−1] and LUE (mol C mol PPFD−1). Species showed different morphologies and photosynthetic characteristics, but their light-capturing and light-use efficiencies, and thus Pmass, did not differ much. This was also observed in the field: plant growth was not size-asymmetric. The size hierarchy that was present from the very early beginning of succession remained for at least the first 5 years. We conclude, therefore, that in slow-growing regenerating vegetation stands, the importance of asymmetric competition for light and growth can be much less than is often assumed

The effect of emotion on interpretation and logic in a conditional reasoning task

The effect of emotional content on logical reasoning is explored in three experiments. The participants completed a conditional reasoning task (If p, then q) with emotional and neutral contents. In Experiment 1, existing emotional and neutral words were used. The emotional value of initially neutral words was experimentally manipulated in Experiments 1B and 2, using classical conditioning. In all experiments, participants were less likely to provide normatively correct answers when reasoning about emotional stimuli, compared with neutral stimuli. This was true for both negative (Experiments 1B & 2) and positive contents (Experiment 2). The participants' interpretations of the conditional statements were also measured (perceived sufficiency, necessity, causality, and plausibility). The results showed the expected relationship between interpretation and reasoning. However, emotion did not affect interpretation. Emotional and neutral conditional statements were interpreted similarly. The results are discussed in light of current models of emotion and reasoning. Copyright 2006 Psychonomic Society, Inc

Seasonal variation of photosynthetic model parameters and leaf area index from global Fluxnet eddy covariance data

This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by American Geophysical Union and can be found at: http://sites.agu.org/.Global vegetation models require the photosynthetic parameters, maximum carboxylation capacity (V[subscript cm]), and quantum yield (alpha) to parameterize their plant functional types (PFTs). The purpose of this work is to determine how much the scaling of the parameters from leaf to ecosystem level through a seasonally varying leaf area index (LAI) explains the parameter variation within and between PFTs. Using Fluxnet data, we simulate a seasonally variable LAI(F) for a large range of sites, comparable to the LAI[subscript M] derived from MODIS. There are discrepancies when LAI[subscript F] reach zero levels and LAI[subscript M] still provides a small positive value. We find that temperature is the most common constraint for LAI[subecript F] in 55% of the simulations, while global radiation and vapor pressure deficit are the key constraints for 18% and 27% of the simulations, respectively, while large differences in this forcing still exist when looking at specific PFTs. Despite these differences, the annual photosynthesis simulations are comparable when using LAI[subscript F] or LAI[subscript M](r² = 0.89). We investigated further the seasonal variation of ecosystem-scale parameters derived with LAI[subscript F]. V[subscript cm] has the largest seasonal variation. This holds for all vegetation types and climates. The parameter alpha is less variable. By including ecosystem-scale parameter seasonality we can explain a considerable part of the ecosystem-scale parameter variation between PFTs. The remaining unexplained leaf-scale PFT variation still needs further work, including elucidating the precise role of leaf and soil level nitrogen

A contribution to the study of chronic intestinal stasis and its surgical treatment specially when associated with typhlatony, and perityphilitis

The first part of this essay covers well known ground and one which perhaps has already been discussed "ad nauseam" by many writers. ''"`y only excuse for once more bringing forward the subject of Chronic Intestinal Stasis - is the necesi y to calle to some clear understanding as to what the disease really stands for - whether it is at times a surgical affection and if so, what are the best means at our disposal to relieve safely and rapidly the condition.Whatever may e said to the contrary - Medical treat=ment is in a fair proportion of cases quite hopeless - Can surgery do more without creating an infirmity as great if not greater than the disease it professes to cure? The answer will be found in the following pages.Once bereft of academic discussions on side issues, or technical points, the subject of chronic stasis is really quite simple and its surgical treatment when advisable is equally easily grasped.One thing however appears necessary to make it fully clear and it is to drop the complicated -terminology with which it is still at present sur- rounded - Another is to understand that Chronic Intestinal Stasis does not necessarily mean Chronic Constipation - nor Constipation, Stasis. The mixing up of these two terms has at times considerably confused the issue at stake.We are convinced once the general practitioner true fully understands what are the /causes of Chronic Into ;final Stasis and the safe surgical measures proposed to cure the disease -- he will more readily advise an operation which when every other form of treatment has failed - would in a large majority of cases considerably relieve if not always cure a distressing and sometimes a dangerous condition.With the great progrese now made in radioscopy and radiography specially when Bari: lb injections with manipulations under the flubrescent screen are cârried out by well trained X-ray operators - it is possible to form a correct and concrete idea whether an operation is necessary and if so, which is the best one to advise

Die sogenannte Thronfolgegeschichte Davids. Neue Einsichten und Anfragen

In der Geschichte der alttestamentlichen Forschung im 20. Jahrhundert stellt die These von der sogenannten Thronfolgegeschichte Davids sowohl einen Meilen- als auch einen Prüfstein dar. Leonhard Rost identifizierte in 2 Sam 9-20 und 1 Kön 1-2 das Thema der je und je verzögerten Thronfolge als literarischen Leitfaden der Erzählung und machte dadurch den Blick frei für ein kohärentes, als solches bis dahin unerkannt gebliebenes Erzählwerk der frühen Königszeit. In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist besonders durch die aktuelle Pentateuch-Diskussion auch die Rost'sche These zur Thronfolgegeschichte nicht unverschont geblieben. Die Idee eines Geschichtswerks aus dem 10. Jh. v. Chr. erscheint heute vielen als ein unmögliches Postulat, und die literarische Eigenständigkeit der Thronnachfolge-Erzählung wird mehr und mehr in Frage gestellt. Im Gefolge eines von der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für orientalische Altertumswissenschaft 1997 in Bern veranstalteten Symposions stellen namhafte Exegeten ihre Interpretationen der Thronnachfolge Davids zur Diskussion. Ihre methodisch wie inhaltlich divergierenden Beiträge verdeutlichen die wesentlichen Optionen der gegenwärtigen Forschung zum Thema