The expression pattern of MUC1 (EMA) is related to tumour characteristics and clinical outcome of invasive ductal breast carcinoma

Aims: To clarify MUC1 patterns in invasive ductal breast carcinoma and to relate them to clinicopathological parameters, coexpression of other biological markers and prognosis. Methods and results: Samples from 243 consecutive patients with primary ductal carcinoma were incorporated into tissue microarrays (TMAs). Slides were stained for MUC1, oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Her2/neu, p53 and cyclin D1. Apical membrane MUC1 expression was associated with smaller tumours (P = 0.001), lower tumour grades (P < 0.001), PR positivity (P = 0.003) and increased overall survival (OS; P = 0.030). Diffuse cytoplasmic MUC1 expression was associated with cyclin D1 positivity (P = 0.009) and increased relapse-free survival (RFS; P = 0.034). Negativity for MUC1 was associated with ER negativity (P = 0.004), PR negativity (P = 0.001) and cyclin D1 negativity (P = 0.009). In stepwise multivariate analysis MUC1 negativity was an independent predictor of both RFS [hazard ratio (HR) 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5, 8.5; P = 0.005] and OS (HR 14.7, 9 5% Cl 4.9, 44. 1; P < 0.001). Conclusions: The expression pattern of MUC1 in invasive ductal breast carcinoma is related to tumour characteristics and clinical outcome. In addition, negative MUC1 expression is an independent risk factor for poor RFS and OS, besides 'classical' prognostic indicators

Point perturbations of circle billiards

The spectral statistics of the circular billiard with a point-scatterer is investigated. In the semiclassical limit, the spectrum is demonstrated to be composed of two uncorrelated level sequences. The first corresponds to states for which the scatterer is located in the classically forbidden region and its energy levels are not affected by the scatterer in the semiclassical limit while the second sequence contains the levels which are affected by the point-scatterer. The nearest neighbor spacing distribution which results from the superposition of these sequences is calculated analytically within some approximation and good agreement with the distribution that was computed numerically is found.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Correlation of the International Prostate Symptom Score bother question with the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index in a clinical practice setting

To evaluate the association between the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) bother question (BQ) and a validated disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire, the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Impact Index (BPH-II), using the BPH Registry and Patient Survey database. PATIENTS AND METHODS The BPH Registry and Patient Survey is a multicentre, longitudinal, observational database of management practices and patient outcomes in a population of patients with BPH in the USA, managed with watchful waiting or pharmacotherapy. Men enrolled in the BPH Registry who completed the IPSS BQ and the four-item BPH-II at enrolment were identified. The association between the IPSS BQ score and the BPH Impact Index was assessed using Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS At baseline (enrolment visit), 6439 men (mean age 66 years) completed the IPSS BQ and the BPH-II. The mean (sd) score of the IPSS BQ was 2.5 (1.4) and of the BPH-II was 2.8 (2.8). Based on responses to the BPH-II, at least half the men reported that their urinary symptoms were associated with physical discomfort, worry about their health, and bothersomeness. The IPSS BQ score was significantly correlated ( P  < 0.001) with the BPH-II ( r  = 0.68) and each of its four questions (physical discomfort, r  = 0.52; worry about health, r  = 0.53; bothersomeness of trouble with urination, r  = 0.67; and time kept from usual activities, r  = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS The IPSS BQ score has a strong and positive correlation with the BPH-II among men enrolled in the BPH Registry. The IPSS BQ is a convenient tool for assessing disease-specific quality of life when determining treatment strategies and evaluating treatment outcomes in men with BPH.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72931/1/j.1464-410X.2008.07574.x.pd

Forensic investigation of social networking applications

Social networking applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin may be involved in instances of misuse such as copyright infringement, data protection violations, defamation, identity theft, harassment, and dissemination of confidential information and malware that can affect both organizations and individuals. In this paper we examine the computer forensic process of obtaining digital evidence from social networking applications and the legal aspects of such. Currently there do not appear to be commonly available guidelines for organizations aimed specifically at the computer forensic process of investigation of social networking applications

Investigating employee harassment via social media

Previously the investigation of employee harassment within the workplace would typically have involved obtaining evidence regarding physical contact, verbal contact (face to face or via telephone) or written contact (via letters or notes or email) between a suspect and a victim. Social media has added a new avenue to the investigation of employee harassment that goes beyond the physical workplace and normal working hours. In this paper we examine the process of computer forensic investigation of employee harassment via social media and the legal aspects of such. In particular we examine employee harassment via social media in terms of the reporting of harassment, the computer forensic investigation process, the relevant UK legislation and its application, and discuss good practice guidelines for educating employers and employees regarding how to use social media in the workplace and beyond in an acceptable manner

Role of the geosphere in deep nuclear waste disposal – An England and Wales perspective

To dispose permanently of its higher activity nuclear waste England and Wales have chosen deep geological disposal as the most appropriate solution currently available. The purpose of this paper is to describe the main geological features, events and processes relevant to England and Wales that will need to be considered to demonstrate that a site is suitable for a geological disposal facility (GDF). England and Wales are in the early stages of a GDF siting process in which areas of interest are being evaluated using mainly existing data from surface mapping and hydrocarbon exploration and production. Sites are evaluated consistently under six overarching headings, three of which are impacted by their geological setting – safety, engineering feasibility and value for money. “Suitable” geology is that which is safe during the operational and long-term post-closure period, which could have a GDF and its accessways constructed within it, and which delivers value for money. A GDF needs to fulfil dual safety functions wherever it is located: long-term containment of radionuclides, and isolation of the waste from human actions and from natural processes such as glaciations and earthquakes. The role of the geosphere in delivering these safety functions is to provide a low-flux groundwater environment with geochemical conditions that minimise degradation of the engineered components of the GDF, to promote retention of mobilised radionuclides, and to protect the waste from the impacts of humans and natural processes. The containment function of a GDF is provided by a combination of rock and engineering generally referred to as the multibarrier system. It comprises the engineered barriers – solid wasteforms, canisters, buffers, backfill materials, plugs and seals – that work together with the rock to ensure long-term containment. The GDF Programme in England and Wales seeks to identify suitable geological environments for which bespoke engineered barriers can be tailored to optimize the performance of the multibarrier system. The post-closure period over which independent regulators will require a safety case to demonstrate the long-term containment and isolation capabilities of a GDF is up to 1 million years. The long timescales make post-closure safety assessments a unique feature of deep geological disposal programmes. A comprehensive site characterization programme will use information mostly from seismic surveying and deep investigation boreholes to establish adequate rock availability (host rock depth, thickness, areal extent and compartmentalisation), suitable properties and behaviour of the deep geological environment, and the constructability and operability of a potential GDF site including its surface to subsurface access ways. Nuclear Waste Services, the organisation tasked with developing a GDF in England and Wales, is currently engaged with four Community Partnerships through a volunteer siting process: three in west Cumbria, and one on the English east coast in Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire. In all of these areas Mesozoic claystones have been provisionally identified as potentially suitable GDF host rocks and are being investigated further, with a dedicated 3D seismic survey acquired off the coast of Cumbria in 2022. The main conclusion to be drawn from this paper is that a GDF could be sited in a large number of geological settings in England and Wales, and that the success of the current siting process will largely depend on engaging effectively with willing communities and building enduring relationships with them

On the Relationship Between the Madden‐Julian Oscillation and the Hadley and Walker Circulations

This study investigates: (i) how the local meridional (Hadley) and zonal (Walker) circulations change in each phase of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO); and (ii) the effect of enhanced and suppressed MJO‐related convection on the poleward extent of the local Hadley circulations and, thus, the strengths and positions of the subtropical jets. We examine these effects in ERA‐Interim reanalysis by decomposing the vertical mass flux into zonal and meridional components. We show for the first time, that as the envelope of enhanced convection moves eastwards from Africa to the Central Pacific the local Hadley circulation is enhanced. The regional Walker circulation in the Pacific is strengthened when the envelope of active MJO convection is located over the Maritime Continent and weakened when the region of suppressed convection is located there. In regions of anomalous upper‐level divergence the subtropical jet is enhanced. The core of the subtropical jet over Asia shifts eastwards with the progression of the MJO and shifts farther poleward in regions of anomalous upper‐level divergence linked with enhanced convection. The region of either enhanced or suppressed convection over the Maritime Continent strengthens or weakens the local Hadley circulation, producing disturbances in the subtropical jet. These disturbances then force midlatitude Rossby waves that propagate across the Pacific Ocean in both hemispheres

A web-based resource for the assessment of language skills in English and Welsh-speaking adults with neurological deficits

We will present a new web-based resource for the assessment of language disorders in English monolinguals and Welsh/English bilingual adults with neurological deficits. Although both languages are typically affected in bilinguals, few valid tools are available to accurately and comprehensively assess both languages, and none in Welsh-English speakers. This impedes both accurate diagnosis and therapeutic efforts. The goal of this work was to provide a secure user-friendly platform to allow clinicians to administer and score tests on-line or offline. The battery includes 16 different tests developed to measure the same abilities in Welsh and in English and to be of comparable difficulty in the two languages. These tests assess a range of language skills: spoken word production (picture naming, naming to definition, translation, repetition), reading (reading aloud, lexical decision, paragraph reading) and written production (spelling to dictation, delayed copy, written picture description). The tests manipulate and/or control for key psycholinguistic variables (e.g., word frequency, length, concreteness, Welsh-English similarity, grammatical class, lexicality). In the on-line version, all tests are programmed to allow automatic and standardized presentation of auditory or visual stimuli. The program also records oral or written responses and response times for each stimulus, and provide summary scores broken down by stimulus category. Each test package includes: a) an introductory section explaining the test aims and rationale, b) instructions on how to administer the test, c) scoring instructions and scoring sheets and d) performance indicators (e.g., Z-score) based on control data from 120 neurologically healthy participants (40 English monolinguals and 80 Welsh-English bilinguals, broken down by age, language and educational level. The presentation will include demos of the interface and of computerized test administration and scoring. Note that this new resource is suitable for the assessment of both English monolingual and Welsh-English bilingual adults.ESRC/MRC; Bangor ESRC Impact Acceleration Accoun