Undesirable and Unreturnable Migrants:Policy challenges around excluded asylum seekers and other migrants suspected of serious criminality who cannot be removed. Conference report and policy brief

Migrants who are undesirable because of alleged involvement in serious criminality but unreturnable because of legal or practical reasons may present decision makers, policy makers and the responsible politicians with significant challenges. While there are different short-term policy responses to the issue, a considerable group of these individuals will always remain in legal limbo, sometimes for many years. A coherent solution is currently lacking, as is guidance on how to deal with this group of persons. Building upon two network meetings with academics and practitioners, this document defines the problem, describes current state responses and explores possibilities of future policy solutions

Long-term efficacy of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation in the management of glaucoma following cataract surgery in children

Purpose To report the long-term efficacy of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) in pediatric glaucoma following cataract surgery (GFCS). Methods ECP was performed on 35 eyes of 25 patients 24 mm Hg, alternative glaucoma procedure following ECP, or occurrence of visually significant complications. Analysis was performed to estimate risk factors for failure. Results A total of 27 aphakic and 8 pseudophakic eyes were included. Pretreatment IOP averaged 33.9 ± 7.9 mm Hg. Final IOP after a mean follow-up period of 7.2 years was 18.9 ± 8.8 mm Hg (P < 0.001). The success rate was 54% (19/35 eyes). The failure rate was not increased in pseudophakic patients relative to aphakic patients. Patients with single ECP demonstrated preserved visual acuity from baseline to final follow-up. Conclusions In this patient cohort, with average follow-up period of 7.2 years, ECP was useful in the treatment of pediatric GFCS

Promised incentives on a random digit dial survey

Die Verfasser legen die Ergebnisse von zwei Experimenten vor, mit denen die Wirkung von versprochenen Belohnungen bei einer Random-Digit-Dial-Untersuchung im Stadium der Gesprächseröffnung sowie im Stadium der Aufgabe einer anfänglichen Verweigerungshaltung untersucht werden sollte. In beiden Fällen zeigte sich kein Effekt. Dieses Ergebnis steht im Widerspruch zu mindestens einem weiteren Experiment aus jüngster Zeit sowie auch zum Einsatz versprochener Belohnungen zur Reduktion von Antwortverweigerung bei mehreren Meinungsforschungsinstituten. Die Verfasser diskutieren mögliche Ursachen für das Ausbleiben eines Effekts. (ICEÜbers)"This paper presents the results of two experiments carried out to test the effectiveness of promised incentives for a random digit dial survey (RDD) at the initial household contact (introduction) and at the stage of refusal conversion. The results of the experiments find no effect of at either stage of the survey process. These results are contrary to those found by at least one other recent experiment, as well as the use of promised incentives used routinely to convert reluctant respondents by several survey organizations. The possible reasons for not finding an effect are discussed." (author's abstract

Sestrin2 is a leucine sensor for the mTORC1 pathway

Leucine is a proteogenic amino acid that also regulates many aspects of mammalian physiology, in large part by activating the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) protein kinase, a master growth controller. Amino acids signal to mTORC1 through the Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases). Several factors regulate the Rags, including GATOR1, aGTPase-activating protein; GATOR2, a positive regulator of unknown function; and Sestrin2, a GATOR2-interacting protein that inhibits mTORC1 signaling. We find that leucine, but not arginine, disrupts the Sestrin2-GATOR2 interaction by binding to Sestrin2 with a dissociation constant of 20 micromolar, which is the leucine concentration that half-maximally activates mTORC1. The leucine-binding capacity of Sestrin2 is required for leucine to activate mTORC1 in cells. These results indicate that Sestrin2 is a leucine sensor for the mTORC1 pathway.United States. National Institutes of Health (R01CA103866)United States. National Institutes of Health (AI47389)United States. Department of Defense (W81XWH-07-0448)United States. National Institutes of Health (T32 GM007753)United States. National Institutes of Health (F30 CA189333)United States. National Institutes of Health (F31 CA180271

The Role of Innate Immunity in Autoimmunity

During the 2004 International Congress of Immunology in Montreal, a panel of experts gathered for an “Ideashop” discussion on the potential role of innate immunity in autoimmunity and the ways in which this might be targeted in future therapies

Cytoplasmic BK\u3csub\u3eCa\u3c/sub\u3e channel intron-containing mRNAs contribute to the intrinsic excitability of hippocampal neurons

High single-channel conductance K+ channels, which respond jointly to membrane depolarization and micromolar concentrations of intracellular Ca2+ ions, arise from extensive cell-specific alternative splicing of pore-forming α-subunit mRNAs. Here, we report the discovery of an endogenous BKCa channel α-subunit intron-containing mRNA in the cytoplasm of hippocampal neurons. This partially processed mRNA, which comprises ≈10% of the total BKCa channel α-subunit mRNAs, is distributed in a gradient throughout the somatodendritic space. We selectively reduced endogenous cytoplasmic levels of this intron-containing transcript by RNA interference without altering levels of the mature splice forms of the BKCa channel mRNAs. In doing so, we could demonstrate that changes in a unique BKCa channel α-subunit introncontaining splice variant mRNA can greatly impact the distribution of the BKCa channel protein to dendritic spines and intrinsic firing properties of hippocampal neurons. These data suggest a new regulatory mechanism for modulating the membrane properties and ion channel gradients of hippocampal neurons

Comparison of Trihalomethanes in Tap Water and Blood: A Case Study in the United States

Background: Epidemiological studies have used various measures to characterize trihalomethane (THM) exposures, but the relationship of these indicators to exposure biomarkers remains unclear