Plantifa: Antifascist Guerrilla Gardening Curriculum

This paper suggests that an anti-fascist guerilla gardening (Plantifa) curriculum offers unique educational opportunities in the form of wholesome, and much needed, praxis. Utilizing anti-fascist (Bray, 2017), decolonizing (Tuck et al., 2014), and eco-justice frameworks (Shiva, 2015), Plantifa presents community activism that connects people with place, history, permaculture, and subversion of hegemony. In the context of education, a Plantifa curriculum offers learners to be immersed with their communities and local ecosystems, beyond mere classroom walls. It is a process of mapping local terrain and history, identifying non-invasive plants and suitable locations, considering food-bearing plants for community needs, as well as the afterward tasks of watering and nurturing. Questions of, Why is \u27democracy\u27 as we understand and practice limited to humans, and who, what, or where ought to be included in a democracy? ; “Is planting local flora legally or ethically wrong?” and “Why is anti-fascism important to our community and our eco-system?” are just some of the questions learners can consider during this process of eco-revanchism. Ultimately, we are connecting wholeheartedly with the anti-fascist movement all over the world by appropriating their acronym (Antifa) with deference as a way to plant seeds of love against hierarchies. We are Plantifa

Analysis of 83mKr prompt scintillation signals in the PIXeY detector

Prompt scintillation signals from 83mKr calibration sources are a useful metric to calibrate the spatial variation of light collection efficiency and electric field magnitude of a two phase liquid-gas xenon time projection chamber. Because 83mKr decays in two steps, there are two prompt scintillation pulses for each calibration event, denoted S1a and S1b. We study the ratio of S1b to S1a signal sizes in the Particle Identification in Xenon at Yale (PIXeY) experiment and its dependence on the time separation between the two signals (Δ t), notably its increase at low Δ t. In PIXeY data, the Δ t dependence of S1b/S1a is observed to exhibit two exponential components: one with a time constant of 0.05 ± 0.02 μ s, which can be attributed to processing effects and pulse overlap and one with a time constant of 10.2 ± 2.2 μs that increases in amplitude with electric drift field, the origin of which is not yet understood

Is the biology of breast cancer changing? A study of hormone receptor status 1984-1986 and 1996-1997

Using archived tumours, those from 1984-1986 and 1996-1997 underwent immunohistochemistry for hormone receptors and grade analysis. A significant shift towards more ER-positive and low-grade disease was found; this appears to reflect screening practices, but could still influence survival

The use of data in resource limited settings to improve quality of care

Quality improvement is driven by benchmarking between and within institutions over time and the collaborative improvement efforts that stem from these comparisons. Benchmarking requires systematic collection and use of standardized data. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have great potential for improvements in newborn outcomes but serious obstacles to data collection, analysis, and implementation of robust improvement methodologies exist. We review the importance of data collection, internationally recommended neonatal metrics, selected methods of data collection, and reporting. The transformation from data collection to data use is illustrated by several select data system examples from LMIC. Key features include aims and measures important to neonatal team members, co-development with local providers, immediate access to data for review, and multidisciplinary team involvement. The future of neonatal care, use of data, and the trajectory to reach global neonatal improvement targets in resource-limited settings will be dependent on initiatives led by LMIC clinicians and experts

Determining the effectiveness of fibrin sealants in reducing complications in patients undergoing lateral neck dissection (DEFeND): Study protocol for a randomised external pilot trial

© 2020 The Author(s). Background: Complications after major surgery are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Neck dissection is one of the most commonly performed major operations in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology. Significant surgical complications occur in approximately 10-20% of all patients, increasing to 40% in patients who have had previous treatment to the area or have multiple co-morbidities and/or polypharmacy. Current evidence suggests that fibrin sealants (FS) may have potential clinical advantages in Head and Neck Surgery through the reduction of complications, volume of wound drainage and retention time of the drains. However, a paucity of high-quality trial-based evidence means that a surgical trial to determine the effectiveness of FS in reducing the rate and severity of complications in patients undergoing lateral neck dissection is warranted. The DEFeND randomised external pilot trial will address critical questions on how well key components of the proposed study design work together as well as the feasibility of a future phase III trial. Methods: The study design that is being piloted is that of a two-arm, parallel group, superiority trial with block randomisation in a 1:1 allocation ratio. The interventional arm will constitute the application of FS (Artiss, Baxter Healthcare Ltd.) to the surgical wound following completion of a neck dissection procedure, in addition to standard of care (SOC). The control arm will constitute SOC alone. Eligible patients will include patients who require a lateral neck dissection with a minimum of three cervical nodal levels. Patients who require bilateral neck procedures or undergoing immediate reconstruction with free or regional flaps will be excluded. The outcomes being assessed will be recruitment rate, screened to randomisation rate, fidelity of blinding process using blinding indices, number of missing or incomplete data entries, number of protocol deviations and number of losses to follow-up. Suitability of the outcome measures proposed for the future phase III trial will also be assessed. Discussion: The anticipated challenges for this study will be recruitment, complexity of the intervention and adherence to the protocol. The outcomes will inform the design, feasibility and conduct of a future phase III surgical trial. Trial registration: First participant randomised: November 06, 2018; UKCRN Portfolio ID: 37896; ISRCTN99181100

Dent disease: A window into calcium and phosphate transport

This review examines calcium and phosphate transport in the kidney through the lens of the rare X-linked genetic disorder Dent disease. Dent disease type 1 (DD1) is caused by mutations in the CLCN5 gene encoding ClC-5, a Cl- /H+ antiporter localized to early endosomes of the proximal tubule (PT). Phenotypic features commonly include low molecular weight proteinuria (LMWP), hypercalciuria, focal global sclerosis and chronic kidney disease; calcium nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and hypophosphatemic rickets are less commonly observed. Although it is not surprising that abnormal endosomal function and recycling in the PT could result in LMWP, it is less clear how ClC-5 dysfunction disturbs calcium and phosphate metabolism. It is known that the majority of calcium and phosphate transport occurs in PT cells, and PT endocytosis is essential for calcium and phosphorus reabsorption in this nephron segment. Evidence from ClC-5 KO models suggests that ClC-5 mediates parathormone endocytosis from tubular fluid. In addition, ClC-5 dysfunction alters expression of the sodium/proton exchanger NHE3 on the PT apical surface thus altering transcellular sodium movement and hence paracellular calcium reabsorption. A potential role for NHE3 dysfunction in the DD1 phenotype has never been investigated, either in DD models or in patients with DD1, even though patients with DD1 exhibit renal sodium and potassium wasting, especially when exposed to even a low dose of thiazide diuretic. Thus, insights from the rare disease DD1 may inform possible underlying mechanisms for the phenotype of hypercalciuria and idiopathic calcium stones

Binary and Millisecond Pulsars at the New Millennium

We review the properties and applications of binary and millisecond pulsars. Our knowledge of these exciting objects has greatly increased in recent years, mainly due to successful surveys which have brought the known pulsar population to over 1300. There are now 56 binary and millisecond pulsars in the Galactic disk and a further 47 in globular clusters. This review is concerned primarily with the results and spin-offs from these surveys which are of particular interest to the relativity community.Comment: 59 pages, 26 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Living Reviews in Relativity (http://www.livingreviews.org

Post-trial follow-up methodology in large randomised controlled trials: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Randomised controlled clinical trials typically have a relatively brief in-trial follow-up period which can underestimate safety signals and fail to detect long-term hazards, which may take years to appear. Extended follow-up after the scheduled closure of the trial allows detection of both persistent or enhanced beneficial effects following cessation of study treatment (i.e. a legacy effect) and the emergence of possible adverse effects (e.g. development of cancer). METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to qualitatively compare post-trial follow-up methods used in large randomised controlled trials. Five bibliographic databases, including Medline and the Cochrane Library, and one trial registry were searched. All large randomised controlled trials (more than 1000 adult participants) published from March 2006 to April 2017 were evaluated. Two reviewers screened and extracted data attaining > 95% concordance of papers checked. Assessment of bias in the trials was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS: Fifty-seven thousand three hundred and fifty-two papers were identified and 65 trials which had post-trial follow-up (PTFU) were included in the analysis. The majority of trials used more than one type of follow-up. There was no evidence of an association between the retention rates of participants in the PTFU period and the type of follow-up used. Costs of PTFU varied widely with data linkage being the most economical. It was not possible to assess associations between risk of bias during the in-trial period and proportions lost to follow-up during the PTFU period. DISCUSSION: Data captured during the post-trial follow-up period can add scientific value to a trial. However, there are logistical and financial barriers to overcome. Where available, data linkage via electronic registries and records is a cost-effective method which can provide data on a range of endpoints. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Not applicable for PROSPERO registration

Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for novel ecosystems

Arctic warming has been linked to observed increases in tundra shrub cover and growth in recent decades on the basis of significant relationships between deciduous shrub growth/biomass and temperature. These vegetation trends have been linked to Arctic sea ice decline and thus to the sea ice/albedo feedback known as Arctic amplification. However, the interactions between climate, sea ice and tundra vegetation remain poorly understood. Here we reveal a 50- year growth response over a >100,000 km2 area to a rise in summer temperature for alder (Alnus) and willow (Salix), the most abundant shrub genera respectively at and north of the continental treeline. We demonstrate that whereas plant productivity is related to sea ice in late spring, the growing season peak responds to persistent synoptic-scale air masses over West Siberia associated with Fennoscandian weather systems through the Rossby wave train. Substrate is important for biomass accumulation, yet a strong correlation between growth and temperature encompasses all observed soil types. Vegetation is especially responsive to temperature in early summer. These results have significant implications for modelling present and future Low Arctic vegetation responses to climate change, and emphasize the potential for structurally novel ecosystems to emerge fromwithin the tundra zone.Vertaisarviointia edeltävä käsikirjoitu