Quantitative evaluation of enforcement strategies

In Security, monitors and enforcement mechanisms run in parallel with programs to check, and modify their run-time behaviour, respectively, in order to guarantee the satisfaction of a security policy. For the same pol- icy, several enforcement strategies are possible. We provide a framework for quantitative monitoring and enforcement. Enforcement strategies are analysed according to user-dened parameters. This is done by extending the notion controller processes, that mimics the well-known edit automata, with weights on transitions, valued in a C-semiring. C-semirings permit one to be exible and general in the quantitative criteria. Furthermore, we provide some examples of orders on controllers that are evaluated under incomparable criteria

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Electrical muscle stimulation acutely mimics exercise in neurologically intact individuals but has limited clinical benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: Electrical muscle stimulation mimics exercise in individuals with neurological injury or disease and improves measures of fitness and glucose metabolism. Physical activity improves features of the metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes but many patients find it difficult to exercise.Aims: To determine whether use of an electrical muscle stimulator mimics exercise in neurologically intact individuals and has metabolic benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods: Acute changes in pulse, blood pressure and energy expenditure were measured in 33 healthy volunteers using the muscle stimulator. Acute changes in glucose uptake were measured in five subjects with type 2 diabetes. Body composition, features of the metabolic syndrome and measures of insulin sensitivity were measured before and after 12 weeks daily use of the stimulator in four subjects with type 2 diabetes.Results: The muscle stimulator acutely increased pulse, blood pressure, energy expenditure and glucose uptake. Daily use over 12 weeks improved insulin stimulated nonesterified fatty acid suppression but did not result in changes in body composition or clinical parameters.Conclusion: Although the muscle stimulator acutely mimics exercise, limitations in the size of the stimulating current mean that the magnitude of these changes is too small to produce clinical benefit

Impact of obesity on female fertility and fertility treatment

Obesity and overweight are common conditions that have consequences not only on general health but also to a great extent on reproductive health. There is a high prevalence of obese women in the infertile population and numerous studies have highlighted the link between obesity and infertility. Obesity contributes to anovulation and menstrual irregularities, reduced conception rate and a reduced response to fertility treatment. It also increases miscarriage and contributes to maternal and perinatal complication. Reduction of obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, is associated with improvements in reproductive functions; hence, treatment of obesity itself should be the initial aim in obese infertile women before embarking on ovulation-induction drugs or assisted reproductive techniques. While various strategies for weight reduction, including diet, exercise, pharmacological and surgical intervention exist, lifestyle modification continues to be of paramount importance.Murizah M. Zain, Robert J. Norma

Toxicity of Cd to signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.)

Given that Cd accumulates within plant tissues to levels that are toxic to animals, it is necessary to understand the role of plants in highly Cd-contaminated systems and their subsequent impact on the health of animals. A solution culture experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of increasing Cd(2+) activity ({Cd(2+)}) on growth of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.) and signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.). The shoot and root fresh mass of both Rhodes grass and signal grass was reduced by 50% at ca. 0.5 A mu M {Cd(2+)}. Elevated {Cd(2+)} resulted in a significant decrease in the tissue Mn concentration for both the shoots and roots, and caused a chlorosis of the veins in the shoots. Root hair growth was prolific even at high {Cd(2+)}, thus root hair growth appeared to be less sensitive to elevated Cd than was root growth per se. The critical shoot tissue concentrations (50% reduction in growth), 230 A mu g g(-1) for Rhodes grass and 80 A mu g g(-1) for signal grass, exceeded the maximum level of Cd tolerated in the diet of animals (ca. 5 A mu g g(-1)). When assessing the risk associated with the revegetation of Cd-contaminated sites with Rhodes grass or signal grass, careful consideration must be given, therefore, to the transfer of toxic concentrations of Cd to grazing animals and through the wider food chain