Mitigation and screening for environmental assessment

This article considers how, as a matter of law and policy, mitigation measures should be taken into account in determining whether a project will have significant environmental effects and therefore be subject to assessment under the EU Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. This is not straightforward: it is problematic to distinguish clearly between an activity and the measures proposed to minimise or mitigate for the adverse consequences of the activity. The issue is a salient one in impact assessment law, but under-explored in the literature and handled with some difficulty by the courts. I argue that there is an unnecessarily and undesirably narrow approach currently taken under the EIA Directive, which could be improved upon by taking a more adaptive approach; alternatively a heightened standard of review of ‘significance’, and within this of the scope for mitigation measures to bring projects beneath the significance threshold, may also be desirable

Secondary membranous nephropathy associated with guillain-barré syndrome.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in adults. It may be primary, usually mediated by IgG4 anti-phospholipase A2 autoantibodies or secondary to various other conditions. Guillain- Barré syndrome (GBS) has been associated with MN, but a cause and effect relation has not been proven. We present a case of concurrent development of GBS and severe NS, with renal biopsy demonstrating MN. IgG4 stain was negative, indicating that most likely, the MN was secondary and probably caused by the underlying GBS

A comparison of arbitration procedures for risk averse disputants

We propose an arbitration model framework that generalizes many previous quantitative models of final offer arbitration, conventional arbitration, and some proposed alternatives to them. Our model allows the two disputants to be risk averse and assumes that the issue(s) in dispute can be summarized by a single quantifiable value. We compare the performance of the different arbitration procedures by analyzing the gap between the disputants' equilibrium offers and the width of the contract zone that these offers imply. Our results suggest that final offer arbitration should give results superior to those of conventional arbitration.Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Gran

Arboricity, h-Index, and Dynamic Algorithms

In this paper we present a modification of a technique by Chiba and Nishizeki [Chiba and Nishizeki: Arboricity and Subgraph Listing Algorithms, SIAM J. Comput. 14(1), pp. 210--223 (1985)]. Based on it, we design a data structure suitable for dynamic graph algorithms. We employ the data structure to formulate new algorithms for several problems, including counting subgraphs of four vertices, recognition of diamond-free graphs, cop-win graphs and strongly chordal graphs, among others. We improve the time complexity for graphs with low arboricity or h-index.Comment: 19 pages, no figure

Peer-group and price influence students drinking along with planned behaviour

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2008 The Authors.Aims: To examine the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), as a framework for explaining binge drinking among young adults. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight students in a cross-sectional design study completed self-report questionnaires examining attitudes to drinking, intention to drink and drinking behaviour in university. Binge drinking was defined for females (and males) as consuming ‘four (males—five) or more pints of beer/glasses of wine/measures of spirits’ in a single session. Results: Drinking alcohol was common; 39.6% of males and 35.9% of females reported binge drinking. The TPB explained 7% of the variance in intention to drink. Overall, 43% of the variance in intention, 83% of the variance in total weekly consumption and 44% of the variance in binge drinking was explained. The frequency of drinking and the drinking behaviour of friends significantly predicted intention to drink and binge drinking, respectively. Binge drinkers were influenced by peers and social-situational factors. Pressure to drink was greater for males; undergraduates were influenced by the size of the drinking group, ‘special offer’ prices, and the availability of alcohol. Conclusions: The TPB appeared to be a weak predictor of student drinking but this may be a result of how constructs were measured. With friends’ drinking behaviour emerging as a significant predictor of alcohol consumption, interventions seeking to reduce excessive drinking should target the role of peers and the university environment in which drinking occurs

Tissue Determinants of Human NK Cell Development, Function, and Residence.

Immune responses in diverse tissue sites are critical for protective immunity and homeostasis. Here, we investigate how tissue localization regulates the development and function of human natural killer (NK) cells, innate lymphocytes important for anti-viral and tumor immunity. Integrating high-dimensional analysis of NK cells from blood, lymphoid organs, and mucosal tissue sites from 60 individuals, we identify tissue-specific patterns of NK cell subset distribution, maturation, and function maintained across age and between individuals. Mature and terminally differentiated NK cells with enhanced effector function predominate in blood, bone marrow, spleen, and lungs and exhibit shared transcriptional programs across sites. By contrast, precursor and immature NK cells with reduced effector capacity populate lymph nodes and intestines and exhibit tissue-resident signatures and site-specific adaptations. Together, our results reveal anatomic control of NK cell development and maintenance as tissue-resident populations, whereas mature, terminally differentiated subsets mediate immunosurveillance through diverse peripheral sites. VIDEO ABSTRACT

Molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp on swine farms in Ontario, Canada

A subset of swine farms in Ontario, Canada have been monitored for Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Fecal samples were collected from different stages of production as well as from manure pits. G. duodenalis cysts and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were detected in the manure samples using immunofluorescence microscopy. A nested PCR and sequencing method was performed to determine the genotypes. A mixed multivariable method was used to compare the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in samples from different sources

The course of etoposide-induced apoptosis from damage to DNA and p53 activation to mitochondrial release of cytochrome c.

Treatment of L929 fibroblasts by the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide killed 50% of the cells within 72 h. The cell killing was preceded by the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Simultaneous treatment of the cells with wortmannin, cycloheximide, furosemide, cyclosporin A, or decylubiquinone prevented the release of cytochrome c and significantly reduced the loss of viability. Etoposide caused the phosphorylation of p53 within 6 h, an effect prevented by wortmannin, an inhibitor of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). The activation of p53 by etoposide resulted in the up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, a result that was prevented by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. The increase in the content of Bax was followed by the translocation of this protein from the cytosol to the mitochondria, an event that was inhibited by furosemide, a chloride channel inhibitor. Stably transfected L929 fibroblasts that overexpress Akt were resistant to etoposide and did not translocate Bax to the mitochondria or release cytochrome c. Bax levels in these transfected cells were comparable with the wild-type cells. The release of cytochrome c upon translocation of Bax has been attributed to induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). Cyclosporin A and decylubiquinone, inhibitors of MPT, prevented the release of cytochrome c without affecting Bax translocation. These data define a sequence of biochemical events that mediates the apoptosis induced by etoposide. This cascade proceeds by coupling DNA damage to p53 phosphorylation through the action of DNA-PK. The activation of p53 increases Bax synthesis. The translocation of Bax to the mitochondria induces the MPT, the event that releases cytochrome c and culminates in the death of the cells