Treatment for hepatorenal syndrome in people with decompensated liver cirrhosis: a network meta-analysis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the benefits and harms of different treatments of hepatorenal syndrome in people with decompensated liver cirrhosis

Corporate social responsibility or sustainability in music festivals

Purpose – To establish whether social considerations are valued within UK music festivals. Methodology – A case study featuring 21 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders delivering 7 music festivals. Thematic analysis enabled identification of insights into differences between organisers and suppliers. Findings - The respondents were positive towards sustainability however CSR had little recognition. Both stakeholder groups adopted ‘ethical’ practices. Suppliers want organisers to be transparent and fair. Organisers want supplier to comply with their approaches. All stakeholders need to improve their communications. Practical implications - Festivals operate in increasingly competitive environments hence the insights herein should improve stakeholder and festivalgoer engagement. Originality - Few studies of the adoption of social considerations exist within the creative industries. Research limitations – As a small qualitative study, it is not representative of the sector. Furthermore suppliers may be unwilling to critique festivals. Social desirability bias may be evident. Key words – Sustainability, CSR, Music Festivals, Stakeholders, Suppliers, Perceptions, Awareness Paper type - Researc

Biodiversity 2020: climate change evaluation report

In 2011, the government published Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services [1]. This strategy for England builds on the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper - NEWP [2] and provides a comprehensive picture of how we are implementing our international and EU commitments. It sets out the strategic direction for biodiversity policy between 2011-2020 on land (including rivers and lakes) and at sea, and forms part of the UK’s commitments under the ‘the Aichi targets’ agreed in 2010 under the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 [3]. Defra is committed to evaluating the Biodiversity 2020 strategy and has a public commitment to assess climate change adaptation measures. This document sets out the information on assessing how action under Biodiversity 2020 has helped our wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change. Biodiversity 2020 aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and restore functioning ecosystems for wildlife and for people. The outcomes and actions in Biodiversity 2020, although wider in scope, aimed to increase resilience of our wildlife and ecosystems in the face of a changing climate. In order to inform the assessment, we have defined which of the measurable outputs under Biodiversity 2020 contribute to resilience. Biodiversity 2020 included plans to develop and publish a dedicated set of indicators to assess progress towards the delivery of the strategy. The latest list (at the time of writing), published in 2017, contains 24 biodiversity indicators [4] that would help inform progress towards achieving specific outcomes, they are also highly relevant to the outputs (detailed below) that form the basis for this evaluation. The Adaptation Sub-Committee’s 2017 UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report [5] sets out the priority climate change risks and opportunities for the UK. The ASC also produced a review of progress in the National Adaptation Programme - “Progress in preparing for climate change” [6], which highlights adaptation priorities and progress being made towards achieving them. The UK Government’s response to the ASC [7] review includes a set of recommendations, of which Recommendation 6 states that “Action should be taken to enhance the condition of priority habitats and the abundance and range of priority species”. The recommendation further iterated that “This action should maintain or extend the level of ambition that was included in Biodiversity 2020” and that “An evaluation should be undertaken of Biodiversity 2020 including the extent to which goals have been met and of the implications for resilience to climate change.” To this, end an evaluation process has been put in place to define: a. What worked and why? Which actions or activities have had the greatest benefit in terms of delivering the desired outcomes? And, conversely, what prevented progress? b. Where are the opportunities? What are the financial, political, scientific and social opportunities for furthering the desired outcomes in the future? These objectives underpin the evaluation process for actions to date, and will also inform future actions and the iteration of a new nature strategy for England

Incidence and Severity of Lymphoedema following Limb Salvage of Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Background and Purpose. Lymphoedema is a serious complication following limb salvage for extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) for which little is known. We aimed to evaluate its incidence, its, severity and its associated risk factors. Material and Method. Patient and tumor characteristics, treatment modalities and complications and functional outcomes (MSTS 1987, TESS), and lymphoedema severity (Stern) were all collected from prospective databases. Charts were retrospectively abstracted for BMI and comorbidities. Results. There were 289 patients (158 males). Mean age was 53 (16–88). Followup ranged between 12 and 60 months with an average of 35 and a median of 36 months. Mean BMI was 27.4 (15.8–52.1). 72% had lower extremity tumors and 38% upper extremity. Mean tumor size was 8.1 cm (1.0–35.6 cm). 27% had no adjuvant radiation, 62% had 50 Gy, and 11% received 66 Gy. The incidence of lymphoedema was 28.8% (206 none, 58 mild, 22 moderate, 3 severe, and 0 very severe). Mean MSTS score was 32 (11–35) and TESS was 89.4 (32.4–100). Radiation dose was significantly correlated with tumor size > 5 cm (P = 0.0001) and TESS score (P = 0.001), but not MSTS score (P = 0.090). Only tumor size > 5 cm and depth were found to be independent predictors of significant lymphoedema. Conclusion. Nine percent of STS patients in our cohort developed significant (grade ≥ 2) lymphoedema. Tumor size > 5 cm and deep tumors were associated with an increased occurrence of lymphoedema but not radiation dosage

Affine Toda Solitons and Vertex Operators

Affine Toda theories with imaginary couplings associate with any simple Lie algebra ${\bf g}$ generalisations of Sine Gordon theory which are likewise integrable and possess soliton solutions. The solitons are \lq\lq created" by exponentials of quantities $\hat F^i(z)$ which lie in the untwisted affine Kac-Moody algebra ${\bf\hat g}$ and ad-diagonalise the principal Heisenberg subalgebra. When ${\bf g}$ is simply-laced and highest weight irreducible representations at level one are considered, $\hat F^i(z)$ can be expressed as a vertex operator whose square vanishes. This nilpotency property is extended to all highest weight representations of all affine untwisted Kac-Moody algebras in the sense that the highest non vanishing power becomes proportional to the level. As a consequence, the exponential series mentioned terminates and the soliton solutions have a relatively simple algebraic expression whose properties can be studied in a general way. This means that various physical properties of the soliton solutions can be directly related to the algebraic structure. For example, a classical version of Dorey's fusing rule follows from the operator product expansion of two $\hat F$'s, at least when ${\bf g}$ is simply laced. This adds to the list of resemblances of the solitons with respect to the particles which are the quantum excitations of the fields.Comment: Imperial/TP/92-93/29 SWAT/92-93/5 PU-PH-93/1392, requires newma