Delphi with feedback of rationales: how large can a Delphi group be such that participants are not overloaded, de-motivated, or disengaged?

In this paper, we investigate the effect of Delphi group size and opinion diversity on group members’ information load as well as on their overall experience of the Delphi process - in terms of task involvement (enjoyment and interest) and in terms of group sway (the influence and helpfulness of others’ rationales). For Delphi applications involving the exchange of rationales between participants, we found no evidence that group sizes of up to 19 participants cause information overload or de-motivation and disengagement of participants

Cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and risk of breast cancer before age 40 years: a case–control study

We investigated whether there is an association between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) IgG levels and risk of breast cancer before age 40 years. CMV and EBV IgG levels were measured in stored plasma from 208 women with breast cancer and 169 controls who participated in the Australian Breast Cancer Family Study (ABCFS), a population-based case-control study. CMV and EBV IgG values were measured in units of optical density (OD). Cases and controls did not differ in seropositivity for CMV (59 and 57% respectively; P=0.8) or EBV (97 and 96% respectively; P=0.7). In seropositive women, mean IgG values were higher in cases than controls for CMV (1.20 vs 0.98 OD, P=0.005) but not for EBV (2.65 vs 2.57 OD, P=0.5). The adjusted odds ratios per OD unit were 1.46 (95% CI 1.06-2.03) for CMV IgG and 1.11 (0.93-1.33) for EBV IgG. The higher mean CMV IgG levels found in women with breast cancer could be the result of a more recent infection with CMV, and may mean that late exposure to CMV is a risk factor for breast cancer

Linking the sectoral employment structure and household poverty in the United Kingdom

Structural changes in the labour markets of developed economies, and changes in their institutional characteristics, have led to growing unease about the nature of low-paid employment. Related concerns have been expressed about the persistence of low-pay, the fragmentation of work and the growth of under-employment. While all these factors have potential implications for individuals’ earnings, less is known about the connection between labour market change, patterns of sectoral growth and decline and household poverty outcomes. This article shows distinct patterns of poverty outcomes by sector of employment, after controlling for other factors. However, household characteristics, in particular the presence of a second earner, do strongly mitigate the poverty risk. Overall, the findings demonstrate that policymakers need to develop a coherent policy towards poverty that recognises the nature of jobs growth and the distribution of ‘good jobs’ across households

The geography of wage inequality in British cities

There is widespread concern about the scale and implications of urban inequality in Great Britain, but little evidence on which cities are the most unequal and why. This paper investigates patterns of wage inequality in 60 British cities. It has two principal goals: (1) to describe which cities are most unequal and (2) to assess the important determinants of inequality. The results show a distinct geography of wage inequality, the most unequal cities tend to be affluent and located in parts of the Greater South East of England. A central determinant of these patterns is the geography of highly skilled workers. Because of this, the geography of urban wage inequality reflects the geography of affluence more generally

The Maltase Involved in Starch Metabolism in Barley Endosperm Is Encoded by a Single Gene

During germination and early seedling growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare), maltase is responsible for the conversion of maltose produced by starch degradation in the endosperm to glucose for seedling growth. Despite the potential relevance of this enzyme for malting and the production of alcoholic beverages, neither the nature nor the role of maltase is fully understood. Although only one gene encoding maltase has been identified with certainty, there is evidence for the existence of other genes and for multiple forms of the enzyme. It has been proposed that maltase may be involved directly in starch granule degradation as well as in maltose hydrolysis. The aim of our work was to discover the nature of maltase in barley endosperm. We used ion exchange chromatography to fractionate maltase activity from endosperm of young seedlings, and we partially purified activity for protein identification. We compared maltase activity in wild-type barley and transgenic lines with reduced expression of the previously-characterised maltase gene Agl97, and we used genomic and transcriptomic information to search for further maltase genes. We show that all of the maltase activity in the barley endosperm can be accounted for by a single gene, Agl97. Multiple forms of the enzyme most likely arise from proteolysis and other post-translational modifications

Endogenous technological change, innovation diffusion and transitional dynamics in a nonlinear growth model

This paper addresses capital accumulation and capital productivity change in an economy with endogenous technological change and floors and ceilings in activity. The properties of the resulting two-variable nonlinear differential equation system are studied in some detail. The welfare implications are also considered. When discrete lags are introduced, wide-ranging behaviour emerges, which includes convergence to a steady-state, catastrophes, hysteresis, limit cycles and chaos. Simulations illustrate the results. It is found that external shocks, such as the diffusion of innovations from elsewhere, do not just change the level of the steady-state equilibrium but also the dynamical properties of the paths of output and productivity

Oral biofilm models for mechanical plaque removal

In vitro plaque removal studies require biofilm models that resemble in vivo dental plaque. Here, we compare contact and non-contact removal of single and dual-species biofilms as well as of biofilms grown from human whole saliva in vitro using different biofilm models. Bacteria were adhered to a salivary pellicle for 2 h or grown after adhesion for 16 h, after which, their removal was evaluated. In a contact mode, no differences were observed between the manual, rotating, or sonic brushing; and removal was on average 39%, 84%, and 95% for Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Actinomyces naeslundii, respectively, and 90% and 54% for the dual- and multi-species biofilms, respectively. However, in a non-contact mode, rotating and sonic brushes still removed considerable numbers of bacteria (24–40%), while the manual brush as a control (5–11%) did not. Single A. naeslundii and dual-species (A. naeslundii and S. oralis) biofilms were more difficult to remove after 16 h growth than after 2 h adhesion (on average, 62% and 93% for 16- and 2-h-old biofilms, respectively), while in contrast, biofilms grown from whole saliva were easier to remove (97% after 16 h and 54% after 2 h of growth). Considering the strong adhesion of dual-species biofilms and their easier more reproducible growth compared with biofilms grown from whole saliva, dual-species biofilms of A. naeslundii and S. oralis are suggested to be preferred for use in mechanical plaque removal studies in vitro

Antibody evasion by the N terminus of murid herpesvirus-4 glycoprotein B

Herpesviruses characteristically transmit infection from immune hosts. Although their success in escaping neutralization by pre-formed antibody is indisputable, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Glycoprotein B (gB) is the most conserved component of the herpesvirus entry machinery and its N terminus (gB-NT) is a common neutralization target. We used murid herpesvirus-4 to determine how gB-NT contributes to the virus–antibody interaction. Deleting gB-NT had no obvious impact on virus replication, but paradoxically increased virion neutralization by immune sera. This reflected greater antibody access to neutralization epitopes on gH/gL, with which gB was associated. gB-NT itself was variably protected against antibody by O-linked glycans; on virions from epithelial cells it was protected almost completely. gB-NT therefore provides a protective and largely protected cover for a vulnerable part of gH/gL. The conservation of predicted glycosylation sites in other mammalian herpesvirus gB-NTs suggests that this evasion mechanism is widespread. Interestingly, the gB-NT glycans that blocked antibody binding could be targeted for neutralization instead by a lectin, suggesting a means of therapeutic counterattack

Wear and corrosion interactions on titanium in oral environment : literature review

The oral cavity is a complex environment where corrosive substances from dietary, human saliva, and oral biofilms may accumulate in retentive areas of dental implant systems and prostheses promoting corrosion at their surfaces. Additionally, during mastication, micromovements may occur between prosthetic joints causing a relative motion between contacting surfaces, leading to wear. Both processes (wear and corrosion) result in a bio-tribocorrosion system once that occurs in contact with biological tissues and fluids. This review paper is focused on the aspects related to the corrosion and wear behavior of titanium-based structures in the oral environment. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of the oral environment is focused on the harmful effect that acidic substances and biofilms, formed in human saliva, may have on titanium surfaces. In fact, a progressive degradation of titanium by wear and corrosion (tribocorrosion) mechanisms can take place affecting the performance of titanium-based implant and prostheses. Also, the formation of wear debris and metallic ions due to the tribocorrosion phenomena can become toxic for human tissues. This review gathers knowledge from areas like materials sciences, microbiology, and dentistry contributing to a better understanding of bio-tribocorrosion processes in the oral environment.(undefined