Ice Crystal Growth in Sucrose Solutions Containing Kappa- and Iota-Carrageenans

Measurements of ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) and thermal hysteresis (TH) activities of kappa (κ)‐ and iota (ι)‐carrageenans were carried out to examine whether they can be novel cryoprotectants or not. IRI measurements indicate that both carrageenans reduce recrystallization in sucrose solution, but that the IRI activity of κ‐carregeenan is higher than that of ι‐carrageenan. TH measurements indicate that κ‐ and ι‐carrageenans do not exhibit TH activity. TH activity measurements of antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) in the presence of κ‐carregeenan demonstrate that this carregeenan neither influences the TH activity of AFGP nor the shape of the ice crystals. The round ice crystal shape transformed into an angular and elongated shape in the presence of both carregeenans

Erosionabilidad del suelo a lo largo del gradiente climático Coll de Rates - Benidorm, Alicante

[Resumen] Se estudia la influencia del clima sobre la erosionabilidad de los suelos mediante la cuantificación de la estabilidad de los agregados por medio del test de Emerson, por impactos de gotas (CNO y TOI) y por ultrasonidos (UD) a lo largo del gradiente climático Coll de Rates-Benidorm. En todos los suelos estudiados la estabilidad de los agregados es muy elevada, lo que hace difícil encontrar diferencias apreciables entre zonas de estudio. Las distintas historias de uso del suelo (incendios, pastoreo, explotación de la biomasa, etc.) ha dado lugar a la inexistencia de la influencia del clima sobre la erosionabilidad de los suelos.[Abstract] The influence of climate on soil erodibility is studied by means of aggregate stability measurements with the Emerson, drop impacts· (CNO y TOI) and ultrasound (UD) tests along the Coll de Rates-Benidorm climatological gradient. The soils have a very high aggregate stability, and this is the reason why there are not clear differences between study zones. The different past land uses (forest fire, grazing, wood exploitation, etc./) have induced the non existence of the influence of climate on soil erodibility

A randomized trial of 13-Cis retinoic acid in children with advanced neuroblastoma after high-dose therapy

One hundred and seventy-five children with Stage 3 or 4 neuroblastoma who had obtained a good response to conventional therapy were randomly allocated to 13-Cis retinoic acid at a dose of 0.75 mg/kg/day or placebo for up to 4 years. Toxicity was mild but no advantage in event-free survival was shown for the children receiving retinoic acid. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Improved outcome in children with advanced stage B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL): results of the United Kingdom Children Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) 9002 protocol

From July 1990 to March 1996, 112 children with stage III or IV B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) with up to 70% FAB L3-type blasts (n= 42) in the bone marrow without central nervous system (CNS) disease were treated on the United Kingdom Children Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) 9002 protocol (identical to the French LMB 84). The median age was 8.3 years. There were 81 boys and 31 girls. According to the extent of the primary disease, patients were sub-staged into three groups: IIIA with unresectable abdominal tumour (n= 39); IIIB with abdominal multiorgan involvement (n= 57) and IIIX with extra-abdominal primary lymphoma often presenting as pleural effusion (n= 16). Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to evaluate the prognostic significance of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level at diagnosis, the sub-stage and the time to achieve complete remission (CR). With a median follow up of 48 months (range 12–92), the overall and event free survival (EFS) is 87% (95% confidence interval (CI) 79.2–92.1%) and 83.7% (95% CI 76.3–89.2%) respectively. Six patients (5.4%) never achieved CR, of whom one is alive following high-dose therapy. Eight patients (7.1%) relapsed after achieving CR, three are alive after second-line therapy. There were three early toxic deaths (2.7%), mainly from infection, and one late death from a second cancer. There was no significant difference in EFS according to LDH level at diagnosis, the sub-stage or the time to CR. This study confirms the overall good prognosis and low rate of toxic deaths in patients with advanced B-NHL treated with this intensive regimen. No significant difference in EFS according to the sub-stage, the time to achieve CR or LDH level at diagnosis making it difficult to identify a group that should not receive intensive therapy. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Clinical realism: a new literary genre and a potential tool for encouraging empathy in medical students

Background: Empathy has been re-discovered as a desirable quality in doctors. A number of approaches using the medical humanities have been advocated to teach empathy to medical students. This paper describes a new approach using the medium of creative writing and a new narrative genre: clinical realism. Methods: Third year students were offered a four week long Student Selected Component (SSC) in Narrative Medicine and Creative Writing. The creative writing element included researching and creating a character with a life-changing physical disorder without making the disorder the focus of the writing. The age, gender, social circumstances and physical disorder of a character were randomly allocated to each student. The students wrote repeated assignments in the first person, writing as their character and including details of living with the disorder in all of their narratives. This article is based on the work produced by the 2013 cohort of students taking the course, and on their reflections on the process of creating their characters. Their output was analysed thematically using a constructivist approach to meaning making. Results: This preliminary analysis suggests that the students created convincing and detailed narratives which included rich information about living with a chronic disorder. Although the writing assignments were generic, they introduced a number of themes relating to illness, including stigma, personal identity and narrative wreckage. Some students reported that they found it difficult to relate to “their” character initially, but their empathy for the character increased as the SSC progressed. Conclusion: Clinical realism combined with repeated writing exercises about the same character is a potential tool for helping to develop empathy in medical students and merits further investigation

Assessing the resilience of human systems: a critical evaluation of universal and contextual resilience variables

This study analyses the use of contextual and universal variables to assess the resilience of human systems. The article examines the terms ‘contextual’ and ‘universal’ in relation to resilience variables, how widely accepted different variables are as indicators of resilience, and the extent to which variables can be classified using these conceptual terms. The article analyses how the ‘direction’ of a variable indicating either resilience or vulnerability can be assessed and argues that often the same variable can be interpreted differently for the resilience of a human system, depending on the context of the system under investigation and the positionality of the researcher. The study informs future resilience research by providing a clearer understanding of the role and status of different variables in relation to measuring and understanding the different domains of resilience in different spatial and research contexts, and invites researchers to think more reflexively about their interpretations of resilience variables

Social Memory and the Resilience of Communities Affected by Land Degradation

Based on evidence collected in 22 village communities from nine study sites situated in Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco and China, this study analyses the complex interlinkages between social memory, community resilience and land degradation. Social memory is seen as an important explanation regarding the ability of a local community to manage and cope with land degradation. Emphasis is placed on the importance of three components of social memory – rites, traditions and social learning processes – for shaping community resilience in coping with land degradation processes. The study argues that, although there are subtle differences between the 22 village communities, the loss of social memory and learning pathways associated with managing land degradation is emerging as a critical factor constraining stakeholders from effectively responding to land degradation issue