Western Security Bank v. Beverly Hills Business Bank: The Vanishing Utility of Letters of Credit in Real Estate Transactions

This Casenote discusses the implications of the California appellate court decision of Western Security Bank v. Beverly Hills Business Bank, decided in 1994. In this decision, the court held that the anti-deficiency statute precluding a deficiency judgment after a non-judicial foreclosure barred a creditor\u27s draw on a letter of credit after a non-judicial foreclosure. The author concludes that this decision implies that a draw on a letter of credit before a non-judicial foreclosure would result in a loss of the lender\u27s real property security. The possible repercussions of this decision upon the use of letters of credit in California real estate financing are analyzed and the author proposes that the California Legislature resolve this issue by exempting letters of credit from the anti-deficiency requirements

Stuck between Bench and Bedside : Why Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Is Not Accessible to Depressed Patients in Europe

Peer reviewe

Factors associated with increased survival after surgical resection of glioblastoma in octogenarians.

Elderly patients with glioblastoma represent a clinical challenge for neurosurgeons and oncologists. The data available on outcomes of patients greater than 80 undergoing resection is limited. In this study, factors linked to increased survival in patients over the age of 80 were analyzed. A retrospective chart review of all patients over the age of 80 with a new diagnosis of glioblastoma and who underwent surgical resection with intent for maximal resection were examined. Patients who had only stereotactic biopsies were excluded. Immunohistochemical expression of oncogenic drivers (p53, EGFR, IDH-1) and a marker of cell proliferation (Ki-67 index) performed upon routine neuropathological examination were recorded. Stepwise logistic regression and Kaplan Meier survival curves were plotted to determine correlations to overall survival. Fifty-eight patients fit inclusion criteria with a mean age of 83 (range 80-93 years). The overall median survival was 4.2 months. There was a statistically significant correlation between Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and overall survival (P < 0.05). There was a significantly longer survival among patients undergoing either radiation alone or radiation and chemotherapy compared to those who underwent no postoperative adjuvant therapy (p < 0.05). There was also an association between overall survival and lack of p53 expression (p < 0.001) and lack of EGFR expression (p <0.05). In this very elderly population, overall survival advantage was conferred to those with higher preoperative KPS, postoperative adjuvant therapy, and lack of protein expression of EGFR and p53. These findings may be useful in clinical decision analysis for management of patients with glioblastoma who are octogenarians, and also validate the critical role of EGFR and p53 expression in oncogenesis, particularly with advancing age

Organisational Change in Agricultural Transition. Mechanisms of Restructuring Socialist Large-Scale Farms

This article seeks to contribute to our understanding of farm restructuring in transition by trying to identify driving forces behind organisational change in agriculture. It focuses on the stakeholders' trade-off between internal transaction costs and switching costs. The article introduces factors determining the level of these two types of costs, such as the original size of the firm, inside-ownership and the type of production for internal transaction costs, and the remaining asset specificity after establishing the formal property rights for switching costs. The theoretical model is tested by data from a recent survey in two regions of the Czech Republic with both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The quantitative analysis characterises the downsizing process of distinguishable restructuring paths of 87 farms. Mechanisms of individual stakeholders' redeployment decisions are elaborated on the basis of five qualitative case studies. The article shows perspectives of further farm restructuring in European transition countries

Lessons from an initiative to address gender bias

How a letter addressing the lack of women invited to speak at a conference in brain stimulation encouraged researchers to take action

There is no magic in speaker policies : creating gender equality at brain stimulation conferences Editorial II to the supplement from the 2nd European Conference on brain stimulation in psychiatry

Non peer reviewe

Neutrophils promote CXCR3-dependent itch in the development of atopic dermatitis.

Chronic itch remains a highly prevalent disorder with limited treatment options. Most chronic itch diseases are thought to be driven by both the nervous and immune systems, but the fundamental molecular and cellular interactions that trigger the development of itch and the acute-to-chronic itch transition remain unknown. Here, we show that skin-infiltrating neutrophils are key initiators of itch in atopic dermatitis, the most prevalent chronic itch disorder. Neutrophil depletion significantly attenuated itch-evoked scratching in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis. Neutrophils were also required for several key hallmarks of chronic itch, including skin hyperinnervation, enhanced expression of itch signaling molecules, and upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, activity-induced genes, and markers of neuropathic itch. Finally, we demonstrate that neutrophils are required for induction of CXCL10, a ligand of the CXCR3 receptor that promotes itch via activation of sensory neurons, and we find that that CXCR3 antagonism attenuates chronic itch

Catalytic upgrading of biomass pyrolysis vapours using Faujasite zeolite catalysts

Bio-oil produced via fast pyrolysis of biomass has the potential to be processed in a FCC (fluid catalytic cracking) unit to generate liquid fuel. However, this oil requires a significant upgrade to become an acceptable feedstock for refinery plants due to its high oxygen content. One promising route to improve the quality of bio-oil is to pyrolyse the parent biomass in the presence of a catalyst. This work investigates the influence of faujasite catalysts on the pyrolysis of pinewood. Pyrolysis process with Na-faujasite, Na0.2H0.8-faujasite, and H-faujasite (Na-FAU, Na0.2H0.8-FAU, and H-FAU) were carried out in a fixed-bed reactor at 500 °C. It is shown that, in the same condition, catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapour is superior to in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of biomass when it comes to quality of bio-oil. The yields of coke, gas and water increase while that of organic phase decreases proportional with the concentration of protons in catalysts. Compared to the other two catalysts, Na0.2H0.8-FAU removes the most oxygen from bio-oil, reduces amount of acids and aldehydes/ketones which result in a higher energy-contained and more stable oil with less corrosive property. However, the biggest contribution to the oxygen removal is via the formation of reaction water, which is not an optimum path. This leaves space for future development