Ortho-para transition in molecular hydrogen

The radiative ortho-para transition in the molecular hydrogen is studied. This highly forbidden transition is very sensitive to relativistic and subtle nonadiabatic effects. Our result for the transition rate in the ground vibrational level \Gamma(J=1\to J=0) = 6.20(62)\cdot 10^{-14} \iyr is significantly lower in comparison to all the previous approximate calculations. Experimental detection of such a weak line by observation of, for example, the cold interstellar molecular hydrogen is at present unlikely.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Pattern of lateral neck metastases in N0 papillary thyroid carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indication and extent of lateral prophylactic neck dissection (PLND) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is very controversial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrospectively analysed 131 patients who underwent thyroidectomy and prophylactic lateral neck dissection from level II to V for PTC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>140 PLND were performed. The occult lymph node metastases (OLNM) overall rate was 18.6%. The incidence of node involvement was 10% at level III and 6.4% at level IIa. Level IV and level Vb were both concerned by 5.7% OLNM. Only 2.9% of level IIb contained OLNM. None of the level Va ND revealed OLNM.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>OLNM from PTC occurs commonly in level IIa, III, IV and Vb. Incidence in other levels is low. For surgeons that usually perform PLND, we believe that a selective neck dissection of levels IIa, III, IV and Vb in N0 neck PTC is sufficient for the clearance of occult metastases.</p

Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity Systems and Smoking Behavior: Results from a Genetic Association Study

Smoking behavior is a multifactorial phenotype with significant heritability. Identifying the specific loci that influence smoking behavior could provide important etiological insights and facilitate the development of treatments to further reduce smoking related mortality. Although several studies pointed to different candidate genes for smoking, there is still a need for replication especially in samples from different countries. In the present study, we investigated whether 21 positive signals for smoking behavior from these studies are replicated in a sample of 531 blood donors from the Brazilian population. The polymorphisms were chosen based on their representativeness of different candidate biologic systems, strength of previous evidence, location and allele frequencies. By genotyping with the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform and subsequent statistical analysis using Plink software, we show that two of the SNPs studied, in the SLC1A2 (rs1083658) and ACTN1 (rs2268983) genes, were associated with smoking behavior in our study population. These genes are involved in crucial aspects of nicotine dependence, glutamate system and synaptic plasticity, and as such, are biologically plausible candidates that merit further molecular analyses so as to clarify their potential role in smoking behavior

Tales of migration from the global south. The civilized and uncivilized migrant in the narratives of La Tercera and El Mercurio

Migration is not a new phenomenon in Chile as the country has long seen migrants coming from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Colonial views about race and ethnicity adopted by Latin Americans as part of their class structure (Quijano 2000) established an early differentiation between the “civilized migrant” and the “uncivilized migrant” among groups that arrived on Latin America shores. Chilean news media has echoes of this binary vision between the “civilized = good” migrant and the “uncivilized = bad” migrant. The chapter aims to uncover the narratives of the civilized and uncivilized migrant within the printed news media, particularly in the two major newspapers El Mercurio and La Tercera, by focusing on how these ideas frame the way in which they cover migration.Published versio

Going it alone won’t work! The relational imperative for social innovation in social enterprises

Shifts in the philosophy of the “state” and a growing emphasis on the “Big Society” have placed an increasing onus on a newly emerging organizational form, social enterprises, to deliver innovative solutions to ease societal issues. However, the question of how social enterprises manage the process of social innovation remains largely unexplored. Based on insights from both in-depth interviews and a quantitative empirical study of social enterprises, this research examines the role of stakeholder relationships in supporting the process of social innovation within social enterprises. We find that social enterprises are adept at working with their stakeholders in the ideation stage of social innovation. In contrast, they often fail to harness knowledge and expertise from their partners during the social innovation implementation phase. Consequently, we propose a social innovation–stakeholder relationship matrix that provides social enterprises in particular with insight for developing stakeholder relationships to achieve their social innovation missions

DRD4 Polymorphism Moderates the Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Social Bonding

Development of interpersonal relationships is a fundamental human motivation, and behaviors facilitating social bonding are prized. Some individuals experience enhanced reward from alcohol in social contexts and may be at heightened risk for developing and maintaining problematic drinking. We employed a 3 (group beverage condition) ×2 (genotype) design (N = 422) to test the moderating influence of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 VNTR) polymorphism on the effects of alcohol on social bonding. A significant gene x environment interaction showed that carriers of at least one copy of the 7-repeat allele reported higher social bonding in the alcohol, relative to placebo or control conditions, whereas alcohol did not affect ratings of 7-absent allele carriers. Carriers of the 7-repeat allele were especially sensitive to alcohol's effects on social bonding. These data converge with other recent gene-environment interaction findings implicating the DRD4 polymorphism in the development of alcohol use disorders, and results suggest a specific pathway by which social factors may increase risk for problematic drinking among 7-repeat carriers. More generally, our findings highlight the potential utility of employing transdisciplinary methods that integrate genetic methodologies, social psychology, and addiction theory to improve theories of alcohol use and abuse

Conservazione a lungo termine e certificazione. Lo stato civile in ambiente digitale

Il volume, oltre ad affrontare la complessità propria della gestione della documentazione di stato civile, si caratterizza per la trattazione sistematica di temi di grande attualità: il continuo mutamento dello scenario legislativo in materia di procedimenti amministrativi e di informatizzazione della Pubblica amministrazione; la progressiva sostituzione del documento cartaceo con quello digitale e la trasformazione del concetto di "conservazione permanente" in quello di "conservazione a lungo termine"; l'esplorazione delle potenzialità e dei limiti connaturati alle nuove tecnologie come, ad esempio, nel passaggio dalla tradizionale forma cartacea a quella digitale, il mantenimento dei requisiti di affidabilità, autenticità, accessibilità del documento amministrativo, il trattamento e l'accesso ai dati individuali riservati, il rapporto fra costi e benefici nella gestione della documentazione digitale, la ridefinizione delle responsabilità e dei compiti di alcuni profili professionali, fra i quali l'ufficiale di stato civile, l'archivista e l'esperto informatico. Lo studio è il risultato del lavoro di un gruppo scientifico a carattere multidisciplinare formato da esperti provenienti da differenti ambiti istituzionali pervenuti, attraverso l'impegno comune, alla formulazione di una proposta unitaria e globale, che consente di procedere alla automazione dei registri di stato civile tenendo conto degli aspetti amministrativi, legislativi, normativi, tecnologici ed archivistici del processo, dalla formazione dell'atto di stato civile alla sua conservazione illimitata nel tempo. L'originale proposta di automazione dei registri di stato civile e di conservazione degli atti qui formulata, prende le mosse dalle innovazioni introdotte dal d.p.r. 3 novembre 2000, n. 396, in materia di revisione e semplificazione dell'ordinamento di stato civile, e si struttura in due parti: l'analisi dello scenario esistente, del quadro normativo di riferimento e delle principali criticità del sistema; le proposte di superamento delle criticità e l'elaborazione di un nuovo modello di gestione automatizzato dei flussi, dei registri e dei servizi di stato civile in Italia