Albumin concentrations are primarily determined by the body cell mass and the systemic inflammatory response in cancer patients with weight loss

The association between hypoalbuminemia and poor prognosis in patients with cancer is well recognized. However, the factors that contribute to the fall in albumin concentrations are not well understood. In the present study, we examined the relationship between circulating albumin concentrations, weight loss, the body cell mass (measured using total body potassium), and the presence of an inflammatory response (measured using C- reactive protein) in male patients (n=40) with advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Albumin concentrations were significantly correlated with the percent ideal body weight (r=0.390, p lt 0.05), extent of reported weight loss (r=-0.492, p lt 0.01), percent predicted total body potassium (adjusted for age, height, and weight, r=0.686, p lt 0.001), and logo C-reactive protein concentrations (r=-0.545, p lt 0.001). On multiple regression analysis, the percent predicted total body potassium and log(10) C-reactive protein concentrations accounted for 63% of the variation in albumin concentrations (r(2) = 0.626, p lt 0.001). The interrelationship between albumin, body cell mass, and the inflammatory response is consistent with the concept that the presence of an ongoing inflammatory response contributes to the progressive loss of these vital protein components of the body and the subsequent death of patients with advanced cancer

Las dimensiones culturales y la interacción entre el desempeño empresarial en las pequeñas y medianas empresas en Zimbabwe

Although culture is generally considered as a determinant of entrepreneurship, consensus is generally lacking on the precise influence of this variable on entrepreneurial performance in emerging economies. Using a quantitative approach, this confirmatory, cross-disciplinary study sought to investigate the effect of cultural dimensions, on entrepreneurial performance of among Small and Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe. The independent variables were derived primarily from Hofstede's cultural dimensions and a total of 250 questionnaires were distributed to Small and Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe. The research adopted a multisector approach and respondents were drawn from the ten provinces of Zimbabwe. To confirm the existence of a relationship between cultural dimensions and entrepreneurial performance, structural equation modeling, a confirmatory, multivariate technique, was employed, starting with representing the causal relationships between these variables in a pictorial form. The findings from this research are consistent with the propositions that the dimensions of culture have a significant and positive influence on entrepreneurial performance. The results also affirm the findings of previous studies that have been carried out on the influence of culture on entrepreneurial performance. Over and above the generic dimensions of culture, this study adds the mediating role of the propensity to act and perceived feasibility.Aunque generalmente se considera que la cultura es un factor determinante de la capacidad empresarial, generalmente no se cuenta con el consenso sobre la influencia precisa de esta variable en el desempeño empresarial en las economías emergentes. Utilizando un enfoque cuantitativo, este estudio confirmatorio y multidisciplinario buscó investigar el efecto de las dimensiones culturales sobre el desempeño empresarial de las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas en Zimbabwe. Las variables independientes se derivaron principalmente de las dimensiones culturales de Hofstede y un total de 250 cuestionarios fueron distribuidos a Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas en Zimbabwe. La investigación adoptó un enfoque multisectorial y los encuestados fueron extraídos de las diez provincias de Zimbabwe. Para confirmar la existencia de una relación entre las dimensiones culturales y el desempeño empresarial, se empleó el modelado de ecuaciones estructurales, una técnica confirmatoria y multivariada, comenzando por representar las relaciones causales entre estas variables en forma pictórica. Los hallazgos de esta investigación son consistentes con las proposiciones de que las dimensiones de la cultura tienen una influencia significativa y positiva en el desempeño empresarial. Los resultados también confirman los hallazgos de estudios previos que se han llevado a cabo sobre la influencia de la cultura en el desempeño empresarial. Más allá de las dimensiones genéricas de la cultura, este estudio agrega el papel mediador de la propensión a actuar y la viabilidad percibida

Organic food and farming research needs in the UK:A report on a stakeholder participatory consultation process

During 2005 Defra commissioned a study to identify and analyse issues and aspirations that organic stakeholders felt should be addressed by publicly funded organic food and farming research in the UK. How this was undertaken is presented in this paper. A series of 12 workshops were undertaken with stakeholders throughout the UK. Nearly 300 stakeholders attended the workshops. These workshops used participatory approaches to identify and record the most important issues and aspirations from those attending. The use of a highly participatory style was greatly appreciated by stakeholders. In most cases the interaction between stakeholders worked well and resulted in lively discussions. The workshops have served to open up a useful dialogue between groups of stakeholders who do not normally communicate directly. They have produced a significant number of interesting and challenging issues and aspirations

First Fruits of the Spitzer Space Telescope: Galactic and Solar System Studies

This article provides a brief overview of the Spitzer Space Telescope and discusses its initial scientific results on galactic and solar system science.Comment: Review article to appear in slightly different format in Vol.44 of Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 200

Methodological bias in cluster randomised trials

Background: Cluster randomised trials can be susceptible to a range of methodological problems. These problems are not commonly recognised by many researchers. In this paper we discuss the issues that can lead to bias in cluster trials. Methods: We used a sample of cluster randomised trials from a recent review and from a systematic review of hip protectors. We compared the mean age of participants between intervention groups in a sample of 'good' cluster trials with a sample of potentially biased trials. We also compared the effect sizes, in a funnel plot, between hip protector trials that used individual randomisation compared with those that used cluster randomisation. Results: There is a tendency for cluster trials, with evidence methodological biases, to also show an age imbalance between treatment groups. In a funnel plot we show that all cluster trials show a large positive effect of hip protectors whilst individually randomised trials show a range of positive and negative effects, suggesting that cluster trials may be producing a biased estimate of effect. Conclusion: Methodological biases in the design and execution of cluster randomised trials is frequent. Some of these biases associated with the use of cluster designs can be avoided through careful attention to the design of cluster trials. Firstly, if possible, individual allocation should be used. Secondly, if cluster allocation is required, then ideally participants should be identified before random allocation of the clusters. Third, if prior identification is not possible, then an independent recruiter should be used to recruit participants

Contrasting Micro/Nano Architecture on Termite Wings: Two Divergent Strategies for Optimising Success of Colonisation Flights

Many termite species typically fly during or shortly after rain periods. Local precipitation will ensure water will be present when establishing a new colony after the initial flight. Here we show how different species of termite utilise two distinct and contrasting strategies for optimising the success of the colonisation flight. Nasutitermes sp. and Microcerotermes sp. fly during rain periods and adopt hydrophobic structuring/‘technologies’ on their wings to contend with a moving canvas of droplets in daylight hours. Schedorhinotermes sp. fly after rain periods (typically at night) and thus do not come into contact with mobile droplets. These termites, in contrast, display hydrophilic structuring on their wings with a small scale roughness which is not dimensionally sufficient to introduce an increase in hydrophobicity. The lack of hydrophobicity allows the termite to be hydrophilicly captured at locations where water may be present in large quantities; sufficient for the initial colonization period. The high wettability of the termite cuticle (Schedorhinotermes sp.) indicates that the membrane has a high surface energy and thus will also have strong attractions with solid particles. To investigate this the termite wings were also interacted with both artificial and natural contaminants in the form of hydrophilic silicon beads of various sizes, 4 µm C18 beads and three differently structured pollens. These were compared to the superhydrophobic surface of the planthopper (Desudaba psittacus) and a native Si wafer surface. The termite cuticle demonstrated higher adhesive interactions with all particles in comparison to those measured on the plant hopper

Non-Redundant Spectral Dimensionality Reduction

Spectral dimensionality reduction algorithms are widely used in numerous domains, including for recognition, segmentation, tracking and visualization. However, despite their popularity, these algorithms suffer from a major limitation known as the "repeated Eigen-directions" phenomenon. That is, many of the embedding coordinates they produce typically capture the same direction along the data manifold. This leads to redundant and inefficient representations that do not reveal the true intrinsic dimensionality of the data. In this paper, we propose a general method for avoiding redundancy in spectral algorithms. Our approach relies on replacing the orthogonality constraints underlying those methods by unpredictability constraints. Specifically, we require that each embedding coordinate be unpredictable (in the statistical sense) from all previous ones. We prove that these constraints necessarily prevent redundancy, and provide a simple technique to incorporate them into existing methods. As we illustrate on challenging high-dimensional scenarios, our approach produces significantly more informative and compact representations, which improve visualization and classification tasks