Earnings, education and experience

Education ; Wages

Reflecting on loss in Papua New Guinea

This article takes up the conundrum of conducting anthropological fieldwork with people who claim that they have 'lost their culture,' as is the case with Suau people in the Massim region of Papua New Guinea. But rather than claiming culture loss as a process of dispossession, Suau claim it as a consequence of their own attempts to engage with colonial interests. Suau appear to have responded to missionization and their close proximity to the colonial-era capital by jettisoning many of the practices characteristic of Massim societies, now identified as 'kastom.' The rejection of kastom in order to facilitate their relations with Europeans during colonialism, followed by the mourning for kastom after independence, both invite consideration of a kind of reflexivity that requires action based on the presumed perspective of another

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Two-Season ACTPol Lensing Power Spectrum

We report a measurement of the power spectrum of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing from two seasons of Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) CMB data. The CMB lensing power spectrum is extracted from both temperature and polarization data using quadratic estimators. We obtain results that are consistent with the expectation from the best-fit Planck LCDM model over a range of multipoles L=80-2100, with an amplitude of lensing A_lens = 1.06 +/- 0.15 (stat.) +/- 0.06 (sys.) relative to Planck. Our measurement of the CMB lensing power spectrum gives sigma_8 Omega_m^0.25 = 0.643 +/- 0.054; including baryon acoustic oscillation scale data, we constrain the amplitude of density fluctuations to be sigma_8 = 0.831 +/- 0.053. We also update constraints on the neutrino mass sum. We verify our lensing measurement with a number of null tests and systematic checks, finding no evidence of significant systematic errors. This measurement relies on a small fraction of the ACTPol data already taken; more precise lensing results can therefore be expected from the full ACTPol dataset.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, to be submitted to Physical Review

Sex-Based Differences in Outcomes Following Peripheral Artery Revascularization: Insights From VOYAGER PAD.

Background Despite high female prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD), little is known about sex-based outcomes after lower extremity revascularization (LER) for symptomatic PAD. The effects of rivaroxaban according to sex following LER have not been fully reported. Methods and Results In VOYAGER PAD (Vascular Outcomes Study of ASA [acetylsalicylic acid] Along with Rivaroxaban in Endovascular or Surgical Limb Revascularization for Peripheral Artery Disease), low-dose rivaroxaban versus placebo on a background of aspirin reduced the composite primary efficacy outcome of cardiovascular and limb events in patients with PAD undergoing LER. Unplanned index limb revascularization was prespecified and prospectively ascertained. The primary safety outcome was Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction major bleeding. Analyses of outcomes and treatment effects by sex were performed using Cox proportional hazards models. Among 6564 randomly assigned patients followed for a median of 28 months, 1704 (26.0%) were women. Among patients administered placebo, women were at similar risk for the primary efficacy outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.90; [95% CI, 0.74-1.09]; P=0.29) as men, while female sex was associated with a trend toward higher risk of unplanned index limb revascularization (HR, 1.18; [95% CI, 1.00-1.40]; P=0.0499). Irrespective of sex, effects of rivaroxaban were consistent for the primary efficacy outcome (P-interaction=0.22), unplanned index limb revascularization (P-interaction=0.64), and bleeding (P-interaction=0.61). Women were more likely than men to discontinue study treatment (HR, 1.13; [95% CI, 1.03-1.25]; P=0.0099). Conclusions Among >1700 women with PAD undergoing LER, women and men were at similar risk for the primary outcome, but a trend for greater risk of unplanned index limb revascularization among women was observed. Effects of rivaroxaban were consistent by sex, though women more often discontinued treatment. Better understanding of sex-based outcomes and treatment adherence following LER is needed. Registration URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02504216

Erratum to 'Exploring the cost-effectiveness of high versus low perioperative fraction of inspired oxygen in the prevention of surgical site infections among abdominal surgery patients in three low- and middle-income countries' [BJA Open 7 (2023) 100207]

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Threshold of Toxicological Concern - an update for non-genotoxic carcinogens

The Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) concept can be applied to organic compounds with known chemical structure to derive a threshold for exposure below which a toxic effect on human health by the compound is not expected. The TTC concept distinguishes between carcinogens that may act as genotoxic and non-genotoxic compounds. A positive prediction of a genotoxic mode of action, either by structural alerts or experimental data, leads to the application of the threshold value for genotoxic compounds. Non-genotoxic substances are assigned to the TTC value of their respective Cramer class even though it is recognized that they could test positive in a rodent cancer bioassay. This study investigated the applicability of the Cramer classes specifically to provide adequate protection for non-genotoxic carcinogens. For this purpose, benchmark dose levels based on tumour incidence were compared with no observed effect levels (NOEL) derived from non-, pre- or neoplastic lesions. One key aspect was the categorization of compounds as non-genotoxic carcinogens. The recently finished CEFIC LRI project B18 classified the carcinogens of the CPDB as either non- or genotoxic compounds based on experimental or in silico data. A detailed consistency check resulted in a data set of 137 non-genotoxic organic compounds. For these 137 compounds, NOEL values were derived from high quality animal studies with oral exposure and chronic duration using well known repositories including RepDose, ToxRef and COSMOS DB. Further, an effective tumour dose (ETD10) was calculated and compared to the lower confidence limit on benchmark dose levels (BMDL10) derived by model averaging. Comparative analysis of NOEL/EDT10/BMDL10 values showed that potentially bioaccumulative compounds in humans, as well as steroids, which both belong to the exclusion categories, occur predominantly in region of the 5th percentiles of the distributions. Excluding these 25 compounds resulted in significantly higher, but comparable 5th percentile chronic NOEL and BMDL10 values, while the 5th percentile EDT10 value was slightly higher, but not statistically significant. The comparison of the obtained distributions of NOELs with the existing Cramer classes and their derived TTC values supports the application of Cramer class thresholds to all non genotoxic compounds, including non_genotoxic carcinogens

‘Paying Attention’ in a Digital Economy: Reflections on the Role of Analysis and Judgement Within Contemporary Discourses of Mindfulness and Comparisons with Classical Buddhist Accounts of Sati

This chapter examines the question of the role of intellectual analysis and ethical judgement in ancient Indian Buddhist accounts of sati and contemporary discourses about ‘mindfulness’. Attention is paid to the role of paññ? (Sanskrit: prajñ?: ‘wisdom’ or ‘analytical insight’) and ethical reflection in the cultivation of sati in mainstream Abhidharma and early Mah?y?na philosophical discussions in India, noting the existence of a subordinate strand of Buddhist thought which focuses upon the non-conceptuality of final awakening (bodhi) and the quiescence of mind. Modern discourses of mindfulness are examined in relation to detraditionalization, the global spread of capitalism and widespread adoption of new information technologies. It is argued that analysis of the exponential growth in popularity of ‘mindfulness’ techniques must be linked to an exploration of the modern history of attention, more specifically, the possibility that the use of fast-paced, digital, multimedia technologies is facilitating a demand for fragmented or dispersed attention. It is argued that the fault line between divergent contemporary accounts of mindfulness can be seen most clearly over the issue of the role of ethical judgements and mental ratiocination within mindfulness practice. The two most extreme versions on this spectrum see mindfulness on the one hand as a secular mental technology for calming the mind and reducing stress and discomfort, and on the other as a deeply ethical and experiential realization of the geopolitics of human experience. These, it is suggested, constitute an emerging discursive split in accounts of mindfulness reflective of divergent responses to the social, economic, political and technological changes occurring in relation to the global spread of neoliberal forms of capitalism

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Two-Season ACTPol Spectra and Parameters

We present the temperature and polarization angular power spectra measured by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol). We analyze night-time data collected during 2013-14 using two detector arrays at 149 GHz, from 548 deg$^2$ of sky on the celestial equator. We use these spectra, and the spectra measured with the MBAC camera on ACT from 2008-10, in combination with Planck and WMAP data to estimate cosmological parameters from the temperature, polarization, and temperature-polarization cross-correlations. We find the new ACTPol data to be consistent with the LCDM model. The ACTPol temperature-polarization cross-spectrum now provides stronger constraints on multiple parameters than the ACTPol temperature spectrum, including the baryon density, the acoustic peak angular scale, and the derived Hubble constant. Adding the new data to planck temperature data tightens the limits on damping tail parameters, for example reducing the joint uncertainty on the number of neutrino species and the primordial helium fraction by 20%.Comment: 23 pages, 25 figure

Hate crimes against trans people: assessing emotions, behaviors and attitudes towards criminal justice agencies

Based on a survey of 593 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the United Kingdom, this study shows that direct anti-LGBT hate crimes (measured by direct experiences of victimization) and indirect anti-LGBT hate crimes (measured by personally knowing other victims of hate crime) are highly prolific and frequent experiences for LGBT people. Our findings show that trans people are particularly susceptible to hate crimes, both in terms of prevalence and frequency. This article additionally highlights the negative emotional and (intended) behavioral reactions that were correlated with an imagined hate crime scenario, showing that trans people are more likely to experience heightened levels of threat, vulnerability, and anxiety compared with non-trans LGB people. The study found that trans people are also more likely to feel unsupported by family, friends, and society for being LGBT, which was correlated with the frequency of direct (verbal) abuse they had previously endured. The final part of this study explores trans people’s confidence levels in the Government, the police, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in relation to addressing hate crime. In general, trans people felt that the police are not effective at policing anti-LGBT hate crime, and they are not respectful toward them as victims; this was especially true where individuals had previous contact with the police. Respondents were also less confident in the CPS to prosecute anti-LGBT hate crimes, though the level of confidence was slightly higher when respondents had direct experience with the CPS. The empirical evidence presented here supports the assertion that all LGBT people, but particularly trans individuals, continue to be denied equal participation in society due to individual, social, and structural experiences of prejudice. The article concludes by arguing for a renewed policy focus that must address this issue as a public health problem

N6-Methyladenosine Inhibits Local Ribonucleolytic Cleavage to Stabilize mRNAs in Arabidopsis

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a dynamic, reversible, covalently modified ribonucleotide that occurs predominantly toward 30 ends of eukaryotic mRNAs and is essential for their proper function and regulation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, many RNAs contain at least one m6A site, yet the transcriptome-wide function of m6A remains mostly unknown. Here, we show that manym6A-modified mRNAs in Arabidopsis have reduced abundance in the absence of this mark. The decrease in abundance is due to transcript destabilization caused by cleavage occurring 4 or 5 nt directly upstream of unmodified m6A sites. Importantly, we also find that, upon agriculturally relevant salt treatment, m6A is dynamically deposited on and stabilizes transcripts encoding proteins required for salt and osmotic stress response. Overall, our findings reveal that m6A generally acts as a stabilizing mark through inhibition of site-specific cleavage in plant transcriptomes, and this mechanism is required for proper regulation of the salt-stress-responsive transcriptome