Due process paranoia in arbitral proceedings: Myth or reality?

Arbitration is a means of resolving disputes pursuant to an arbitration agreement. It is driven essentially by the ‘principle of party autonomy’ under which the parties are free to agree on how the arbitral proceedings are to be conducted subject to mandatory legal provisions. The arbitral tribunal is duty bound to maintain a delicate balance between the parties, ensure procedural fairness and publish a legally enforceable award. Any infraction of this duty may lead to applications made to court to challenge the award. This creates apprehension, anxiety and fear in the mind of the arbitrator – due process paranoia. Is the paranoia real or imaginary

Safety and immunogenicity of inactivated poliovirus vaccine when given with measles–rubella combined vaccine and yellow fever vaccine and when given via diff erent administration routes: a phase 4, randomised, non-inferiority trial in The Gambia

Background The introduction of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) represents a crucial step in the polio eradication endgame. This trial examined the safety and immunogenicity of IPV given alongside the measles–rubella and yellow fever vaccines at 9 months and when given as a full or fractional dose using needle and syringe or disposable-syringe jet injector. Methods We did a phase 4, randomised, non-inferiority trial at three periurban government clinics in west Gambia. Infants aged 9–10 months who had already received oral poliovirus vaccine were randomly assigned to receive the IPV, measles–rubella, and yellow fever vaccines, singularly or in combination. Separately, IPV was given as a full intramuscular or fractional intradermal dose by needle and syringe or disposable-syringe jet injector at a second visit. The primary outcomes were seroprevalence rates for poliovirus 4–6 weeks post-vaccination and the rate of seroconversion between baseline and post-vaccination serum samples for measles, rubella, and yellow fever; and the post-vaccination antibody titres generated against each component of the vaccines. We did a per-protocol analysis with a non-inferiority margin of 10% for poliovirus seroprevalence and measles, rubella, and yellow fever seroconversion, and (⅓) log2 for log2-transformed antibody titres. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01847872. Findings Between July 10, 2013, and May 8, 2014, we assessed 1662 infants for eligibility, of whom 1504 were enrolled into one of seven groups for vaccine interference and one of four groups for fractional dosing and alternative route of administration. The rubella and yellow fever antibody titres were reduced by co-administration but the seroconversion rates achieved non-inferiority in both cases (rubella, –4·5% [95% CI –9·5 to –0·1]; yellow fever, 1·2% [–2·9 to 5·5]). Measles and poliovirus responses were unaff ected (measles, 6·8% [95% CI –1·4 to 14·9]; poliovirus serotype 1, 1·6% [–6·7 to 4·7]; serotype 2, 0·0% [–2·1 to 2·1]; serotype 3, 0·0% [–3·8 to 3·9]). Poliovirus seroprevalence was universally high (>97%) after vaccination, but the antibody titres generated by fractional intradermal doses of IPV did not achieve non-inferiority compared with full dose. The number of infants who seroconverted or had a four-fold rise in titres was also lower by the intradermal route. There were no safety concerns. Interpretation The data support the future co-administration of IPV, measles–rubella, and yellow fever vaccines within the Expanded Programme on Immunization schedule at 9 months. The administration of single fractional intradermal doses of IPV by needle and syringe or disposable-syringe jet injector compromises the immunity generated, although it results in a high post-vaccination poliovirus seroprevalence

Evaluation of changes to work patterns in multidisciplinary cancer team meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic: A national mixed-method survey study

Background It is not well understood the overall changes that multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) have had to make in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the impact that such changes, in addition to the other challenges faced by MDTs, have had on decision-making, communication, or participation in the context of MDT meetings specifically. Methods This was a mixed method, prospective cross-sectional survey study taking place in the United Kingdom between September 2020 and August 2021. Results The participants were 423 MDT members. Qualitative findings revealed hybrid working and possibility of virtual attendance as the change introduced because of COVID-19 that MDTs would like to maintain. However, IT-related issues, slower meetings, longer lists and delays were identified as common with improving of the IT infrastructure necessary going forward. In contrast, virtual meetings and increased attendance/availability of clinicians were highlighted as the positive outcomes resulting from the change. Quantitative findings showed significant improvement from before COVID-19 for MDT meeting organisation and logistics (M = 45, SD = 20) compared to the access (M = 50, SD = 12, t(390) = 5.028, p = 0.001), case discussions (M = 50, SD = 14, t(373) = −5.104, p = 0.001), and patient representation (M = 50, SD = 12, t(382) = −4.537, p = 0.001) at MDT meetings. Discussion Our study explored the perception of change since COVID-19 among cancer MDTs using mixed methods. While hybrid working was preferred, challenges exist. Significant improvements in the meeting organisation and logistics were reported. Although we found no significant perceived worsening across the four domains investigated, there was an indication in this direction for the case discussions warranting further ‘live’ assessments of MDT meetings

Structural and spectroscopic characterisation of a heme peroxidase from sorghum

A cationic class III peroxidase from Sorghum bicolor was purified to homogeneity. The enzyme contains a high-spin heme, as evidenced by UV-visible spectroscopy and EPR. Steady state oxidation of guaiacol was demonstrated and the enzyme was shown to have higher activity in the presence of calcium ions. A Fe(III)/Fe(II) reduction potential of -266 mV vs NHE was determined. Stopped-flow experiments with H2O2 showed formation of a typical peroxidase Compound I species, which converts to Compound II in the presence of calcium. A crystal structure of the enzyme is reported, the first for a sorghum peroxidase. The structure reveals an active site that is analogous to those for other class I heme peroxidase, and a substrate binding site (assigned as arising from binding of indole-3-acetic acid) at the γ-heme edge. Metal binding sites are observed in the structure on the distal (assigned as a Na(+) ion) and proximal (assigned as a Ca(2+)) sides of the heme, which is consistent with the Ca(2+)-dependence of the steady state and pre-steady state kinetics. It is probably the case that the structural integrity (and, thus, the catalytic activity) of the sorghum enzyme is dependent on metal ion incorporation at these positions

An exporatory study of depression in adolescents placed in residential treatment centers

Concerned that depression might be a common malady among youth who are placed in treatment centers for delinquents, we undertook an exploratory study to determine the validity of this premise. The authors of this study have all worked with youth who, for various reasons, have been placed in residential treatment centers. The authors have observed that symptoms of depression seem to be more prevalent in these youth than in non-institutionalized adolescents, and that these symptoms are often perceived as individual pathology rather than emotional responses common to institutionalized youth. We thus began questioning if these were common emotional responses, and if they were common in males and females in a number of treatment centers. We were interested in knowing if the youth do in fact become more, depressed after being admitted to a treatment center, and if they do, at what point in their stay at the center this occurs

Strain mapping by diffraction imaging

A novel method applying a micro-channel plate as collimator in front of a position sensitive detector (CCD-camera) allows the imaging of large areas (≈1 cm2) of polycrystalline materials using the diffracted radiation. Using this set-up the spatially resolved intensity of selected reflections can be measured with exposure times in the order of seconds. This method has successfully been applied to study lattice spacing and orientation as function of position in the specimen in order to reveal the influence of the surrounding and the impact of processing parameters