The Compliance Problem in the European Union. EIPAScope 2006(1):pp. 12-18

The European Union has an implementation “deficit”. The measures adopted by the EU are not always applied – or are not applied correctly – by all Member States. This is a serious problem. If a culture of compliance is to be fostered in the EU, Member States would need to learn from the experience of those Member States that appear to be more successful at complying with EU rules. At the same time they should learn about the “typical” mistakes made by Member States so as to avoid them. The Commission is naturally placed to identify both “good” and “bad” practices and promote “best” practices

The c2d Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey Of Ices Around Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects. I. H2O And The 5-8 Mu M Bands

To study the physical and chemical evolution of ices in solar-mass systems, a spectral survey is conducted of a sample of 41 low-luminosity YSOs (L similar to 0.1-10 L-circle dot) using 3-38 mu m Spitzer and ground-based spectra. The sample is complemented with previously published Spitzer spectra of background stars and with ISO spectra of well-studied massive YSOs (L similar to 10(5) L-circle dot). The long-known 6.0 and 6.85 mu m bands are detected toward all sources, with the Class 0-type YSOs showing the deepest bands ever observed. The 6.0 mu m band is often deeper than expected from the bending mode of pure solid H2O. The additional 5-7 mu m absorption consists of five independent components, which, by comparison to laboratory studies, must be from at least eight different carriers. Much of this absorption is due to simple species likely formed by grain surface chemistry, at abundances of 1%-30% for CH3OH, 3%-8% for NH3, 1%-5% for HCOOH, similar to 6% for H2CO, and similar to 0.3% for HCOO- relative to solid H2O. The 6.85 mu m band has one or two carriers, of which one may be less volatile than H2O. Its carrier(s) formed early in the molecular cloud evolution and do not survive in the diffuse ISM. If an NH4+- containing salt is the carrier, its abundance relative to solid H2O is similar to 7%, demonstrating the efficiency of low-temperature acid-base chemistry or cosmic-ray-induced reactions. Possible origins are discussed for enigmatic, very broad absorption between 5 and 8 mu m. Finally, the same ices are observed toward massive and low-mass YSOs, indicating that processing by internal UV radiation fields is a minor factor in their early chemical evolution.NWO SpinozaNOVAEuropean Research Training Network PLANETS HPRN-CT-2002-00308NASA Origins NAG5-13050NASA Hubble Fellowship 01201.01NASA NAS 5-26555Astronom

The c2d Spitzer spectroscopic survey of ices around low-mass young stellar objects II: CO2

This paper presents Spitzer-IRS spectroscopy of the CO2 15.2 micron bending mode toward a sample of 50 embedded low-mass stars in nearby star-forming clouds, taken mostly from the ``Cores to Disks (c2d)'' Legacy program. The average abundance of solid CO2 relative to water in low-mass protostellar envelopes is 0.32 +/- 0.02, significantly higher than that found in quiescent molecular clouds and in massive star forming regions. It is found that a decomposition of all the observed CO2 bending mode profiles requires a minimum of five unique components. Roughly 2/3 of the CO2 ice is found in a water-rich environment, while most of the remaining 1/3 is found in a CO environment. Ground-based observations of solid CO toward a large subset of the c2d sample are used to further constrain the CO2:CO component and suggest a model in which low-density clouds form the CO2:H2O component and higher density clouds form the CO2:CO ice during and after the freeze-out of gas-phase CO. It is suggested that the subsequent evolution of the CO2 and CO profiles toward low-mass protostars, in particular the appearance of the splitting of the CO2 bending mode due to pure, crystalline CO2, is first caused by distillation of the CO2:CO component through evaporation of CO due to thermal processing to ~20-30 K in the inner regions of infalling envelopes. The formation of pure CO2 via segregation from the H2O rich mantle may contribute to the band splitting at higher levels of thermal processing (>50 K), but is harder to reconcile with the physical structure of protostellar envelopes around low-luminosity objects.Comment: Accepted for Ap

Taloside inhibitors of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3.

Galectin-1 and galectin-3 have roles in cancer and inflammation. Galectin-1 has recently emerged as a significant protein produced by tumour cells to promote tumour development, angiogenesis and metastasis and consequently represents an important target to inhibit. The design of inhibitors targeting the carbohydrate recognition domain that is known to recognise galactose is an important approach in the fight against cancer. Based on analysis of crystal structures, we pursued the concept that if the galactose were to be replaced with talose (the C2 epimer of galactose) as a scaffold, then O2 substituents would be directed closer to the protein surface and provide opportunity to design inhibitors that are more specific toward particular galectins. Our elucidation of X-ray crystal structures of two of our synthesised talosides in complex with galectin-1 and galectin-3 provide the first atomic information on the interactions of galectins, and indeed any protein, with talosides. These results have enabled a structure-based rationale for the specificity differences shown by galectin-1 and galectin-3 toward these talosides and demonstrate new opportunities for further exploitation as specific inhibitors of galectins

Singlet Oxygen Insertion into Hydrocarbons: The Role of First- and Second-Generation Pathways in Astronomically Relevant Ices

Complex organic molecules are widespread in different areas of the interstellar medium, including cold areas such as molecular clouds where chemical reactions occur in ice. The underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the observed rich chemistry are still not understood. O(1D) atom reactions provide a pathway for chemical complexity even in cold areas, as the reactions are typically barrierless, and O(1D) is a photofragmented product of astronomically relevant ices such as CO2. In this work, we use quantum chemistry methods to model reactions in astronomical ices containing oxygen with small C1 and C2 hydrocarbons in the presence of UV radiation. Our results demonstrate that the underlying molecular mechanism of reactions in ice includes the oxygen insertion reaction (first-generation reactions), photofragmentation of products and radical recombination reactions (second-generation reactions). The mechanism explains the formation of formaldehyde in methane ice, acetaldehyde in ethane ice, CO in acetylene ice and the consumption of alcohol in all systems. This work demonstrates the important role of first- and second-generation reactions in the unique chemical processes in astronomical ices; where basic molecular building blocks are fragmented and recombined into new molecules resulting in enhanced chemical complexity

European Association for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) guidelines for palliative care in adults with glioma

Patients with glioma present with complex palliative care needs throughout their disease trajectory. The life-limiting nature of gliomas and the presence of specific symptoms related to neurological deterioration necessitate an appropriate and early palliative care approach. The multidisciplinary palliative care task force of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology did a systematic review of the available scientific literature to formulate the best possible evidence-based recommendations for the palliative care of adult patients with glioma, with the aim to reduce symptom burden and improve the quality of life of patients and their caregivers, particularly in the end-of-life phase. When recommendations could not be made because of the scarcity of evidence, the task force either used evidence from studies of patients with systemic cancer or formulated expert opinion. Areas of palliative care that currently lack evidence and thus deserve attention for further research are fatigue, disorders of behaviour and mood, interventions for the needs of caregivers, and timing of advance care planning