Severe cytomegalovirus gastritis during natalizumab-mediated immunosuppression

We report a 35-year-old female receiving natalizumab as monotherapy for multiple sclerosis who subsequently developed severe cytomegalovirus gastritis. As cytomegalovirus gastritis has not been previously described during natalizumab treatment, we discuss the biological plausibility of this potential association and avenues for further study

Proteomics in the Light of Integral Value Transformations

In this paper, Proteomics have been studied in the light of Integral Value Transformations (IVTs) which was introduced by Sk. S. Hassan et al in 2010. For case study, a Human olfactory receptor OR1D2 protein sequence has been taken and then different IVTs have been used to evolve OR1D2 into some other proteomic like sequences. It has been observed that some of the generated sequences have been mapped to another olfactory receptor in Human or in some other species. Also it has been corroborated through fractal dimension that some of the fundamental protein properties have been nearly intact, even after the mapping. This study will help to comprehend the proteomic evolutionary network with the help of IVTs

An environmental accounting approach to valuing the services of natural forests and woodlands in Swaziland

Economists and statisticians constructing the national income accounts usually overlook the many benefits derived by communities from natural forests and woodlands. This study attempted to impute a value for the ecosystem services of these resources in Swaziland employing an environmental accounting framework. The current measure of national income was found to underestimate GDP by 2% and under value national savings by 10% by not accounting for the flow and asset values of natural forests and woodlands. The study also revealed a very high dependence of the rural communities in Swaziland on natural forests and woodlands for their livelihoods as they derive more than 50% of the value of total household consumption expenditure from these resources. These results clearly indicate the significant contribution to and crucial role these resources play in the lives and wellbeing of the Swazi people and hence the importance of prudent management and utilisation of this resource sector.Environmental Economics and Policy,

The Impact of Central American Free Trade Area (CAFTA) on the United States sugar market

This paper tries to estimate the impact of establishment of CAFTA on the United States sugar market. We use the United States sugar demand elasticity and the amount of increase in the U.S. sugar import quota under CAFTA agreement to estimate the magnitude of this effect. This study shows that these increased imports will result in a decrease in the U.S. domestic sugar price of about 1.7 cents, or approximately 8.6 percent. Although it amounts to only pennies per pound, this decrease in the domestic price could result in the incursion of significant U.S. government expenditures given the current structure of the U.S. non-recourse loan program.International Relations/Trade,

Macroscopic Anisotropy and Symmetry Breaking in the Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet Gd2_{2}Ti2_{2}O7_{7}}

In the Heisenberg antiferromagnet $Gd_2Ti_2O_7$, the exchange interactions are geometrically frustrated by the pyrochlore lattice structure. This ESR study reveals a strong temperature dependent anisotropy with respect to a [111] body diagonal below a temperature $T_A=80$ K, despite the spin only nature of the $Gd^{3+}$ ion. Anisotropy and symmetry breaking can nevertheless appear through the superexchange interaction. The presence of short range planar correlation restricted to specific Kagom\'{e} planes is sufficient to explain the two ESR modes studied in this work.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

The Secular and the Sacred: Complementary And/or Conflictual?

The issue of the relation of the sacred to the secular has become paramount in virtually every country in the world. From church-state relations in the US, with the debates around abortion and same-sex marriage, to the vitriolic discussions in France over the veil (hijab) sacred-secular, faith-reason, transcendence-imminence -- impacts every aspect of personal, social, and political life. Indeed, the questions often asked are whether Huntington s, Clash of Civilizations is today s reality? Is clash and conflict inevitable? This volume collects papers from scholars from all around the globe and digs into that question. Do the sacred and the secular necessarily end in conflict? Building on scholars such as Charles Taylor, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Jurgen Habermaus, and John Rawls, as well as the world s great religious traditions, the authors assembled here respond with a nuanced, but resounding, NO. A deeper read demands the possibility, indeed, necessity, of complementarity. It has become ever more urgent to discover the proper and complementary relation between the two so that both can be promoted through mutual collaboration. The deeper implications of the discussion can be perceived in many current global problems: cultural identity, multiculturalism, pluralism, nationalism, economic inequality, race, terrorism, migration, public education, and climate change. The volume unfolds in seven sections: Foundations; Sacred and Secular; Complement or Conflict; Hermeneutics; African traditions; South Asian Traditions; Chinese Traditions; and Islamic Traditions. It is fascinating to observe how the various authors grapple with unfolding the relation of sacred/secular, faith/reason, church-mosque/state, transcendence/imminence. The section on Islam illustrates this. These chapters deal with the thorny, usually misunderstood debate between the scholars and those, westerners refer to as fundamentalists or radicals. In the latter, there is no space left to reason, interpretation, or historical criticism. This ugly divide usually emerges in the hot-button issues like the treatment of women and religion-related terrorism. However, these oversimplifications betray the intellectual roots of Islamic tradition. Here the argument is advanced that there are common and multiple meanings of rationality in the Islamic primary sources and that doctrine, the Qur an, and the Sunnah, open considerable space for the rational and the secular in Islamic teachings. Unknown to most in the West, the grappling within Islam goes on. Moreover, the grappling seems to be heating up in all traditions. We are all called to the discussion. Our globe needs it