A New Kind of Finance

Finance has benefited from the Wolfram's NKS approach but it can and will benefit even more in the future, and the gains from the influence may actually be concentrated among practitioners who unintentionally employ those principles as a group.Comment: 13 pages; Forthcoming in "Irreducibility and Computational Equivalence: 10 Years After Wolfram's A New Kind of Science," Hector Zenil, ed., Springer Verlag, 201

Strategies for Successfully Settling Farmers in South Africa

The South African government initiated the land reform program in 1994, which is facilitated by the Department of Land Affairs. The land reform programme has three divisions, namely redistribution, restitution and land tenure. The main objectives of land reform since its inception are poverty alleviation, justice, food security, rural transformation, economic growth and to readdress the landless, the poor, women, the disposed and the previously disadvantaged to acquire land. The question can be asked: Has land reform achieved its goals in the past 10 years since its inception? This paper outlines the concept of a strategic approach as described by Nell and. Napier (2005) to help successfully establish farmers in South Africa and also other strategies that the government can adopt to settle farmers successfully.land reform, strategic approach, emerging farmers, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, Land Economics/Use,

Splenic CD8(+) T cells secrete TGF-beta 1 to exert suppression in mice with anterior chamber-associated immune deviation

Background CD8(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) have been considered to be involved in a model of ocular-induced tolerance, known as anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID). The mechanisms of suppression by CD8(+) T cells in ACAID remain only poorly understood. TGF-beta 1 is considered as an inhibitory cytokine for immunosuppression in some models. The production of TGF-beta 1 by CD8(+) T cells in ACAID, and whether CD8+ T cells exert suppression through TGF-beta 1, is unknown. Methods The suppressive effect of CD8(+) T cells in ACAID mice was determined by a local adoptive transfer (LAT) assay. The production of TGF-beta 1 by CD8(+) T cells was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Anti-TGF-beta 1 antibodies were used in the LAT assay to test if they could block the inhibitory effect of CD8(+) T cells. Results CD8(+) T cells from ACAID mice were shown to block the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response in an antigen-specific manner in a LAT assay. These CD8+ T cells secreted TGF-beta 1, and their suppression could partially be blocked by anti-TGF-beta 1 antibodies. Conclusions Our study confirms that CD8+ T cells from ACAID mice possess inhibitory properties. This population exerts part of its suppressive function via the production of TGF-beta 1

Technical reference: Seventh biennial conference of research on the Colorado Plateau

Seventh Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Platea

Michael McCartan’s Books Luminary or Lunatic?

Esta é a primeira tentativa de inserir a figura do Padre Michael John McCartan na cartografia dos capelães irlandeses em Argentina, sob a liderança do reconhecido Padre Anthony Fahy, líder da comunidade irlandesa nesse país. O objetivo deste artigo é motivar jovens historiadores a buscar mais informações e contextualizar as ações do Padre McCartan na América Latina do século XIX. Esta é uma pesquisa em andamento e agradecemos a Roberto di Stefano por sua generosa ajuda neste tema e por providenciar para Edward Walsh uma cópia da carta de McCartan que se encontra no Museu Mitre, em Buenos Aires.This is a first attempt to put Fr. Michael John McCartan in the cartography of the Irish chaplains in Argentina under the shadow of Fr. Anthony Fahy, a renowned priest leader of the Irish community in that country. The aim of this article is to motivate historians to look for more information and contextualize McCartan’s actions and impact in the diasporic Irish communities of nineteenth-century Latin America. This is a work-in-progress, and we are indebted to Roberto di Stefano for his generous assistance with this topic and for providing Edward Walsh with a copy of McCartan’s opus in the Mitre Museum, Buenos Aires

Review Protocol – Final: Do thinning and/or burning treatments on ponderosa pine and related forests in western USA produce restoration of natural fire behaviour?

The aim of this review is to investigate whether thinning and/or burning treatments on ponderosa pine and related forests in western USA produce restoration of natural fire behaviour

Clinical characteristics and causes of heart failure, adherence to treatment guidelines, and mortality of patients with acute heart failure: Experience at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Background. There is limited information on acute heart failure (AHF) and its treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective. To describe the clinical characteristics and causes of heart failure (HF), adherence to HF treatment guidelines, and mortality of patients with AHF presenting to Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town, South Africa.Methods. This sub-study of The Sub-Saharan Africa Survey of Heart Failure (THESUS-HF) was a prospective and observational survey that focused on the enrolment and follow-up of additional patients with AHF presenting to GSH and entered into the existing registry after publication of the primary THESUS-HF article in 2012. The patients were classified into prevalent (existing) or incident (new) cases of HF.Results. Of the 119 patients included, 69 (58.0%) were female and the mean (standard deviation) age was 49.9 (16.3) years. The majority of prevalent cases were patients of mixed ancestry (63.3%), and prevalent cases had more hypertension (70.0%), diabetes mellitus (36.7%), hyperlipidaemia (33.3%) and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) (36.7%) than incident cases. The top five causes of HF were cardiomyopathy (20.2%), IHD (19.3%), rheumatic valvular heart disease (RHD) (18.5%), cor pulmonale (11.8%) and hypertension (10.1%), with the remaining 20.1% consisting of miscellaneous causes including pericarditis, toxins and congenital heart disease. Most patients received renin-angiotensin system blockers and loop diuretics on discharge. There was a low rate of beta-blocker, aldosterone antagonist and digoxin use. Rehospitalisation within 180 days occurred in 25.2% of cases. In-hospital mortality was 8.4% and the case fatality rate at 6 months was 26.1%.Conclusion. In Cape Town, the main causes of AHF are cardiomyopathy, IHD and RHD. AHF affects a young population and is associated with a high rate of rehospitalisation and mortality. There is serious under-use of beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists and digoxin. Emphasis on the rigorous application of treatment guidelines is needed to reduce readmission and mortality