Rate and duration of hospitalisation for acute pulmonary embolism in the real-world clinical practice of different countries : Analysis from the RIETE registry

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Collisions in outer space produced an icosahedral phase in the Khatyrka meteorite never observed previously in the laboratory

We report the first occurrence of an icosahedral quasicrystal with composition Al_(62.0(8))Cu_(31.2(8))Fe_(6.8(4)), outside the measured equilibrium stability field at standard pressure of the previously reported Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystal (Al_xCu_yFe_z, with x between 61 and 64, y between 24 and 26, z between 12 and 13%). The new icosahedral mineral formed naturally and was discovered in the Khatyrka meteorite, a recently described CV3 carbonaceous chondrite that experienced shock metamorphism, local melting (with conditions exceeding 5 GPa and 1,200 °C in some locations), and rapid cooling, all of which likely resulted from impact-induced shock in space. This is the first example of a quasicrystal composition discovered in nature prior to being synthesized in the laboratory. The new composition was found in a grain that has a separate metal assemblage containing icosahedrite (Al_(63)Cu_(24)Fe_(13)), currently the only other known naturally occurring mineral with icosahedral symmetry (though the latter composition had already been observed in the laboratory prior to its discovery in nature). The chemistry of both the icosahedral phases was characterized by electron microprobe, and the rotational symmetry was confirmed by means of electron backscatter diffraction

From Past to Present: The Deep History of Kinship

The term “deep history” refers to historical accounts framed temporally not by the advent of a written record but by evolutionary events (Smail 2008; Shryock and Smail 2011). The presumption of deep history is that the events of today have a history that traces back beyond written history to events in the evolutionary past. For human kinship, though, even forming a history of kinship, let alone a deep history, remains problematic, given limited, relevant data (Trautman et al. 2011). With regard to a deep history, one conjecture is that human kinship evolved from primate social systems in a gradual, more-or-less continuous manner (see Chapais 2008); another conjecture is that kinship, in accordance with the incest account of Claude Lévi-Strauss (1969) or the fanciful, tetradic account of Nicholas J. Allen (1986), “comes into existence with a leap” (Trautman et al. 2011: 176); and yet another, the account to be developed in this paper, is that kinship, as it is understood and lived by culture bearers today, is the consequence of a profound and qualitative evolutionary transformation going from an ancestral primate-like social system predicated on extensive face-to-face interaction to the relation-based social systems that characterize human societies (Read 2012)

Development of a provisional core set of response measures for clinical trials of systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To develop a provisional core set of response measures for clinical trials of systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium (SCTC) conducted a structured, 3-round Delphi exercise to reach consensus on a core set of measures for clinical trials of SSc. Round 1 asked the SCTC investigators to list items in 11 pre-defined domains (skin, musculoskeletal, cardiac, pulmonary, cardio-pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, Raynaud phenomenon and digital ulcers, health-related quality of life and function, global health, and biomarkers) for SSc clinical trials. Round 2 asked respondents to rate the importance of the chosen items and was followed by a meeting, during which the Steering Committee discussed the feasibility, reliability, redundancy and validity of the items. Round 3 sought to obtain broader consensus on the core set measures. Members also voted on items that had data on feasibility but lacked data on reliability and validity, but may still be useful research outcome measures for future trials. RESULTS: A total of 50 SCTC investigators participated in round 1, providing 212 unique items for the 11 domains. In all, 46 (92%) participants responded in round 2 and rated 177 items. The ratings of 177 items were reviewed by the Steering Committee and 31 items from the 11 domains were judged to be appropriate for inclusion in a 1-year multi-centre clinical trial. In total, 40 SCTC investigators completed round 3 and ranked 30 of 31 items as acceptable for inclusion in the core set. The Steering Committee also proposed 14 items for a research agenda. CONCLUSION: Using a Delphi exercise, we have developed a provisional core set of measures for assessment of disease activity and severity in clinical trials of SSc