Spinning Bound States of Two and Three Black Holes

Bound states of BPS particles in five-dimensional N=2 supergravity are counted by a topological index. We compute this bound state index exactly for two and three black holes as a function of the SU(2)_L angular momentum. The required regulator for the infrared continuum of near-coincident black holes is chosen in accord with the enhanced superconformal symmetry.Comment: 22 pages, Harvma

Addicted to Fault: Why Divorce Reform Has Lagged in New York

The authors summarize New York\u27s history of divorce legislation and analyze the forces that, for such a prolonged period, kept reform at bay. In Part I we describe the halting development of divorce law from the 18th to the end of the 19th century. Part II focuses on the first half of the 20th century and the continuing, mostly futile, efforts to liberalize divorce law. Part III examines the ways in which New Yorkers succeeded in dissolving their marriages on their own terms, despite the strictures of the law. In Part IV, we explore the social climate and chain of events that allowed divorce reform finally to occur in the 1960s. Part V discusses the 1980 enactment of an Equitable Distribution Law and its connection to the question of marital fault. In Part VI, we consider the prospects for achieving true no-fault divorce, and conclude that reform of the grounds of divorce is dependent on further reform of divorce finances, particularly a more equitable determination of spousal maintenance

An Exploration into the Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases Among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in Periurban South Africa

Introduction Noncommunicable diseases are increasing in developing countries, exacerbated by growing urbanization. We examined the experiences and perceptions about noncommunicable diseases of people who migrated from rural areas to urban Cape Town, South Africa. Methods We conducted a qualitative study in an impoverished periurban township that has a noncommunicable disease prevention program, including health clubs. We used in-depth interviews, participatory reflection and action groups, and focus group discussions. Results Participants described changes in eating patterns and levels of physical activity. These changes were a result of socioeconomic and environmental constraints. However, respondents were not concerned about these changes. Despite hardships, they were pleased with their urban lifestyle. Furthermore, they approved of their weight gain because it signified dignity and respect. Participants who attended health clubs found them informative and socially and emotionally supportive. Conclusion The study highlighted the complexity of the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and the need to develop prevention strategies that extend beyond the traditional focus on diet and exercise.Medical Research Council of South Africa, Tygerberg, and partly by the National Research Foundation and the University of the Western Cap

Stopping for Death: Re-framing our Perspective on the End of Life

How we die is increasingly becoming a matter of law and public policy. We grapple with issues of patient autonomy, the proper parameters of doctor-patient discussions on the end of life, the right to hasten death, and the right to control our own medical treatment. But it is physicians and patients, not judges and legislators, who are the principal actors in events at the end of life. Palliative medicine is just beginning to probe the multi-dimensional totality of suffering in dying and seriously ill patients. What we learn will influence our options at the end of life and tell us why different approaches benefit different individuals. Before we invite the lawyers and the policy makers to our bedsides, it is important that we understand the dying process, and how doctors and patients can more effectively collaborate in the pursuit of a better death. As litigation in appellate courts and battles over state voter initiatives reveal, our legal system has not yet decided who should control the final decision over our lives. Stopping for Death: Re-Framing our Perspective on the End of Life, continues the examination of the judicial, ethical and policy responses to the demand for legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia which we began in Terminal Ambiguity: Law, Ethics and Policy in the Assisted Dying Debate, 17 B.U. Pub. Int. L.J. 99 (2007). This new article reflects upon our society’s growing sensitivity to suffering, and examines how recent developments have altered expectations of the doctor-patient relationship. Learning more about the nature and impact of serious illness highlights the limitations of our current end-of-life laws and policies. The legal parameters for voluntarily ending our lives are currently confused and in conflict. Moreover, they have been debated and enacted amidst a cacophony of rights’ talk and discourse about the permissible extent of governmental authority and the range of constitutionally-commanded privacy. Indeed, the current clamor threatens to drown out more subtle yet insistent voices asking that, before we bestow a right, we thoroughly investigate the nature of the wrong. But an insufficient amount of scholarly literature has addressed the conditions at ground zero in the assisted suicide debate: the quality of life of those near death, as well as their expectations for care and how a reasonable society might fulfill them. This article questions the utility of the concept of “terminal illness” in devising methods to care for the dying, and it argues that hospice and palliative care, long believed to be nearly infallible in end of life care, do not benefit all patients. We conclude by suggesting that assisted dying is but one of several ways to manage our own dying. What is more important is that, in an era of shrinking health care resources, we revise the ways in which we think about death, both medically and legally

The effectiveness of ergonomic training on visual display terminal operators

Bibliography: leaves 139-155.This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a "self-help" ergonomics-training program, which was instituted in order to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and eyestrain in video display terminal (VDT) operators

Tetherin/BST-2 Antagonism by Nef Depends on a Direct Physical Interaction between Nef and Tetherin, and on Clathrin-mediated Endocytosis

Nef is the viral gene product employed by the majority of primate lentiviruses to overcome restriction by tetherin (BST-2 or CD317), an interferon-inducible transmembrane protein that inhibits the detachment of enveloped viruses from infected cells. Although the mechanisms of tetherin antagonism by HIV-1 Vpu and HIV-2 Env have been investigated in detail, comparatively little is known about tetherin antagonism by SIV Nef. Here we demonstrate a direct physical interaction between SIV Nef and rhesus macaque tetherin, define the residues in Nef required for tetherin antagonism, and show that the anti-tetherin activity of Nef is dependent on clathrin-mediated endocytosis. SIV Nef co-immunoprecipitated with rhesus macaque tetherin and the Nef core domain bound directly to a peptide corresponding to the cytoplasmic domain of rhesus tetherin by surface plasmon resonance. An analysis of alanine-scanning substitutions identified residues throughout the N-terminal, globular core and flexible loop regions of Nef that were required for tetherin antagonism. Although there was significant overlap with sequences required for CD4 downregulation, tetherin antagonism was genetically separable from this activity, as well as from other Nef functions, including MHC class I-downregulation and infectivity enhancement. Consistent with a role for clathrin and dynamin 2 in the endocytosis of tetherin, dominant-negative mutants of AP180 and dynamin 2 impaired the ability of Nef to downmodulate tetherin and to counteract restriction. Taken together, these results reveal that the mechanism of tetherin antagonism by Nef depends on a physical interaction between Nef and tetherin, requires sequences throughout Nef, but is genetically separable from other Nef functions, and leads to the removal of tetherin from sites of virus release at the plasma membrane by clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Premorbid Weight, Body Mass, and Varsity Athletics in ALS

Several famous athletes have been affected by ALS, and some epidemiologic studies have indicated that vigorous physical activity (heavy labor or athletics) is a risk factor for the disease. In a case-control study of 279 patients with motor neuron diseases and 152 with other neurologic diseases, the authors found that subjects with motor neuron diseases were more likely than controls to report they had always been slim or they had been varsity athletes. For slimness, the odds ratio (OR) was 2.21; 95% CI, 1.40 to 3.47. For varsity athletics, the OR was 1.70; CI, 1.04 to 2.76

Factors that affect menstrual hygiene among adolescent schoolgirls: a case study from Mongu District, Zambia

Menstruation is both a public health concern that requires hygienic management and a human rights issue that demands dignity and health. We conducted six focus groups with 51 respondents from three secondary schools in Mongu District, Western Province, in Zambia to explore factors that influence adolescent girls’ understanding, experiences, and practices of menstrual hygiene. Thematic content analysis was used to identify multiple interrelated problems that stem from (1) culture and traditional practices, (2) inadequate accurate health information, and (3) poverty-related conditions. The girls faced menstruation-related inconveniences, bullying and humiliation, stress, infections, poor school attendance and performance, and dropped out of school. Policy recommendations are included.IS

Coexisting Dementia and Depression in Parkinson's Disease

Dementia and depression in patients with Parkinson's disease have been reported separately, but their prevalence is controversial. This study examines the coexistence of these two problems and suggests a common underlying biochemical system. We examined these two entities by retrospective chart review and cerebrospinal fluid biochemistry. We found a prevalence of 10.9% for dementia, 51% for depression, and 5.4% for coincident depression and dementia. In a prospective study of patients with Parkinson's disease we found a continuum of cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations. Patients who were either depressed or demented had lower concentrations of this metabolite than other patients with Parkinson's disease, but patients who were depressed and demented had the lowest levels. These results suggest that the coexistence of dementia and depression represents a unique clinical entity in Parkinson's disease. The serotonergic system may be involved in depression and dementia because evidence of a cumulative effect on this biochemical system is present