895 research outputs found
Brief 10: How the United Nations Should Promote the Post-2015 Development Agenda
This issue brief examines how the United Nations can most effectively communicate the post- 2015 development agenda in order to catalyze the global movements necessary for its achieve- ment. The author, a former U.N. communications professional, argues that the U.N. should care- fully calibrate expectations in advance, be transparent about the state of negotiations, retain top communications professionals to craft the name and narrative of the agenda, use clear language in the agenda, communicate in “human terms,” make the agenda globally accessible and relevant, and promote shared ownership of the agenda
Proteomic patterns of cultured breast cancer cells and epithelial mammary cells.
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer among women in western countries. The different types of breast cancer are grouped into invasive and noninvasive forms. Among the invasive types, ductal infiltrating carcinoma (DIC) is the most common and aggressive form. Using an in vitro model consisting of a DIC-derived cell line (8701-BC) and a nontumoral mammary epithelial cell line (HB2), we used the proteomics approach to search for homology and differences in protein expression patterns between tumoral and nontumoral phenotypes. Within an analysis window comprising 1,750 discernible spots we have currently catalogued 140 protein spots of potential interest. Fifty-eight of them were identified by gel matching with reference maps, immunodetection, or N-terminal microsequencing and classified into four functional groups. Twelve proteins were found differentially expressed in two cell lines: four were uniquely present in the neoplastic cell proteome and eight in epithelial cells. In addition, 53 proteins displayed different relative expression levels between the two cell lines, that is, 44 were more elevated in cancer cells and 9 in HB2 cells. Among proteins with greater relative abundance in cancer cells we identified glycolytic enzymes (or their isoforms), which may indicate that the known metabolic dysregulation in cancer can reflect oncogenic-related defects of glycolytic gene expression
X-ray Near Field Speckle: Implementation and Critical Analysis
We have implemented the newly-introduced, coherence-based technique of x-ray
near-field speckle (XNFS) at 8-ID-I at the Advanced Photon Source. In the near
field regime of high-brilliance synchrotron x-rays scattered from a sample of
interest, it turns out, that, when the scattered radiation and the main beam
both impinge upon an x-ray area detector, the measured intensity shows
low-contrast speckles, resulting from interference between the incident and
scattered beams. We built a micrometer-resolution XNFS detector with a high
numerical aperture microscope objective and demonstrate its capability for
studying static structures and dynamics at longer length scales than
traditional far field x-ray scattering techniques. Specifically, we
characterized the structure and dynamics of dilute silica and polystyrene
colloidal samples. Our study reveals certain limitations of the XNFS technique,
which we discuss.Comment: 53 pages, 16 figure
Intuiting a Monsoonal Ethnography in Three Bay of Bengal Cities
This visual essay offers an exploration of monsoonal materiality and agency in the urban environments of three cities situated around the Bay of Bengal: Chennai, Dhaka and Yangon. The text and images emerge from a research project exploring intersections between changing monsoon climates and rapid urbanisation in South Asia. Multi-modal, more-than-human ethnography has been employed during the course of research to explore how the lively materiality of the monsoon is entangled within urban lived environments. The essay outlines the process of intuiting a monsoonal ethnography and conveys the power of immersive field experience. By collecting and curating an assemblage of visual material and fieldnotes, this piece seeks to evoke the materiality and agency of the monsoon, itself a complex assemblage that manifests in different ways in different places. The juxtaposition of image and text conveys the generative and multifaceted agency of the monsoon and the urban environments it becomes enmeshed within
The durability of carbon fiber/epoxy composites under hydrothermal ageing
Studies on fibre reinforced composites are now receiving greater attention. Industrial applications have been successful in areas like aerospace, automobile, marine, construction and sporting goods. The first generation of epoxy resins for use in carbon fibre composites are able to achieve optimized high stiffness modules and high heat resistance by a high crosslink density, reached through thermal curing. However, these formulations can be very toxic and brittle with low crack resistance, which was a major disadvantage for structural applications. In the last years the use of ionizing radiation as alternative to thermal curing has been proposed as an environmentally friendly process. Furthermore, in order to enhance toughness mechanical requirements for their applications, the formulation generally consists of blends of epoxy resins and engineering thermoplastics. In terms of durability (service life and reliability), in these materials it depends on different environmental conditions (temperature, moisture, etc.), and it is very important to know how their properties are modified after the exposure to different temperature and moisture absorption cycles. In this work carbon fibre composites produced by ionizing radiation induced curing of the epoxy based matrices have been subjected to thermal and moisture absorption ageing and the influence of these treatments on the thermal and mechanical properties has been investigated through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and mechanical fracture toughness tests
The Biomolecules Journal Club: Highlights on Recent Papers 1
We are glad to share with you our first Journal Club and to highlight some of the most interesting papers published recently. We hope we will tease your curiosity and encourage you to read full papers outside of your research area, which you may not have read otherwise. The Biomolecules Scientific Board wishes you an exciting read
Cancer pain management in an oncological ward in a comprehensive cancer center with an established palliative care unit.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
This survey was performed to draw information on pain prevalence, intensity, and management from a sample of patients who were admitted to an oncologic center where a palliative care unit (PCU) has been established for 13 years.
METHODS:
Cross-sectional survey in an oncological department performed 1 day per month for six consecutive months.
RESULTS:
Of the 385 patients, 69.1, 19.2, 8.6, and 3.1 % had no pain, mild, moderate, and severe pain, respectively. Inpatients and patients with a low Karnofsky score showed higher levels of pain intensity (p < 0.0005). One hundred twenty-eight patients with pain or receiving analgesics were analyzed for pain management index (PMI). Only a minority of patients had negative PMI score, which was statistically associated with inpatient admission (p = 0.011). Fifty of these 128 patients had breakthrough pain (BTP), and all of them were receiving some medication for BTP.
CONCLUSION:
It is likely that the presence of PCU team providing consultation, advices, and cultural pressure, other than offering admissions for difficult cases had a positive impact on the use of analgesics, as compared with previous similar surveys performed in oncological setting, where a PCU was unavailable. This information confirms the need of the presence of a PCU in a high volume oncological department
Geografie di oggi. Metodi e strategie tra ricerca e didattica
Questo volume è l’esito del confronto e delle riflessioni sviluppate durante
il II Workshop “AIIG Giovani” organizzato a Roma nell’aprile del 2013.
Nasce da un desiderio, quello di presentare l’importanza della combinazione
tra metodi d’indagine tradizionali e nuovi per costruire sapere geografico,
e da una passione, sostenuta dall’intreccio di relazioni umane che si
evolvono nel tempo.
Per chiarire quale possa essere il contributo della geografia alla comprensione
del mondo contemporaneo, sempre piĂą complesso, gli autori presentano
le principali metodologie geografiche in quattro sezioni: “Territori della
tecnologia”, “Identità , spazi, luoghi”, “Nodi della rete” e “Approcci sperimentali
nella scuola che cambia”.
Emerge dal lavoro un quadro multifocale che rispecchia la poliedricitĂ e
la trasversalitĂ della geografia contemporanea, ancorato al comune bisogno
di sviluppare strumenti interpretativi e d’azione. Ci si muove nell’ambito
di una geografia critica e della complessitĂ in grado di fornire ai cittadini
globali differenti strumenti di interpretazione e comprensione del mondo,
nuove metafore a partire dalle quali costruire e sperimentare forme alternative
di cittadinanza consapevole ed attiva. Qui la geografia ritrova lo slancio
di una disciplina fertile capace non solo di descrivere la Terra, ma anche di
immaginare e creare nuovi mondi possibili. L’approdo naturale di questo
percorso è la realtà scolastica dove è possibile sperimentare nuove forme
di sapere e azione per rispondere alla sfida educativa contemporanea
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