150 research outputs found
Wellbeing and Protracted Urban Displacement: Refugees and Hosts in Jordan and Lebanon
The war in Syria, now in its eighth year, has led to the mass exodus of the Syrian people. Lebanon and Jordan have achieved a remarkable feat by hosting millions of refugees, with many having located to urban areas, where the great majority of local populations are already situated. The war has slowed down the Lebanese and Jordanian economies. Simultaneously, the refugee influx has put tremendous pressure on urban systems providing housing and basic services (health, education, water, sanitation, electricity and waste collection) that were already strained prior to the crisis. The mass arrival has seen accelerated house rent inflation, severely diminished water supplies, daily power outages, higher unemployment rates, rising poverty, and the inability of health-care and education providers to cope with demand. Charged regional politics are severely challenging delicate societal and inter-communal harmony. There are large discrepancies in perceptions of inequality and threats between Syrian refugees and host groups. Many refugees complain about their discriminatory treatment by local business and state institutions, whereas hosts
consider Syrian refugees as disproportionately benefiting from international aid and an economic threat. This research project, conducted between April 2017 and February 2018, aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) what modalities of reception drive what kind of gendered wellbeing outcomes for refugee and host communities in cities across Jordan and Lebanon? What explains for these outcomes? (2) in what ways can policymakers, practitioners and donors support modalities of
reception that promote gender equitable, improved wellbeing outcomes for urban refugees and host communities?Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research-Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical ResearchSave the Childre
Generic tests of the existence of the gravitational dipole radiation and the variation of the gravitational constant
We present results from the high precision timing analysis of the
pulsar-white dwarf (WD) binary PSR J1012+5307 using 15 years of multi-telescope
data. Observations were performed regularly by the European Pulsar Timing Array
(EPTA) network, consisting of Effelsberg, Jodrell Bank, Westerbork and
Nan\c{c}ay. All the timing parameters have been improved from the previously
published values, most by an order of magnitude. In addition, a parallax
measurement of mas is obtained for the first time for PSR
J1012+5307, being consistent with the optical estimation from the WD companion.
Combining improved 3D velocity information and models for the Galactic
potential the complete evolutionary Galactic path of the system is obtained. A
new intrinsic eccentricity upper limit of is acquired,
one of the smallest calculated for a binary system and a measurement of the
variation of the projected semi-major axis also constrains the system's orbital
orientation for the first time. It is shown that PSR J1012+5307 is an ideal
laboratory for testing alternative theories of gravity. The measurement of the
change of the orbital period of the system of is used to set an upper limit on the dipole gravitational wave
emission that is valid for a wide class of alternative theories of gravity.
Moreover, it is shown that in combination with other binary pulsars PSR
J1012+5307 is an ideal system to provide self-consistent, generic limits, based
only on millisecond pulsar data, for the dipole radiation and the variation of
the gravitational constant .Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS, 11 pages, 5 figures, 2 table
Proteomic Insights into the Hidden World of Phloem Sap Feeding
The physical interface between a phloem-feeding insect and its host
plant is a single cell buried deep within the plant tissue. As such, the molecular
interactions between these notorious agricultural pests and the crop plants upon
which they feed are diffi cult to study. ‘Omic’ technologies have proved crucial in
revealing some of the fascinating detail of the molecular interplay between these
partners. Here we review the role of proteomics in identifying putative components
of the secreted saliva of phloem-feeding insects, particularly aphids, and discuss the
limited knowledge concerning the function of these proteins
Serum insulin level, disease stage, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason score in prostate cancer
In the present study, we assessed the relationship of serum insulin levels and three surrogate markers of recurrence, T stage, PSA, and Gleason score, in men with localized prostate cancer. Participants in our study were found through urology and radiation oncology clinics, and all eligible patients were asked to take part. All patients were asymptomatic and had been initially diagnosed on the basis of rising PSA or abnormal physical examination. Histological confirmation of diagnosis was obtained for all subjects. Serum insulin levels were determined by chemoluminescent assay with a standard, commercially available instrument. Patients were divided into three previously defined risk groups: Low risk: PSA ⩽10, stage ⩽T2a, or Gleason grade ⩽6. Medium risk: 10 <PSA ⩽15, Gleason 7 or stage T2b. High risk: Gleason >7, tumour in seminal vesicle biopsy, PSA >15 or stage T2c or T3. One hundred and sixty-three men with prostate cancer were studied. There was a significant increase in serum insulin with risk group (P=0.003, one way anova). Tukey's multiple range test showed that the insulin levels of high risk patients were significantly higher than the insulin levels of medium and low risk patients (P=0.05) but the insulin levels of medium and low risk patients were not significantly different from one another. Multivariate linear regression, with insulin as the dependent variable, Gleason score, PSA, and T stage (T1, T2, T3) as the independent variables, was significant overall (P<0.001, r2=0.120). Increased T stage was independently correlated with increased serum insulin levels (P<0.001). Gleason score was negatively, insignificantly correlated with serum insulin level (P=0.059). The positive correlation of PSA and insulin level was not significant (P=0.097). To assure normal distribution of insulin and PSA values, the regression was repeated with log (insulin) as the dependent variable, log (PSA), T stage (T1, T2, T3), and Gleason score as independent variables. The regression was significant overall (P=0.002, r2 =0.095). Increased T stage was independently correlated with increased log (insulin level) (P=0.026). Gleason score was negatively, insignificantly correlated with log (insulin) level (P=0.728). The positive correlation of log (PSA) and log (insulin) levels was significant (P=0.010). The relationship between increased insulin level and advanced tumour stage in prostate cancer we describe here is biologically quite plausible, since insulin is a growth factor. Further studies may document whether serum insulin levels might be a useful biomarker of prostate cancer stage
The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment
The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical
frameworks for analysing them is reviewed. Einstein's equivalence principle
(EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the Eotvos experiment, tests of
special relativity, and the gravitational redshift experiment. Future tests of
EEP and of the inverse square law are searching for new interactions arising
from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the
post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light
deflection, the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, and the
Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion. Gravitational-wave damping has been detected
in an amount that agrees with general relativity to better than half a percent
using the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, and other binary pulsar systems have
yielded other tests, especially of strong-field effects. When direct
observation of gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources begins, new
tests of general relativity will be possible.Comment: 89 pages, 8 figures; an update of the Living Review article
originally published in 2001; final published version incorporating referees'
suggestion
An instrument to measure job satisfaction of nursing home administrators
BACKGROUND: The psychometric properties of the nursing home administrator job satisfaction questionnaire (NHA-JSQ) are presented, and the steps used to develop this instrument. METHODS: The NHA-JSQ subscales were developed from pilot survey activities with 93 administrators, content analysis, and a research panel. The resulting survey was sent to 1,000 nursing home administrators. Factor analyses were used to determine the psychometric properties of the instrument. RESULTS: Of the 1,000 surveys mailed, 721 usable surveys were returned (72 percent response rate). The factor analyses show that the items were representative of six underlying factors (i.e., coworkers, work demands, work content, work load, work skills, and rewards). CONCLUSION: The NHA-JSQ represents a short, psychometrically sound job satisfaction instrument for use in nursing homes
Absorption and mobility of foliar-applied boron in soybean as affected by plant boron status and application as a polyol complex
In the present study (i) the impact of plant Boron (B) status on foliar B absorption and (ii) the effect of B complexation with polyols (sorbitol or mannitol) on B absorption and translocation was investigated. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Meer.) plants grown in nutrient solution containing 0 μM, 10 μM, 30 μM or 100 μM 11B labelled boric acid (BA) were treated with 50 mM 10B labelled BA applied to the basal parts of two leaflets of one leaf, either pure or in combination with 500 mM sorbitol or mannitol. After one week, 10B concentrations in different plant parts were determined. In B deficient leaves (0 μM 11B), 10B absorption was significantly lower than in all other treatments (9.7% of the applied dose vs. 26%–32%). The application of BA in combination with polyols increased absorption by 18–25% as compared to pure BA. The absolute amount of applied 10B moving out of the application zone was lowest in plants with 0 μM 11B supply (1.1% of the applied dose) and highest in those grown in 100 μM 11B (2.8%). The presence of sorbitol significantly decreased the share of mobile 10B in relation to the amount absorbed. The results suggest that 11B deficiency reduces the permeability of the leaf surface for BA. The addition of polyols may increase 10B absorption, but did not improve 10B distribution within the plant, which was even hindered when applied a sorbitol complex
Increased immune response elicited by DNA vaccination with a synthetic gp120 sequence with optimized codon usage
DNA vaccination elicits humoral and cellular immune responses and has been shown to confer protection against several viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens. Here we report that optimized codon usage of an injected DNA sequence considerably increases both humoral and cellular immune responses. We recently generated a synthetic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 sequence in which most wild-type codons were replaced with codons from highly expressed human genes (syngp120). In vitro expression of syngp120 is considerably increased in comparison to that of the respective wild-type sequence. In BALB/c mice, DNA immunization with syngp120 resulted in significantly increased antibody titers and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reactivity, suggesting a direct correlation between expression levels and the immune response. Moreover, syngp120 is characterized by rev-independent expression and a low risk of recombination with viral sequences. Thus, synthetic genes with optimized codon usage represent a novel strategy to increase the efficacy and safety of DNA vaccination
Global microRNA expression profiles in insulin target tissues in a spontaneous rat model of type 2 diabetes
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: MicroRNAs regulate a broad range of biological mechanisms. To investigate the relationship between microRNA expression and type 2 diabetes, we compared global microRNA expression in insulin target tissues from three inbred rat strains that differ in diabetes susceptibility. METHODS: Using microarrays, we measured the expression of 283 microRNAs in adipose, liver and muscle tissue from hyperglycaemic (Goto-Kakizaki), intermediate glycaemic (Wistar Kyoto) and normoglycaemic (Brown Norway) rats (n = 5 for each strain). Expression was compared across strains and validated using quantitative RT-PCR. Furthermore, microRNA expression variation in adipose tissue was investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to hyperglycaemic conditions. RESULTS: We found 29 significantly differentiated microRNAs (p(adjusted) < 0.05): nine in adipose tissue, 18 in liver and two in muscle. Of these, five microRNAs had expression patterns that correlated with the strain-specific glycaemic phenotype. MiR-222 (p(adjusted) = 0.0005) and miR-27a (p(adjusted) = 0.006) were upregulated in adipose tissue; miR-195 (p(adjusted) = 0.006) and miR-103 (p(adjusted) = 0.04) were upregulated in liver; and miR-10b (p(adjusted) = 0.004) was downregulated in muscle. Exposure of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to increased glucose concentration upregulated the expression of miR-222 (p = 0.008), miR-27a (p = 0.02) and the previously reported miR-29a (p = 0.02). Predicted target genes of these differentially expressed microRNAs are involved in pathways relevant to type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSION: The expression patterns of miR-222, miR-27a, miR-195, miR-103 and miR-10b varied with hyperglycaemia, suggesting a role for these microRNAs in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, as modelled by the Gyoto-Kakizaki rat. We observed similar patterns of expression of miR-222, miR-27a and miR-29a in adipocytes as a response to increased glucose levels, which supports our hypothesis that altered expression of microRNAs accompanies primary events related to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes
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