Public Health in the 1980s and 1990s: Decline and rise?

Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.First published by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2006.©The Trustee of the Wellcome Trust, London, 2006.All volumes are freely available online at: www.history.qmul.ac.uk/research/modbiomed/wellcome_witnesses/Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Annotated and edited transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 12 October 2004. Introduction by Professor Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.The 1974 reorganization of the National Health Service was largely seen as a disaster for the public health profession. The post of Medical Officer of Health, with its links to local government, was replaced by the community physician, located within health services. The technician-manager rather than the activist role predominated: community medicine doctors carried little weight by comparison with their clinical colleagues. Chaired by Professor Virginia Berridge this Witness Seminar examined the decline and rise of 'public health' both nationally and internationally in the 1980s and 1990s: the impact of the 1988 Acheson Report on public health medicine on a demoralized profession; the role of new ideas about health promotion imported from the international scene; the rise of evidence-based medicine and health services research, and their impact on public health; and the movement for multidisciplinary public health (MDPH) as a new avenue for public health from the 1990s. Participants included Professor Sir Donald Acheson, Professor John Ashton, Professor Nick Black, Professor David Blane, Dr Tim Carter, Sir Iain Chalmers, Dr Aileen Clarke, Dr June Crown, Dr Jeff French, Professor Alan Glynn, Ms Shirley Goodwin, Professor Rod Griffiths, Professor Walter Holland, Professor Klim McPherson, Dr Ornella Moscucci, Dr Geoffrey Rivett, Professor Alwyn Smith and Professor Ann Taket. Berridge V, Christie D A, Tansey E M. (eds) (2006) Public health in the 1980s and 1990s: Decline and rise? Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 26. London: The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL.The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL is funded by the Wellcome Trust, which is a registered charity, no. 210183

Transverse Spin Structure of the Nucleon through Target Single Spin Asymmetry in Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic (e,e′π±)(e,e^\prime \pi^\pm) Reaction at Jefferson Lab

Jefferson Lab (JLab) 12 GeV energy upgrade provides a golden opportunity to perform precision studies of the transverse spin and transverse-momentum-dependent structure in the valence quark region for both the proton and the neutron. In this paper, we focus our discussion on a recently approved experiment on the neutron as an example of the precision studies planned at JLab. The new experiment will perform precision measurements of target Single Spin Asymmetries (SSA) from semi-inclusive electro-production of charged pions from a 40-cm long transversely polarized $^3$He target in Deep-Inelastic-Scattering kinematics using 11 and 8.8 GeV electron beams. This new coincidence experiment in Hall A will employ a newly proposed solenoid spectrometer (SoLID). The large acceptance spectrometer and the high polarized luminosity will provide precise 4-D ($x$, $z$, $P_T$ and $Q^2$) data on the Collins, Sivers, and pretzelocity asymmetries for the neutron through the azimuthal angular dependence. The full 2$\pi$ azimuthal angular coverage in the lab is essential in controlling the systematic uncertainties. The results from this experiment, when combined with the proton Collins asymmetry measurement and the Collins fragmentation function determined from the e$^+$e$^-$ collision data, will allow for a quark flavor separation in order to achieve a determination of the tensor charge of the d quark to a 10% accuracy. The extracted Sivers and pretzelocity asymmetries will provide important information to understand the correlations between the quark orbital angular momentum and the nucleon spin and between the quark spin and nucleon spin.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, minor corrections, matches published versio

Enabling High-Dimensional Hierarchical Uncertainty Quantification by ANOVA and Tensor-Train Decomposition

Hierarchical uncertainty quantification can reduce the computational cost of stochastic circuit simulation by employing spectral methods at different levels. This paper presents an efficient framework to simulate hierarchically some challenging stochastic circuits/systems that include high-dimensional subsystems. Due to the high parameter dimensionality, it is challenging to both extract surrogate models at the low level of the design hierarchy and to handle them in the high-level simulation. In this paper, we develop an efficient ANOVA-based stochastic circuit/MEMS simulator to extract efficiently the surrogate models at the low level. In order to avoid the curse of dimensionality, we employ tensor-train decomposition at the high level to construct the basis functions and Gauss quadrature points. As a demonstration, we verify our algorithm on a stochastic oscillator with four MEMS capacitors and 184 random parameters. This challenging example is simulated efficiently by our simulator at the cost of only 10 minutes in MATLAB on a regular personal computer.Comment: 14 pages (IEEE double column), 11 figure, accepted by IEEE Trans CAD of Integrated Circuits and System

A theory-grounded framework of Open Source Software adoption in SMEs

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in European Journal of Information Systems. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Macredie, RD and Mijinyawa, K (2011), "A theory-grounded framework of Open Source Software adoption in SMEs", European Journal of Informations Systems, 20(2), 237-250 is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejis/journal/v20/n2/abs/ejis201060a.html.The increasing popularity and use of Open Source Software (OSS) has led to significant interest from research communities and enterprise practitioners, notably in the small business sector where this type of software offers particular benefits given the financial and human capital constraints faced. However, there has been little focus on developing valid frameworks that enable critical evaluation and common understanding of factors influencing OSS adoption. This paper seeks to address this shortcoming by presenting a theory-grounded framework for exploring these factors and explaining their influence on OSS adoption, with the context of study being small- to medium-sized Information Technology (IT) businesses in the U.K. The framework has implications for this type of business – and, we will suggest, more widely – as a frame of reference for understanding, and as tool for evaluating benefits and challenges in, OSS adoption. It also offers researchers a structured way of investigating adoption issues and a base from which to develop models of OSS adoption. The study reported in this paper used the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) as a basis for the research propositions, with the aim of: (i) developing a framework of empirical factors that influence OSS adoption; and (ii) appraising it through case study evaluation with 10 U.K. Small- to medium-sized enterprises in the IT sector. The demonstration of the capabilities of the framework suggests that it is able to provide a reliable explanation of the complex and subjective factors that influence attitudes, subjective norms and control over the use of OSS. The paper further argues that the DTPB proved useful in this research area and that it can provide a variety of situation-specific insights related to factors that influence the adoption of OSS

Cohomology for infinitesimal unipotent algebraic and quantum groups

In this paper we study the structure of cohomology spaces for the Frobenius kernels of unipotent and parabolic algebraic group schemes and of their quantum analogs. Given a simple algebraic group $G$, a parabolic subgroup $P_J$, and its unipotent radical $U_J$, we determine the ring structure of the cohomology ring $H^\bullet((U_J)_1,k)$. We also obtain new results on computing $H^\bullet((P_J)_1,L(\lambda))$ as an $L_J$-module where $L(\lambda)$ is a simple $G$-module with high weight $\lambda$ in the closure of the bottom $p$-alcove. Finally, we provide generalizations of all our results to the quantum situation.Comment: 18 pages. Some proofs streamlined over previous version. Additional details added to some proofs in Section

A Constraint Programming Approach for Non-Preemptive Evacuation Scheduling

Large-scale controlled evacuations require emergency services to select evacuation routes, decide departure times, and mobilize resources to issue orders, all under strict time constraints. Existing algorithms almost always allow for preemptive evacuation schedules, which are less desirable in practice. This paper proposes, for the first time, a constraint-based scheduling model that optimizes the evacuation flow rate (number of vehicles sent at regular time intervals) and evacuation phasing of widely populated areas, while ensuring a nonpreemptive evacuation for each residential zone. Two optimization objectives are considered: (1) to maximize the number of evacuees reaching safety and (2) to minimize the overall duration of the evacuation. Preliminary results on a set of real-world instances show that the approach can produce, within a few seconds, a non-preemptive evacuation schedule which is either optimal or at most 6% away of the optimal preemptive solution.Comment: Submitted to the 21st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2015). 15 pages + 1 reference pag

Immune responses in the human female reproductive tract

Mucosal surfaces are key interfaces between the host and its environment, but also constitute ports of entry for numerous pathogens. The gut and lung mucosae act as points of nutrient and gas exchange, respectively, but the physiological purpose of the female reproductive tract (FRT) is to allow implantation and development of the fetus. Our understanding of immune responses in the FRT has traditionally lagged behind our grasp of the situation at other mucosal sites, but recently reproductive immunologists have begun to make rapid progress in this challenging area. Here, we review current knowledge of immune responses in the human FRT and their heterogeneity within and between compartments. In the commensal-rich vagina, the immune system must allow the growth of beneficial microbes, whereas the key challenge in the uterus is allowing the growth of the semi-allogeneic fetus. In both compartments, these objectives must be balanced with the need to eliminate pathogens. Our developing understanding of immune responses in the FRT will help us develop interventions to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and to improve outcomes of pregnancy for mothers and babies

KCa3.1 inhibition switches the phenotype of glioma-infiltrating microglia/macrophages

Among the strategies adopted by glioma to successfully invade the brain parenchyma is turning the infiltrating microglia/macrophages (M/MΦ) into allies, by shifting them toward an anti-inflammatory, pro-tumor phenotype. Both glioma and infiltrating M/MΦ cells express the Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel (KCa3.1), and the inhibition of KCa3.1 activity on glioma cells reduces tumor infiltration in the healthy brain parenchyma. We wondered whether KCa3.1 inhibition could prevent the acquisition of a pro-tumor phenotype by M/MΦ cells, thus contributing to reduce glioma development. With this aim, we studied microglia cultured in glioma-conditioned medium or treated with IL-4, as well as M/MΦ cells acutely isolated from glioma-bearing mice and from human glioma biopsies. Under these different conditions, M/MΦ were always polarized toward an anti-inflammatory state, and preventing KCa3.1 activation by 1-[(2-Chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-1H-pyrazole (TRAM-34), we observed a switch toward a pro-inflammatory, antitumor phenotype. We identified FAK and PI3K/AKT as the molecular mechanisms involved in this phenotype switch, activated in sequence after KCa3.1. Anti-inflammatory M/MΦ have higher expression levels of KCa3.1 mRNA (kcnn4) that are reduced by KCa3.1 inhibition. In line with these findings, TRAM-34 treatment, in vivo, significantly reduced the size of tumors in glioma-bearing mice. Our data indicate that KCa3.1 channels are involved in the inhibitory effects exerted by the glioma microenvironment on infiltrating M/MΦ, suggesting a possible role as therapeutic targets in glioma

Robust and Biocompatible Functionalization of ZnS Nanoparticles by Catechol-Bearing Poly(2-Methyl-2-Oxazoline)s.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles (NPs) are particularly interesting materials for their electronic and luminescent properties. Unfortunately, their robust and stable functionalization and stabilization, especially in aqueous media, has represented a challenging and not yet completely accomplished task. In this work, we report the synthesis of colloidally stable, photoluminescent and biocompatible core\u2013polymer shell ZnS and ZnS:Tb NPs by employing a water-in-oil miniemulsion (ME) process combined with surface functionalization via catechol-bearing poly-2-methyl-2-oxazoline (PMOXA) of various molar masses. The strong binding of catechol anchors to the metal cations of the ZnS surface, coupled with the high stability of PMOXA against chemical degradation, enable the formation of suspensions presenting excellent colloidal stability. This feature, combined with the assessed photoluminescence and biocompatibility, make these hybrid NPs suitable for optical bioimaging

Complexity and Expressivity of Branching- and Alternating-Time Temporal Logics with Finitely Many Variables

We show that Branching-time temporal logics CTL and CTL*, as well as Alternating-time temporal logics ATL and ATL*, are as semantically expressive in the language with a single propositional variable as they are in the full language, i.e., with an unlimited supply of propositional variables. It follows that satisfiability for CTL, as well as for ATL, with a single variable is EXPTIME-complete, while satisfiability for CTL*, as well as for ATL*, with a single variable is 2EXPTIME-complete,--i.e., for these logics, the satisfiability for formulas with only one variable is as hard as satisfiability for arbitrary formulas.Comment: Prefinal version of the published pape