Presidential address

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Presidential address

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Analysis of volcanic threat from Nisyros Island, Greece, with implications for aviation and population exposure

Nisyros island in the South Aegean volcanic arc, Greece, is a Quaternary composite volcano with a 3.8 km wide caldera that in 1996 entered a volcano-seismic crisis, which heralded the islands' return to a state of unrest. The caldera has been the locus of at least thirteen phreatic eruptions in historical times, the most recent in 1888, and the system is still presently affected by considerable hydrothermal activity. Although the recent unrest waned off without eruption, there are still open questions relating to the current threat of volcanic activity from the island. Here, we perform a detailed and systematic assessment of the volcanic threat of Nisyros using a threat analysis protocol established as part of the USGS National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS). The evaluation involves a methodical assessment of fifteen hazard and exposure factors, and is based on a score system, whereby the higher the score, the higher the threat is. Uncertainty in assessment criteria are expressed by allowing for a conservative and an extreme score for each factor. We draw our analysis from published data as well as from results of our research on Nisyros over the past years. Our analysis yields a conservative threat score of 163 and an extreme score of 262. The most adverse exposure factors include significant scores relating to aviation and population exposure to volcanic hazards from Nisyros. When looked at in comparison to US volcanoes both scores place Nisyros in the "Very High Threat (VHT)" category, grouping it with volcanoes such as Redoubt, Mount Ranier and Crater Lake. We identify a short-fall in recommended surveillance efforts for VHT volcanoes given existing monitoring capabilities on the island. We discuss potential pitfalls of applying the NVEWS scheme to Nisyros and suggest potential adaptation of analysis scheme to match industrial and societal conditions in Europe. At the same time, our findings indicate that that volcanic threat posed by Nisyros volcano may currently be underestimated

Значение специфических инфекций у беременных в развитии хронической плацентарной недостаточности

ПЛАЦЕНТАРНАЯ НЕДОСТАТОЧНОСТЬБЕРЕМЕННОСТИ ОСЛОЖНЕНИЯПОЛОВЫМ ПУТЕМ ПЕРЕДАВАЕМЫЕ БОЛЕЗНИИНФЕКЦИ

Hungry for change: the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance

The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance is one of a growing number of nascent food movements in Australia to have emerged out of concern for the country’s food future, as well as the deleterious effect the present food system is having on its citizens’ health and the continent’s fragile environment. The Alliance’s structure and activities clearly position it as a new social movement (NSM) engaged in collective action on a specific issue, in this instance, food security/justice, and operating outside the political sphere while aiming to influence and affect societal change. Food security as a human right lies at the heart of the Alliance’s philosophy, and equitable, sustainable food policies for New South Wales are a core focus of its advocacy work. The authors argue that the Alliance is a distinctive food movement in that it positions itself as an \u27umbrella\u27 organization representing a wide range of stakeholders in the food system. This chapter reflects on the values, achievements, issues of concern, strengths and weaknesses, and future of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance. This resource is Chapter 8 in \u27Food Security in Australia: Challenges and Prospects for the Future\u27 published by Springer in 2013

Global treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Results of the GLANCE H&N study.

OBJECTIVES:Given a lack of universally-accepted standard-of-care treatment for patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC), study objectives were to assess treatment utilization and survival outcomes for R/M HNSCC in the real-world setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A multi-site retrospective chart review was conducted in Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain), Asia Pacific (Australia, South Korea, Taiwan), and Latin/North America (Brazil and Canada) to identify patients who initiated first-line systemic therapy for R/M HNSCC between January 2011 and December 2013. Patients were followed through December 2015 to collect clinical characteristics, treatment and survival data. RESULTS:Among 733 R/M HNSCC patients across 71 sites, median age was 60 years (inter-quartile range 54-67), 84% male, and 70% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1; 32% had oral cavity and 30% oropharyngeal cancers. The most common first-line regimen across all countries consisted of platinum-based combinations (73%), including platinum + 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (26%), cetuximab + platinum ± 5-FU (22%), or taxane + platinum ± 5-FU (16%). However, use of different platinum-based combinations varied substantially; administration of cetuximab + platinum ± 5-FU was frequent in Italy (81%), Germany (46%) and Spain (38%), whereas use in other countries was limited. Median follow-up was 22.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.5-24.6 months). Median real-world overall survival was only 8.0 months (95% CI: 7.0-8.0), with one-year survival reaching only 30.9% (95% CI: 27.5-34.3). CONCLUSION:Systemic therapies used in clinical practice for patients with R/M HNSCC vary substantially across countries. Prognosis remains poor in this patient population, highlighting the need for newer, more efficacious treatments