Irrelevant Exceptional Divisors for Curves on a Smooth Surface

Given a singular curve on a smooth surface, we determine which exceptional divisors on the minimal resolution of that curve contribute toward its jumping numbers.Comment: Added reference to Favre & Jonsson and a slight extension of the comment immediately following Definition 2.

Book Review: Daniel Fitzpatrick, Land Claims in East Timor

In Land Claims, Daniel Fitzpatrick presents a comprehensive and interesting view of the challenges facing the fledgling East Timorese government. He reviews the variety of competing land claims, from those of traditional occupiers of land in East Timor to the claims of Indonesian nationals following East Timor\u27s bid for independence. In addition to giving a broad picture of the competing land claims situation, Mr. Fitzpatrick also illustrates individual situations, humanizing the problem for his readers. Land Claims is an interesting read for those interested not only in international law, including the laws of property and occupation, but also for those interested in the human issues arising from conflicts under those laws

Volunteers and volunteering in leisure : social science perspectives

Leisure has been widely examined within the context of social science theory; however, little work has considered the range of social science disciplines and applied them to specific phenomena located within the leisure field. This paper adopts such an approach to conceptualise and examine volunteers and volunteering in leisure settings. In a disciplinary sense, therefore, the sociological view focuses upon the conceptualisation of volunteering as leisure, the psychological view seeks to understand motivations driving volunteering while the perspective of economists tends to complement these standpoints in terms of why people volunteer and further examines the value of volunteer contributions. Comparative analysis of the perspectives enunciated within these key disciplines provides a picture of the status of research relating to leisure volunteers and volunteering. The purposes of this paper are to identify gaps in current knowledge, drawing out conclusions and their implications for an improved understanding of this area as well as to enhance comprehension of disciplinary contributions to the study of leisure phenomena

Boomers' Retirement Income Prospects

Examines how changing demographics and patterns in lifetime earnings, pension participation, and wealth accumulation among Americans born between 1946 and 1964 will shape baby boomers' economic well-being at age 70

Student Choice between Computer and Traditional Paper-and-Pencil University Tests: What Predicts Preference and Performance?

Two studies were conducted to assess meta-cognitive and individual difference influences on students’ choice of writing tests in paper-and-pencil or computer-administered format. In Study 1, university students chose the test format for an accounting exam (paper-and-pencil or computer). In Study 2, students disclosed their reasons for their choice of test format, predicted their scores on the first test and provided confidence ratings for their predictions. The results of both studies show that the reasons for choosing a computer vs. a paper-and-pencil test format differ, and that both choice and performance can be explained to some extent by individual difference and meta-cognitive factors.Deux enquêtes ont été menées afin de mesurer l’apport des différences métacognitives et des différences individuelles dans une tâche où un étudiant doit choisir de compléter un examen en format papier ou administré par ordinateur. Dans la première enquête, des étudiants universitaires ont choisi le format d’un examen de comptabilité (format papier ou administré par ordinateur). Dans la deuxième enquête, on a demandé aux étudiants d’expliquer leur choix, de prédire les résultats de leurs examens, et de fournir leur niveau de confiance quant à l’exactitude de leurs prédictions. Les résultats des deux enquêtes ont montré que le choix d’un exam en format papier est associé à un raisonnement différent que celui associé au choix d’un examen administré par ordinateur. De plus, les résultats ont montré que le choix du format de l’examen et la performance aux examens peuvent être, en partie, expliqués par des facteurs individuels et métacognitifs

Tofacitinib in the management of active psoriatic arthritis: patient selection and perspectives.

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). It provides an alternative option for patients who have had an inadequate response and tolerance to other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). It has demonstrated comparable efficacy to biologics, is effective in the management of treatment resistant disease, and is reported to improve enthesitis, dactylitis, and radiographic progression. Tofacitinib is also associated with an increased risk of serious infections, malignancy, and laboratory abnormalities. There is currently a large armamentarium of therapies for psoriatic arthritis, and choosing among treatments can be challenging. Due to this wide selection, a thorough assessment of psoriatic disease phenotype, patient preference, disease presentation, and comorbidities is critical. This review addresses key considerations in patient selection for the treatment of PsA with tofacitinib

Occupational Therapy Students’ Experiential and Self-Regulated Learning in a Community Program for Breast Cancer Survivors

Occupational therapy educators utilize varied educational theories to prepare occupational therapy students to develop the knowledge, clinical reasoning, and professionalism necessary for successful Level II fieldwork completion. Students need to be equipped to apply didactic knowledge to patient intervention and care. Students can benefit by engaging in authentic experiences that extend didactic learning to real life challenges. Providing such experiences requires careful thought and consideration of course design by faculty. This manuscript describes the use of experiential learning and self-regulated learning theory to design and implement a student-run, community-based cognitive rehabilitation program for breast cancer survivors. This program afforded the students the opportunity for real life experiences requiring adjustment and adaptation to the situational demands of occupational therapy practice

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau: clinical perspectives.

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH) is a rare, sterile pustular eruption of one or more digits. The condition presents with tender pustules and underlying erythema on the tip of a digit, more frequently arising on a finger than a toe. As far as classification, ACH is considered a localized form of pustular psoriasis. The eruption typically occurs after local trauma or infection, but such a history is not always present and various other etiologies have been described including infectious, neural, inflammatory, and genetic causes. The natural progression of ACH is chronic and progressive, often resulting in irreversible complications such as onychodystrophy that can result in anonychia, as well as osteitis that can result in osteolysis of the distal phalanges. Because of the rarity of ACH, there have been no randomized controlled studies to evaluate therapies, resulting in an absence of standardized treatment guidelines. In clinical practice, a wide variety of treatments have been attempted, with outcomes ranging from recalcitrance to complete resolution. In recent years, the introduction of biologics has provided a new class of therapy that has revolutionized the treatment of ACH. Specifically, rapid and sustained responses have been reported with the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor agents like infliximab, adalimumab, and etanercept; IL-17 inhibitors like secukinumab; IL-12/23 inhibitors like ustekinumab; and IL-1 inhibitors like anakinra. Nevertheless, there remains a considerable need for more research into treatment for the benefit of individual patients with ACH as well as for the clinical knowledge gained by such efforts. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the key features of ACH as well as a discussion of clinical management strategies for this unique and debilitating condition

Can Natural Variability Explain Observed Antarctic Sea Ice Trends? New Modeling Evidence from CMIP5

The recent observed positive trends in total Antarctic sea ice extent are at odds with the expectation of melting sea ice in a warming world. More problematic yet, climate models indicate that sea ice should decrease around Antarctica in response to both increasing greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone depletion. The resolution of this puzzle, we suggest, may lie in the large natural variability of the coupled atmosphere‒ocean‒sea‒ice system. Contrasting forced and control integrations from four state‒of‒the‒art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models, we show that the observed Antarctic sea ice trend falls well within the distribution of trends arising naturally in the system, and that the forced response in the models is small compared to the natural variability. From this, we conclude that it may prove difficult to attribute the observed trends in total Antarctic sea ice to anthropogenic forcings, although some regional features might be easier to explain

The Mammary Gland Microenvironment Directs Progenitor Cell Fate In Vivo

The mammary gland is a unique organ that continually undergoes postnatal developmental changes. In mice, the mammary gland is formed via signals from terminal end buds, which direct ductal growth and elongation. Intriguingly, it is likely that the entire cellular repertoire of the mammary gland is formed from a single antecedent cell. Furthermore, in order to produce progeny of varied lineages (e.g., luminal and myoepithelial cells), signals from the local tissue microenvironment influence mammary stem/progenitor cell fate. Data have shown that cells from the mammary gland microenvironment reprogram adult somatic cells from other organs (testes, nerve) into cells that produce milk and express mammary epithelial cell proteins. Similar results were found for human tumorigenic epithelial carcinoma cells. Presently, it is unclear how the deterministic power of the mammary gland microenvironment controls epithelial cell fate. Regardless, signals generated by the microenvironment have a profound influence on progenitor cell differentiation in vivo