Is locally advanced head and neck cancer ‘increasing’ in the Netherlands? The paradox of absolute numbers, standardized incidence rates and proportional share

Background: Several reports have indicated that locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) has increased in the past decade. However, incidence trends cannot be easily compared because slightly different definitions of LAHNC were used. Aim: To investigate if the incidence of locally advanced disease (LAD) in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx is indeed increasing over time, considering the growing and ageing population in the Netherlands. Patients and methods: Data were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx diagnosed between 1989 and 2017 were included. Yearly numbers and European standardized incidence rates (ESRs) were reported by extent of disease. The annual percentage change (APC) over time in ESRs was calculated to assess trends. Results: Absolute numbers and ESRs of LAD increased over time for oral cavity and most prominently for oropharynx carcinomas (before 1996, APC: 0.4, 95%CI: 0.1; 0.8 and APC: 5.7 (95%CI: 3.1; 8.4) after 1996: 1.5 (1.0; 2.0) respectively. For hypopharynx cancer the absolute number and ESR of LAD increased until 1997 and declined with 0.8% per year since 1997. Absolute numbers of patients with larynx cancer stayed stable over time, while ESR decreased (APC: −0.8 (95%CI: −1.1; −0.6)). Conclusion: The perception of an increasing trend in LAD in the Netherlands can be attributed to the increasing incidence of oral cavity and oropharynx carcinomas. For LAD of the hypopharynx a decreasing trend was observed. In larynx cancer, the proportional share of LAD of the larynx increased, even though incidence rates declined.</p

Spatially valid proprioceptive cues improve the detection of a visual stimulus

Vision and proprioception are the main sensory modalities that convey hand location and direction of movement. Fusion of these sensory signals into a single robust percept is now well documented. However, it is not known whether these modalities also interact in the spatial allocation of attention, which has been demonstrated for other modality pairings. The aim of this study was to test whether proprioceptive signals can spatially cue a visual target to improve its detection. Participants were instructed to use a planar manipulandum in a forward reaching action and determine during this movement whether a near-threshold visual target appeared at either of two lateral positions. The target presentation was followed by a masking stimulus, which made its possible location unambiguous, but not its presence. Proprioceptive cues were given by applying a brief lateral force to the participant’s arm, either in the same direction (validly cued) or in the opposite direction (invalidly cued) to the on-screen location of the mask. The d′ detection rate of the target increased when the direction of proprioceptive stimulus was compatible with the location of the visual target compared to when it was incompatible. These results suggest that proprioception influences the allocation of attention in visual spac

Understanding and governing learning in sustainability transitions: A review

Many transitions scholars underscore the importance of learning in sustainability transitions, but the associated learning processes have hardly been conceptualised. The diverse, well-established research fields related to learning are broadly ignored or loosely applied. In this paper, we systematically explore four interesting learning traditions in terms of their value for gaining an in-depth understanding of learning in sustainability transitions and their relevance for fostering learning, by connecting them to key features of transitions. The selected learning traditions from different disciplinary backgrounds provide valuable insights. None of them sufficiently addresses the complexity of transitions. They include, however, a diversity of relevant learning contexts. We conclude that they have value for investigating new areas such as learning in socio-technological regimes and in later phases of a transition, while enlightening forms of learning that have not yet been fully recognised in transition studies, such as superficial learning, unlearning, and learning to resist change

CS 30322-023: an ultra metal-poor TP-AGB star?

With [Fe/H] = -3.5, CS 30322-023 is the most metal-poor star to exhibit a clear s-process signature and the most metal-poor ``lead star'' known. CS 30322-023 is also remarkable in having the lowest surface gravity (log g <= -0.3) among the metal-poor stars studied to date. The available evidence indicates that this star is presently a thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) star, with no strong indication of binarity thus far (although a signal of period 192 d is clearly present in the radial-velocity data, this is likely due to pulsation of the stellar envelope). We show that low-mass TP-AGB stars are not expected to be exceedingly rare in a magnitude-limited sample such as the HK survey, because their high luminosities make it possible to sample them over a very large volume. The strong N overabundance and the low 12C/13C ratio (4) in this star is typical of the operation of the CN cycle. Coupled with a Na overabundance and the absence of a strong C overabundance, this pattern seems to imply that hot-bottom burning operated in this star, which should then have a mass of at least 2 Msun. However, the luminosity associated with this mass would put the star at a distance of about 50 kpc, in the outskirts of the galactic halo. We explore alternative scenarios in which the observed abundance pattern results from some mixing mechanism yet to be identified occurring in a single low-metallicity 0.8 Msun AGB star, or from pollution by matter from an intermediate-mass AGB companion which has undergone hot-bottom burning. We stress, however, that our abundances may be subject to uncertainties due to NLTE or 3D granulation effects which were not taken into consideration.Comment: 17 pages, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press; also available at http://www.astro.ulb.ac.be/Html/ps.html#PR

Searching for unknown open clusters in the Tycho-2 catalog

We present 11 new open cluster candidates found in a systematic search for unknown star clusters using the astrometric and photometric data included in the Tycho2 catalog. The possible existence of these stellar aggregates is supported by the analysis of proper motions, color-magnitude diagrams, stellar density distributions, and by the visual inspection of the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) plates. With these tools we were able to determine mean absolute proper motions as well as preliminary reddenings, distances and ages for the majority of the candidates. We found that most of them are possibly nearby (closer than about 600 pc) open clusters never studied before.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by A&

Detection of the hydroperoxyl radical HO2 toward \rho Oph A: Additional constraints on the water chemical network

Context: Hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) was recently detected toward \rho Oph A. Subsequent astrochemical modeling that included reactions in the gas phase and on the surface of dust grains was able to explain the observed abundance, and highlighted the importance of grain chemistry in the formation of HOOH as an intermediate product in water formation. This study also predicted that the hydroperoxyl radical HO2, the precursor of HOOH, should be detectable. Aims: We aim at detecting the hydroperoxyl radical HO2 in \rho Oph A. Methods: We used the IRAM 30m and the APEX telescopes to target the brightest HO2 lines at about 130 and 260 GHz. Results: We detect five lines of HO2 (comprising seven individual molecular transitions). The fractional abundance of HO2 is found to be about 1e-10, a value similar to the abundance of HOOH. This observational result is consistent with the prediction of the above mentioned astrochemical model, and thereby validates our current understanding of the water formation on dust grains. Conclusions: This detection, anticipated by a sophisticated gas-grain chemical model, demonstrates that models of grain chemistry have improved tremendously and that grain surface reactions now form a crucial part of the overall astrochemical network.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication as a Letter to the Editor in Astronomy and Astrophysic