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Objective: To compare Oregon school-based health centers (SBHCs) with community health centers (CHCs) as sources of adolescent contraceptive services. Data sources: Oregon electronic health record data, 2012-2016. Study design: We compared clinic-level counseling rates and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) provision, adolescent populations served, and visit-level LARC provision time trends. We evaluated adjusted associations between LARC provision and Title X participation by clinic type. Data collection/extraction methods: We used diagnosis and procedure codes to identify contraceptive counseling and provision visits, excluding visits for adolescents not at risk of pregnancy. Principal findings: CHCs were more likely to provide LARC on-site than SBHCs (67.2% vs. 36.4%, respectively). LARC provision increased more at SBHCs (5.8-fold) than CHCs (2-fold) over time. SBHCs provided more counseling visits per clinic (255 vs. 142) and served more young and non-White adolescents than CHCs. The adjusted probability of LARC provision at Title X SBHCs was higher than non-Title X SBHCs (4.4% [3.9-4.9] vs. 1.7% [1.4-2.0]), but there was no significant association at CHCs. Conclusions: In Oregon, CHCs and SBHCs are both important sources of adolescent contraceptive services, and Title X plays a crucial role in SBHCs. Compared with CHCs, SBHCs provided more counseling, showed a larger increase in LARC provision over time, and served more younger and non-White adolescents. KEYWORDS adolescent, CHC, community health center, contraception, LARC, SBHC, school-based health center, What is known on this topic * School-based health centers (SBHCs) and community health centers (CHCs) are both sources of affordable reproductive health care for adolescents. * However, it is [...]

ObjectiveWe used the newly developed Abortion Care Quality Tool (ACQTool) to compare client-reported quality of medication abortion care by source (facility-managed vs pharmacy-sourced self-managed abortion (SMA)) in Bangladesh.MethodsWe leveraged exit and 30-day follow-up surveys collected to develop and validate the ACQTool collected at nongovernmental organisation (NGO)-supported or -operated facilities in the public and private sector and pharmacies from three districts in Bangladesh. We used bivariate statistics to compare 18 client-reported quality indicators grouped in six domains and eight abortion outcomes, by source (facility vs pharmacy). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with selected quality indicators and outcomes (abortion affordability, information provision, and knowing what to do for an adverse event), controlling for client sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsOf 550 abortion clients, 146 (26.5%) received a facility-managed medication abortion and 404 (73.5%) had a pharmacy-sourced SMA. Clients reported higher quality in facilities for five indicators, and higher in pharmacies for two indicators; the remaining 11 indicators were not different by source. Compared with facility-based clients, pharmacy clients had higher odds of reporting that the cost of abortion was affordable (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.55; 95% CI 2.27 to 5.58) but lower odds of reporting high information provision (aOR 0.14; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.23). Seven of eight abortion outcomes showed no differences; pharmacy clients had lower odds of knowing what to do if an adverse event occurred (aOR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.82).ConclusionsIn Bangladesh, there is no difference in client-reported quality of medication abortion care between health facilities and pharmacies for the majority of quality and outcome indicators. However, information provision and preparedness were higher quality at facilities, while pharmacies were more affordable.

Objectives. To assess the use and timing of scheduled cesareans and other categories of cesarean delivery and the prevalence of neonatal morbidity among cesareans in Oregon before and after the implementation of Oregon's statewide policy limiting elective early deliveries. Data Sources. Oregon vital statistics records, 2008-2013. Study Design. Retrospective cohort study, with multivariable logistic regression, regression controlling for time trends, and interrupted time series analyses, to compare the odds of different categories of cesarean delivery and the odds of neonatal morbidity pre- and postpolicy. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. We analyzed vital statistics data on all term births in Oregon (2008-2013), excluding births in 2011. Principal Findings. The odds of early-term scheduled cesareans decreased postpolicy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.70; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.74). In the postpolicy period, there were mixed findings regarding assisted neonatal ventilation and neonatal intensive care unit admission, with regression models indicating higher postpolicy odds in some categories, but lower postpolicy odds after controlling for time trends. Conclusions. Oregon's hard stop policy limiting elective early-term cesarean delivery was associated with lower odds of cesarean delivery in the category of women who were targeted by the policy; more research is needed on impact of such policies on neonatal outcomes. Key Words. Health policy/politics/law/regulation, obstetrics/gynecology, maternal and perinatal care and outcomes, Over the past few decades, obstetric practice has been influenced by several factors, including the increasing frequency of advanced maternal age and increasing rates of maternal comorbidities (Kenny et al. [...]

A mid-level manager at a large public company sends an email to her supervisor stating that she believes that the company's books do not accurately reflect its inventory. As it [...]

ObjectiveTo describe the community context of women who travel to access Mexico City’s public sector abortion programme and identify factors associated with travelling from highly marginalised settings.MethodsWe used data from the Interrupción Legal de Embarazo (ILE) programme (2016–2019) and identified all abortion clients who travelled from outside Mexico City. We merged in contextual information at the municipality level and used descriptive statistics to describe ILE clients’ individual characteristics and municipalities on several measures of vulnerability. We also compared municipalities that ILE clients travelled from with those where no one travelled from. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with travelling to access ILE services from highly marginalised versus less marginalised municipalities.ResultsOur sample included 21 629 ILE clients who travelled to Mexico City from 491 municipalities within all 31 states outside Mexico City. The majority of clients travelled from the least marginalised (81.9%) and most populated (over 100 000 inhabitants; 91.3%) municipalities. Most (91.2%) ILE clients came from municipalities with adolescent fertility rates in the bottom three quintiles. Clients with a primary or secondary education (vs high school or more) and those from a municipality with a high adolescent fertility rate (top two quintiles) had higher odds of travelling from a highly marginalised (vs less) municipality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.46, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.58 and aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.68 to 2.12, respectively).ConclusionILE clients travel from geographically and socioeconomically diverse communities. There is an unmet need for legal abortion across Mexico.

Offers have exploded with pilot programs and mandated direct access, but questions remain. Will the new rules of the market encourage or hinder green power marketing? FOR THE FIRST TIME [...]

Knowledge of population structure facilitates the effective management of species that are harvested in mixed‐stock fisheries. In this study, we analyzed genetic variation at 19 microsatellite loci for 14 populations of Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutchin the Yukon River. We then used this data to estimate the stock composition of adults that were harvested in a lower river test fishery. The Coho Salmon populations in the Yukon River exhibited a high degree of geographically based genetic structure (GST= 0.078), with a strong genetic disjunction between the lower and upper river populations. Further substructure was observed among the upper river populations, which allowed for the estimation of stock composition to areas within this region. Analyses involving simulated and real mixtures indicated that this level of divergence can be used to apportion Coho Salmon to regions and areas accurately (95–100%). The stock composition estimates for the test fishery revealed that the spawning migration was evenly divided (50:50) between the lower and upper river populations. The upper river populations generally had earlier migration timing, comprising 66% of the mixture in the beginning and 33% at the end. The largest component of the upper river region was Tanana at 44%, followed by Nenana at 5%, and Porcupine at 1%. While escapement monitoring is essential for the management of Coho Salmon, it is limited by funding shortfalls. However, mixed‐stock analysis in conjunction with sonar enumeration can provide information on stock‐specific proportions, abundances, and migration timings that can increase our knowledge and ability to manage Coho Salmon populations in the Yukon River.

Background: The use of the combination of fluorouracil (5-FU) and levamisole has been shown to improve the survival of patients with resected Dukes' stage C colon carcinoma. 5-FU is incorporated into RNA, which results in aberrant processing and turnover of RNA. Neither the mechanism of synergy between the two drugs nor the precise molecular mechanism of action of levamisole is known. Each drug has previously been shown to alter the expression of class I human leukocyte antigens (HLA class I) in colorectal cancer cell lines. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of interaction between 5-FU and levamisole by investigating the effect of this combination on HLA class I gene expression in the colorectal cancer cell line WiDr. Methods: WiDr cells were treated either with 5-FU alone or with 5-FU and levamisole. Expression of HLA class I antigens was analyzed by flow cytometry using the monoclonal antibody W6/32. Specific DNA probes for HLA class I, [[beta].sub.2]-microglobulin, [beta]-actin, HLA class II, and p53 (also known as TP53) were used in Northern blot analysis of the steady-state level of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and for 'run-on' transcription analysis. Results: 5-FU alone produced more than 50% increases in the expression of the HLA class I antigens, and levamisole caused a further 8%-18% increase. 5-FU caused the steady-state level of HLA class I mRNAs to increase by about 80%, and levamisole enhanced this effect of 5-FU by a further 70%. 5-FU did not increase the other mRNAs. In vitro run-on transcription revealed that 5-FU caused a 20%-57% reduction in RNA synthesis, while levamisole caused a 30%-190% increase in RNA synthesis. Levamisole therefore reversed the inhibition of RNA synthesis caused by 5-FU. Both drugs had a general effect on RNA synthesis that was not restricted to HLA class I transcription. Conclusions: The apparent synergy between levamisole and 5-FU is a result of the incorporation of 5-FU, which may stabilize HLA class I mRNAs, leading to their accumulation, while levamisole augments the accumulation of these stable mRNAs by increasing the rate of transcription. Implications: Levamisole reduces the toxicity of 5-FU caused by generalized inhibition of RNA synthesis, and at the same time augments the effects of 5-FU, which may be due to selective stabilization of certain mRNAs. [J Natl Cancer Inst 87:489-496,1995]

Substantive and procedural issues relating to the simultaneous civil and criminal prosecutions of white collar criminals are surveyed, with an emphasis on discovery requests and disclosure requirements. Both civil, or administrative, and criminal discovery machinery and defendants' rights to refuse production requests and opportunity to enforce government disclosure requirements are addressed. Particular treatment is given to disclosure of grand jury materials and constitutional limits on prosecutorial power.

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines create a liberty interest beyond that which is protected in the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment itself, but which the Supreme Court has ruled should be safeguarded. Also, the 'preponderance of evidence' standard which is used by the Guidelines in adjusting a defendant's sentence in consideration of behavior which has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt violates due process requirements. The finding of guilt may be less important than the sentencing, in such cases a standard of proof higher than that used in civil cases is needed.

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ObjectiveFirst-trimester abortion is widely available in Mexico City since legalisation in 2007, but few data exist surrounding pharmacy staff knowledge and sales practices. We describe misoprostol availability, whether a prescription is required, and knowledge of the legal status of abortion and uses for misoprostol among pharmacy staff in Mexico City.MethodsData were collected from 174 pharmacies in Mexico City. One employee at each pharmacy was asked about availability, need for prescription, indications for misoprostol, and sociodemographic information. Our primary outcome was availability of misoprostol. We used descriptive and bivariate statistics to compare knowledge and practices by type of pharmacy and staff gender.Patients and public involvementNo patients were involved in this study.ResultsOf the 174 pharmacies, 65 were chain and 109 small independent. Misoprostol was available at 61% of sites. Only 49% of independent pharmacies sold misoprostol, compared with 81.5% of chain pharmacies (p<0.05). Knowledge of indications for misoprostol use was similar. The majority (80%) of respondents knew that abortion was legal in Mexico City, and 44% reported requiring a prescription for sale of misoprostol, with no significant difference between male and female staff or by pharmacy type.ConclusionsAvailability, requirement of a prescription, and knowledge of indications for use of misoprostol varies among pharmacies, resulting in differential access to medical abortion. Pharmacies may be a good place to target education for pharmacy staff and women about safe and effective use of misoprostol for abortion.

Industrial-scale dumping of organic waste to the deep ocean was once common practice, leaving a legacy of chemical pollution for which a paucity of information exists. Using a nested approach with autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles, a dumpsite offshore California was surveyed and sampled. Discarded waste containers littered the site and structured the suboxic benthic environment. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was reportedly dumped in the area, and sediment analysis revealed substantial variability in concentrations of p,p-DDT and its analogs, with a peak concentration of 257 μg g–1, ∼40 times greater than the highest level of surface sediment contamination at the nearby DDT Superfund site. The occurrence of a conspicuous hydrocarbon mixture suggests that multiple petroleum distillates, potentially used in DDT manufacture, contributed to the waste stream. Application of a two end-member mixing model with DDTs and polychlorinated biphenyls enabled source differentiation between shelf discharge versus containerized waste. Ocean dumping was found to be the major source of DDT to more than 3000 km2of the region’s deep seafloor. These results reveal that ocean dumping of containerized DDT waste was inherently sloppy, with the contents readily breaching containment and leading to regional scale contamination of the deep benthos.

BackgroundData on utilisation of in-facility second-trimester abortion services are sparse. We describe temporal and geographical trends in utilisation of in-facility second-trimester abortion services across Mexico.MethodsWe used 2007–2015 data from Mexico’s Automated Hospital Discharge System (SAEH) to identify second-trimester abortive events (ICD O02-O08) in public hospitals across Mexico’s 32 states. We described utilisation, calculated rates using population data, and used logistic regression to identify woman- and state-level factors (municipality-level marginalisation, state-level abortion law) associated with utilisation of second-trimester versus first-trimester services.ResultsWe identified 145 956 second-trimester abortions, or 13.4% of total documented hospitalizations for abortion between 2007 to 2015. The annual utilisation rate of second-trimester abortion remained constant, between 0.5 to 0.6 per 1000 women aged 15–44 years. Women living in highly marginalised municipalities had 1.43 higher odds of utilising abortions services in their second versus their first trimester, when compared with women in municipalities with low marginalisation (95% CI 1.18 to 1.73). Living in a state with a health or fetal anomaly exception to abortion restrictions was not associated with higher utilisation of second-trimester abortion services.ConclusionsOur results suggest there is a need for all types of second-trimester abortion services in Mexico. To improve health outcomes for Mexican women, especially the most vulnerable, access to safe second-trimester abortion services must be ensured through the implementation of current legal exceptions and renewed attention to the training of healthcare providers.

Prior studies have found that women with disabilities who give birth are more likely to have preterm deliveries and low birthweight infants. However, it is not known what proportion of pregnant women with disabilities experience live birth, versus miscarriage or abortion.

Although it is likely that childbearing among women with disabilities is increasing, no empirical data have been published on changes over time in the numbers of women with disabilities giving birth. Further, while it is known that women with disabilities are at increased risk of cesarean delivery, temporal trends in cesarean deliveries among women with disabilities have not been examined.

Bodybuilders must know their real strengths and weaknesses in order to overcome them. Advice is given on self-evaluation and -analysis.

Couched in language peppered with mays, 'Burned by flame retardants?' (SN: 10/13/01, p. 238) suggests that we are all being poisoned with PBDEs from sewage sludge applied to farmland. However, [...]

Estimation of genetic population structure, diversity, and effective population size (Ne) is important for defining meaningful conservation units and assessing genetic health. Recent conservation concerns in Alaska have highlighted the need for research on Eulachon Thaleichthys pacificus, a species about which relatively little is known. Therefore, genetic variation was assayed at 14 microsatellite loci to investigate the genetic population structure of Alaska Eulachon. This analysis revealed a low degree of genetic divergence (GST= 0.005) that is structured by broad-scale northern and southern geographic regions. Overall, there is a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances, suggesting that gene flow is geographically restricted and follows an isolation-by-distance (IBD) model. However, closer analysis reveals an absence of IBD within regions and that gene flow is primarily restricted by the geographic distance between regions, a pattern that better approximates the hierarchical island model. Gene flow is likely restricted between regions by a biogeographical barrier (i.e., the Alexander Archipelago). Alaska Eulachon have high levels of genetic diversity and relatively large Neestimates of 3,535 and 2,823 for the northern and southern regions, respectively, although a large variance in reproductive success is likely responsible for a low Ne/Nratio. The observed genetic divergence suggests that it would be advantageous to manage the two regions separately to maintain productivity and evolutionary potential for Eulachon. Mixed-stock analysis (MSA) of simulated and known-origin mixtures supports the feasibility of regional stock separation. The northern and southern regions had MSA accuracies that were near or greater than 90% when fish from a single region comprised the mixtures. Further population structure may be present within regions, but additional analyses of collections across sampling years are necessary to clarify the microevolutionary processes.

Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytschasupport important subsistence and commercial fisheries throughout the Yukon River. Low returns and diverse user groups have made management of these fisheries contentious and have necessitated information on the origin of the spawning migration and harvest. Here we compare estimates of individual assignment and stock composition derived from genetic and radiotelemetry data collected from the same Chinook salmon. Radiotelemetry and genetic individual assignments were highly concordant. Agreement between methods for individual assignment was 79% to region and 93% to country when using the most probable genetic criterion, improving to 94% for region and 98% for country when using the =95% probability genetic criterion; however, under the more stringent criterion, fewer individuals could be assigned. Further analysis showed that estimates of stock composition based on radiotelemetry and genetic methods were within 6% of each other and were not significantly different. The concordance between estimates of individual assignment and stock composition from the radiotelemetry and genetic methods indicates that both methods are credible tools for fishery assessment of Yukon River Chinook salmon. Received October 14, 2011; accepted April 17, 2012

The present study characterized the surface shear forces induced by sparging for different sparging conditions (i.e. continuous, alternating and pulse) and the membrane module configurations (i.e. spacing). The root mean square (RMS) of surface shear forces induced by gas sparging, which has been reported to be related to the extent of fouling control in membrane systems, were relatively similar for continuous, alternating and pulse sparging. Considering that pulse sparging uses approximately half of the volume of sparged gas than continuous or alternating sparging, the results suggest that pulse sparging is the best sparging approach. The RMS of surface shear forces were substantially higher for the wide module spacing than for the standard (i.e., narrow) module spacing, indicating that fouling control can likely be significantly improved by simply increasing the distance between the membrane modules.Because of the heterogeneous distribution of surface shear forces and sparged bubbles, it is essential to consider the hydrodynamic conditions throughout the system, rather than just those at the periphery, to optimize the sparging conditions and the module spacing.

Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytschaare described as having a “stream-type” life history strategy. After emergence from river gravel, juveniles typically feed and grow in tributary streams of the Yukon River throughout their first summer, overwinter in freshwater, and usually leave their rearing areas for marine waters during the second spring or summer. Nonnatal rearing has been described in the upper Canadian portion of the drainage, but information is lacking for downstream U.S. waters. In 2006–2007, a study was conducted to document nonnatal rearing and the genetic origin of Chinook salmon in U.S. tributary streams of the Yukon River. Eight nonspawning streams were selected for study, seven located in a 260-km segment between the U.S.–Canada border and Circle, Alaska, and one located 742 km downstream from the border. Age-0 juveniles were captured in all eight streams. Genetic stock composition analyses using 13 standardized microsatellite loci assigned the fish to Canadian source populations. The Carmacks region (over 460 km upstream from the border) contributed 91% to the mixtures in 2006 and 82% in 2007. Canadian stocks nearest the border and from large river systems were underrepresented in the collections. Simulation and known-origin mixture analyses demonstrated that stock composition and individual assignment estimates derived from the genetic baseline were accurate and precise. Some juveniles may have traveled over 1,200 km to reach rearing areas in U.S. waters. Future studies would help define the importance of this life history strategy to the overall health and productivity of Yukon River Chinook salmon.

Fecundity is a vital population characteristic that is directly linked to the productivity of fish populations. Historic data from Yukon River (Alaska) Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytschasuggest that length-adjusted fecundity differs among populations within the drainage and either is temporally variable or has declined. Yukon River Chinook salmon have been harvested in large-mesh gill-net fisheries for decades, and a decline in fecundity was considered a potential evolutionary response to size-selective exploitation. The implications for fishery conservation and management led us to further investigate the fecundity of Yukon River Chinook salmon populations. Matched observations of fecundity, length, and genotype were collected from a sample of adult females captured from the multipopulation spawning migration near the mouth of the Yukon River in 2008. These data were modeled by using a new mixture model, which was developed by extending the conditional maximum likelihood mixture model that is commonly used to estimate the composition of multipopulation mixtures based on genetic data. The new model facilitates maximum likelihood estimation of stock-specific fecundity parameters without first using individual assignment to a putative population of origin, thus avoiding potential biases caused by assignment error. The hypothesis that fecundity of Chinook salmon has declined was not supported; this result implies that fecundity exhibits high interannual variability. However, length-adjusted fecundity estimates decreased as migratory distance increased, and fecundity was more strongly dependent on fish size for populations spawning in the middle and upper portions of the drainage. These findings provide insights into potential constraints on reproductive investment imposed by long migrations and warrant consideration in fisheries management and conservation. The new mixture model extends the utility of genetic markers to new applications and can be easily adapted to study any observable trait or condition that may vary among populations.

Yukon River chum salmon Oncorhynchus ketaare managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), which requires conservation and equitable sharing of this fishery resource by the USA and Canada. Fall chum salmon are of special concern because they spawn in both the United States and Canada, and the focus of the PST is on Canadian-origin salmon. Yukon River chum salmon were assayed for genetic variation at 22 microsatellite loci to establish a baseline for mixed-stock analysis (MSA) applications to assist in addressing conservation and allocation issues. The baseline has been applied yearly to estimate the stock composition of Yukon River fall chum salmon from samples collected in the Pilot Station test fishery. Accuracies in MSA simulations for 12 of 14 management regions exceeded 90%, with a range of 80–98%, for the 12 most informative loci. Stock composition estimates were within 10% of the actual proportions in a known-origin mixture analysis. Stock-specific abundance estimates, which were derived from combining the estimates of genetic stock composition of Pilot Station test fishery harvests with sonar abundance estimates, were concordant with upriver escapement data. The combination of genetic MSA using the baseline developed in this study and sonar abundance provides a viable tool for assessing stock strength and assisting managers in regulating fisheries to maintain the productivity and evolutionary potential of Yukon River chum salmon.

We surveyed seven regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome for restriction site variation to investigate the evolution of genetic variability in chum salmon Oncorhynchus ketafrom the Yukon River. Chum salmon from other Alaska regions were also analyzed to provide context for mtDNA variation. No divergence was observed in mtDNA haplotype frequency distributions among Yukon River populations, but divergence was observed across Alaska. The haplotype genealogy identified two lineages, and nested clade analysis revealed significant relationships between the geographical distribution of haplotypes and their genealogy for a two-step clade (which predominates in the Yukon River), a three-step clade, and for the total cladogram. The demographic signal detected for the two-step clade was consistent with isolation by distance, whereas contiguous range expansion was identified for the three-step clade and the total cladogram. The absence of signals of historical fragmentation suggests that incomplete lineage sorting is responsible for paraphyly within the Yukon River. Mismatch analysis reveals either that an ancestral Yukon River population underwent a post-Pleistocene expansion followed by subdivision or that expansion and subdivision coincided. Although restriction site analysis of mtDNA is of limited use for Yukon River chum salmon fishery management applications (e.g., mixed-stock analysis), it is useful for separating population history from contemporary processes and aids our understanding of Yukon River chum salmon evolution.

The population structure of fall-run Yukon River chum salmon Oncorhynchus ketahas been studied previously using allozyme, microsatellite, and mitochondrial markers. However, genetically similar populations from tributaries near the U.S.-Canadian border render mixed-stock analyses (MSAs) difficult in the fisheries from lower portions of the Yukon River; MSA simulation apportionment estimates are less than 90% accurate for the border region divided by country of origin. To increase the accuracy and precision of contribution estimates to harvests in the Yukon River and to improve our understanding of the population structure of fall-run chum salmon, we investigated the variation of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). Our results show that Yukon River chum salmon populations are structured by both seasonal race and geographic region. As expected, the MSA is most successful when mixtures are allocated to geographic regions. Both AFLP and microsatellites have better than 80% apportionment accuracy in MSA simulations for the U.S. and Canadian border regions, but neither approach clearly or consistently outperforms the other. In general, the population structure resolved by AFLP is similar to that observed for other genetic markers. Relatively weak population divergence, rather than shortcomings of the previously studied genetic marker systems, appears to be the limiting factor in attaining high levels of accuracy and precision in MSA.

The adenovirus system provides a novel model for evaluating the roles of multiple factors involved in tumour progression. In common with other DNA tumour viruses, adenovirus employs a variety of strategies to evade immune surveillance and perturbs cellular apoptotic and growth regulatory pathways to ensure efficient replication of progeny virions. Such subversion of cellular networks is also found in tumour cells. The mechanism behind the avoidance of immune surveillance and the extent of cellular network interference achieved by adenovirus is still being uncovered and is predicted to have ramifications for the design of cancer therapeutics.

Gene therapy holds promise for the treatment of a range of inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. However, efficient delivery and expression of the therapeutic transgene at levels sufficient to result in phenotypic correction of cystic fibrosis pulmonary disease has proved elusive. There are many reasons for this lack of progress, both macroscopically in terms of airway defence mechanisms and at the molecular level with regard to effective cDNA delivery. This review of approaches to cystic fibrosis gene therapy covers these areas in detail and highlights recent progress in the field. For gene therapy to be effective in patients with cystic fibrosis, the cDNA encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein must be delivered effectively to the nucleus of the epithelial cells lining the bronchial tree within the lungs. Expression of the transgene must be maintained at adequate levels for the lifetime of the patient, either by repeat dosage of the vector or by targeting airway stem cells. Clinical trials of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis have demonstrated proof of principle, but gene expression has been limited to 30 days at best. Results suggest that viral vectors such as adenovirus and adeno-associated virus are unsuited to repeat dosing, as the immune response reduces the effectiveness of each subsequent dose. Nonviral approaches, such as cationic liposomes, appear more suited to repeat dosing, but have been less effective. Current work regarding non-viral gene delivery is now focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in cell entry, endosomal escape and nuclear import of the transgene. There is now increasing evidence to suggest that additional ligands that facilitate endosomal escape or contain a nuclear localization signal may enhance liposome-mediated gene delivery. Much progress in this area has been informed by advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which viruses deliver their genomes to the nuclei of host cells.

We used microsatellite and mitochondri-al DNA–restriction fragment length polymorphism (mtDNA–RFLP) analyses to test the hypothesis that chum salmon Oncorhynchus ketaand coho salmon O. kisutchin the Yukon River, Alaska, exhibit population structure at differing spatial scales. If the hypothesis is true, then the risk of losing genetic diversity because of habitat degradation from a gold mine near a Yukon River tributary could differ between the two species. For each species, collections were made from two tributaries in both the Innoko and Tanana rivers, which are tributaries to the lower and middle Yukon River. The results revealed a large difference in the degree and spatial distribution of population structure between the two species. For chum salmon, the microsatellite loci (F-statistic (FST) = 0.021) and mtDNA (FST= -0.008) revealed a low degree of interpopulation genetic diversity on a relatively large geographic scale. This large-scale population structure should minimize, although not eliminate, the risk of genetic diversity loss due to localized habitat degradation. For coho salmon, the microsatellites (FST= 0.091) and mtDNA (FST= 0.586) revealed a high degree of interpopulation genetic diversity on a relatively small geographic scale. This small-scale population structure suggests that coho salmon are at a relatively high risk of losing genetic diversity due to localized habitat degradation. Our study underscores the importance of a multispecies approach for evaluating the potential impact of land-use activities on the genetic diversity of Pacific salmon.

Abstract. Seventeen field experiments were conducted on alkaline soils in eastern Australia between 1997 and 2000 to evaluate irrigated cotton response to phosphorus (P) fertilisation. Only 3 experiments demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) increases in crop P uptake or lint yield with P application. Comparison of several soil P tests revealed that Colwell (bicarbonate) P provided the best correlation with P uptake at early flowering and lint yield. Soil P may limit cotton growth where Colwell-P concentrations are <6 mg/kg. Soil P concentrations at most of the sites were well above this critical limit, so P fertiliser application was not required. Average P uptake at physiological cut-out and P removal in seed cotton was 21 and 15 kg P/ha, respectively. Apparent P fertiliser recovery was variable (0?67%) and may have contributed to the lack of response that was observed in 14 out of the 17 experiments. It is recommended that at least 40 kg P/ha be applied to soils with Colwell-P concentrations <6 mg/kg to increase soil P reserves. Application rates of at least 20 kg P/ha are recommended where Colwell-P falls between 6 and 12 mg/kg to maintain soil P fertility.

A grazing experiment was conducted at the Big Ridge 2 site CSIRO, Chiswick (30˚31'S, 151˚39'E), 20 km south of Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. The site was established in 1955. In March 1966, phalaris and white clover were sown and pastures were fertilised annually with superphosphate until 1993. There were 3 pasture treatments, each with 2 replicates: degraded pasture (low phalaris content), phalaris-dominant, and phalaris–white clover. The effect of pasture type on animal production (liveweight gain and wool) was only significant in 1996, when there were large differences in pasture composition and production between the 3 pasture types. n-Alkane based estimates showed that pasture degradation affected diet selection and nutrient intake and thus sheep production. The estimates in this study also showed no clear preference for a single pasture species over time and lack of strong preferential selection for clovers when sheep were grazing 3 contrasting pastures. Preferential selection of a particular species varied over time depending on the presence and availability of alternative species. Although there were large differences in total N and S intake and faecal output between the 3 pastures, the proportion of the dietary nutrient used for production was similar. This observation reveals the importance of further improving pasture and grazing management, particularly in productive phalaris–white clover pasture with high nutrient flux, to improve nutrient recycling through plant uptake and retention by animals in the grazing ecosystem, and reduce losses. diet quality, digestibility, species composition, n-alkane technique.

Education is central to the preservation and success of any society, including that of the Palestinians. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1993, Palestinians now have their first opportunity in nearly 500 years to control and develop their own educational system, a system that will better meet the needs of the Palestinians than those nations who have controlled the Palestinians for so many years. With this singular opportunity, the questions now becomes one of determining the nature of this educational system, one uniquely fitted to preserve and promote Palestinian society. The purpose of this study was to examine ideas from Palestinians about what they thought their educational system should be and what core values should inform its creation and development. Through information gathered in semi-structured interviews, a portrait begins to emerge about what Palestinians think their schools and educational processes should look like, what barriers present themselves to the realization of their ideas, and what the solutions may be to remove these barriers.

The myelin basic proteins (MBPs) are a family of polypeptides that are predominantly expressed in the nervous system where they play a major role in myelination. We have generated four lines of transgenic mice carrying a transgene in which 1.34 kb of the 5′-flanking sequence of the mouse MBP gene was fused upstream of the coding region of the Escherichia coli lac Z gene in order to investigate developmental and tissue-specific expression of the MBP gene. Expression of both the lacZ transgene and the endogenous MBP gene followed a common developmental pattern in mouse brain. Transgene expression was detected in primary oligodendrocytes, but not in type 2 astrocytes. In addition, the lacZ gene product was expressed in epithelial cells of certain nonneural tissues, namely kidney, epididymis, ureter, and seminal vesicles. The ectopic expression of the transgene was associated with the development of DNase I hypersensitive sites at the site of insertion which was found to be within the intron 1 region of the endogenous MBP gene. The results reported here strongly suggest that the 1.34-kb 5′-flanking region of the MBP gene contains cis-regulatory elements that confer developmental regulation of the MBP gene, although this region appears to lack elements that restrict its expression to the nervous system.

Two in vitro laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of nutrient additions, soil inoculation, and sampling times on the decomposition rates and nutrient release patterns of leguminous crop residues. Cumulative CO2 evolution and the percentage nutrient release from barrel medic hay (Medicago truncatula) and chickpea straw (Cicer arietinum) were determined over a 6-week period using a 0.005 M CaCl2 recycling system (UNE in vitro perfusion apparatus). The decomposition study was carried out at 25˚C in a controlled temperature laboratory. There were no significant differences between the decomposition rates of the 2 residues. The percentage C release was not significantly affected by nutrient addition or by soil inoculation. More than 50% of the total C that was released from the residues occurred in the first 7 days with peak release at 3–4 days. Because of an accumulation of nutrients in a muscilaginous substance in the apparatus, and adsorption of P to the plastic, it was not possible to measure the release of nutrients from the residues by sampling the perfusion solution. This had to be achieved by direct measurement of loss of nutrients from the residues. Except for K, the nutrient released from residues was not affected by residue or sampling time. Additional keywords: organic matter, mineralisation, nutrients.

Abstract. An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of deep-rooted perennial grasses on the water and nitrogen economy of 3 mature pasture communities with different botanical compositions but the same fertiliser history. One pasture was dominated by volunteer naturalised pasture grasses (Eleusine tristachya and Danthonia spp.) (termed ‘degraded’), another was phalaris (Phalaris aquatica) dominant (phalaris), and a third was dominated by phalaris into which white clover (Trifolium repens) had been recently sown (phalaris–white clover). Two replicates of each pasture type were grazed continuously over 4 years with young weaner sheep changed each year. Measurements of hydrology, nutrient cycling, botanical composition and animal production were made in order to quantify the sustainability characteristics of each of the pasture types. Data are summarised as absolute measures at various points in time and also as trends over time. The ranking of standardised treatment measures was then summed to provide an index of sustainability with or without a weighting assumed to be representative of the relative importance of various layers of sustainability viewed from the perspective of a hypothetical ‘typical’ grazier. The results show that the phalaris–white clover treatment was substantially more sustainable, in both ecological and economic terms, than either of the other treatments. The unweighted index for the phalaris–white clover pasture was 3.61 compared to 2.08 and 1.98 for the phalaris and ‘degraded’ pastures, respectively.

Excerpt from the book `Almost Golden' by Gwenda Blair (Simon Schuster 1988). After years of rumors, this new book reveals the sad truth behind the quick rise-and-tragic death of one of television's most popular anchorwomen, Jessica Savitch. Her early years; Her marriage; Her cocaine addiction; Her second husband's suicide; Her own tragic death.

MHC class I molecules are normally expressed at very low levels in the brain and their up-regulation in response to cytokines and viral infections has been associated with a number of neurological disorders. Here we demonstrate that the down-regulation of surface class I molecules in differentiated primary rat oligodendrocytes was accompanied by reduced steady-state levels of class I heavy-chain mRNA. Transient expression assays were performed in oligodendrocytes and fibroblasts, using a mouse H-2Kb class I promoter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase plasmid termed pH2KCAT (which contained 5ʹ-flanking sequences from -2033 to +5 bp of the H-2Kb gene relative to the transcriptional start site at +1 bp). These assays showed that H-2Kb promoter activity was reduced in oligodendrocytes but not in class I-expressing fibroblasts. H-2Kb promoter activity was up-regulated in oligodendrocytes co-transfected with a plasmid expression vector encoding the transcriptional activator tax of human T-cell leukaemia virus type I, showing that down-regulation of promoter activity was reversible. Deletion mutant analysis of the H-2Kb promoter revealed the presence of negative regulatory elements that were functional in oligodendrocytes at -1.61 to -1.07 kb and -242 to -190 bp. Deletion of sequences in pH2KCAT encompassing the downstream element totally abolished promoter activity in both oligodendrocytes and fibroblasts, whereas a deletion within the upstream negative regulatory element increased promoter activity specifically in oligodendrocytes. The upstream negative regulatory element also down-regulated a linked heterologous herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter in oligodendrocytes, but not in fibroblasts. Gel retardation assays using overlapping DNA probes that spanned the entire -1.61 to -1.07 kb region revealed the presence of a number of DNA-binding activities that were present in oligodendrocyte, but not in fibroblast nuclear extracts.

Data on the inclusive production of the neutral vector mesonsρ0(770),ω(782), K*0(892), andφ(1020) in hadronic Z decays recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP are presented and compared to Monte Carlo model predictions. Bose-Einstein effects are found to be important in extracting a reliable value for theρ0production rate. An averageρ0multiplicity of 1.45±0.21 per event is obtained. Theωis detected via its three pion decay modeω→π+π−π0and has a total rate of 1.07±0.14 per event. The multiplicity of the K*0is 0.83±0.09, whilst that of theφis 0.122±0.009, both measured using their charged decay modes. The measurements provide information on the relative production rates of vector and pseudoscalar mesons, as well as on the relative probabilities for the production of hadrons containing u, d, and s quarks.

Earlier measurements at LEP of isolated hard photons in hadronic Z decays, attributed to radiation from primary quark pairs, have been extended in the ALEPH experiment to include hard photon productioninsidehadron jets. Events are selected where all particles combine democratically to form hadron jets, one of which contains a photon with a fractional energyz≥0.7. After statistical subtraction of non-prompt photons, the quark-to-photon fragmentation function,D(z), is extracted directly from the measured 2-jet rate. By taking into account the perturbative contributions toD(z) obtained from anO(ααs) QCD calculation, the unknown non-perturbative component ofD(z) is then determined at highz. Provided due account is taken of hadronization effects nearz=1, a good description of the other event topologies is then found.

Using 22 pb−1of data collected at LEP in 1992 on the peak of the Z resonance, the ALEPH collaboration has measured the polarisation of the tau leptons decaying into $$ev\bar v, \mu v\bar v$$ ,πν, ρνand a1νfrom their individual decay product distributions. The measurement of the tau polarisation as a function of the production polar angle yields the two parametersNτandNe, where, in terms of the axial and vector couplingsgAlandgVl,Nl=2gVlgAl/(gVl2+gAl2). This analysis follows to a large extent the methods devised for the 1990 and 1991 data but with improvements which bring a better understanding of the systematic uncertainties. Combining the 1992 measurements with our previously published results yieldsNτ=0.136±0.012±0.009 andNe=0.129±0.016±0.005. Assuminge−τ universality, the measurements imply an effective weak mixing angle of sin2θWeff=0.2332±0.0014.

Photon proton cross sections for elastic light vector meson production, sel?p, inelastic diffractive production, snd?p, non-diffractive production, sd?p, as well as the total cross section, stot?p, have been measured at an average ?p center of mass energy of 180 GeV with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The resulting values are sel?p = 18 ± 7 µb, sd?p = 33 ± 8 µb, snd?p = 91 ± 11 µb, and stot?p 143 ± 17 µb, where the errors include statistical and systematic errors added in quadrature.

Inclusive π±, K± and differential cross-sections in hadronic decays of the Z have been measured as a function ofz=Phadron/Pbeam, the scaled momentum. The results are based on approximately 520 000 events measured by the ALEPH detector at LEP during 1992. Charged particles are identified by their rate of ionization energy loss in the ALEPH Time Projection Chamber. The position, ξ*, of the peak in the ln(1/z) distribution is determined, and the evolution of the peak position with centre-of-mass energy is compared with the prediction of QCD.

A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb-1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly.