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Cooperative social behaviors, such as parental care, have long been hypothesized to relax selection leading to the accumulation of genetic variation in populations. Although the idea has been discussed for decades, there has been relatively little experimental work to investigate how social behavior contributes to genetic variation in populations. Here, we investigate how parental care can shape molecular genetic variation in the subsocial insect, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Using whole-genome sequencing of populations that had evolved in the presence or absence of parental care for 30 generations, we show that parental care maintains levels of standing genetic variation. In contrast, under a harsh environment without care, strong directional selection caused a reduction in genetic variation. Furthermore, we show that adaptation to the loss of care is associated with genetic divergence between populations at loci related to stress, morphological development, and transcriptional regulation. These data reveal how social behavior is linked to the genetic processes that shape and maintain genetic diversity within populations, and provides rare empirical evidence for an old hypothesis. Lay Summary: Social behaviors, such as parental care, have long been hypothesized to result in the accumulation of genetic variation in populations. Here, we investigate how parental care can shape molecular genetic variation in a species that performs biparental care, Nicrophorus vespilloides. Using genome sequencing of populations that had evolved in the presence or absence of parental care for 30 generations, we show that parental care maintains levels of standing genetic variation. In contrast, under a harsh environment without care, populations lost genetic variation. Furthermore, we show that adaptation to the loss of care is associated with genetic divergence between populations at genes related to stress, morphological development, and transcriptional regulation. These data reveal how social behavior is linked to the genetic processes that shape and maintain genetic diversity within populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental care is thought to evolve through modification of behavioral precursors, which predicts that mechanistic changes occur in the genes underlying those traits. The duplicated gene system of oxytocin/vasopressin has been broadly co-opted across vertebrates to influence parenting, from a preduplication ancestral role in water balance. It remains unclear whether co-option of these genes for parenting is limited to vertebrates. Here, we experimentally tested for associations between inotocin gene expression and water balance, parental acceptance of offspring, and active parenting in the subsocial beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis , to test whether this single-copy homolog of the oxytocin/vasopressin system has similarly been co-opted for parental care in a species with elaborate parenting. As expected, inotocin was associated with water balance in both sexes. Inotocin expression increased around sexual maturation in both males and females, although more clearly in males. Finally, inotocin expression was not associated with acceptance of larvae, but was associated with a transition to male but not female parenting. Moreover, level of offspring provisioning behavior and gene expression were positively correlated in males but uncorrelated in females. Our results suggest a broad co-option of this system for parenting that may have existed prior to gene duplication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aerosol personal protective equipment (PPE) is subjectively reported to negatively impact healthcare workers' performance and well-being, but this has not been assessed objectively. Aims This randomized controlled crossover study aimed to quantify the heat stress associated with aerosol PPE and to investigate its impact upon mood, cognitive and motor function, and task performance. Methods Sixteen healthy, young, lean participants (eight males) undertook an exercise protocol, which simulated the metabolic expenditure of hospital work: once wearing aerosol PPE (PPE visit) and once wearing standard surgical attire (control visit). Participants walked on a treadmill for 2 h followed by 30-min rest. Core temperature, heart rate, urine specific gravity, weight, grip strength, mood (Bond–Lader scale) and task performance (Intubation of a Manikin) were recorded. Values are between-visit mean (standard deviation) differences. Results On the PPE visit core temperature (+0.2 (0.3)°C; P < 0.01), heart rate (+12 (13) bpm; P < 0.001), urine specific gravity (+0.003 (0.005); P < 0.05) and intubation task time (+50 (81) s; P < 0.01) were greater than on the control visit; and alertness (−14 (21) mm; P < 0.001), contentment (−14 (15) mm; P < 0.001) and grip strength (−4 (4) N; P < 0.01) were less. Conclusions This study demonstrates that wearing aerosol PPE in a simulated hospital environment results in heat exhaustion and has a negative impact upon mood, motor function, and task performance. Whilst wearing PPE is important to prevent disease transmission, strategies should be developed to limit its impact upon healthcare workers' performance and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predator naivety negatively affects reintroduction success, and this threat is exacerbated when prey encounters predators with which they have had no evolutionary experience. While methods have been developed to inculcate fear into such predator-naïve individuals, none have been uniformly successful. Exposing ontogenetically- and evolutionary-naïve individuals first to native predators may be an effective stepping stone to improved responses to evolutionarily novel predators. We focused on greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) and capitalized on a multi-year mammalian recovery experiment whereby western quolls (Dasyurus geoffroii) were reintroduced into parts of a large fenced reserve that contained a population of naïve bilbies. We quantified a suite of anti-predator behaviors and measures of general wariness across quoll-exposed and quoll-naive bilby populations. We then translocated both quoll-exposed and quoll-naïve individuals into a large enclosure that contained feral cats (Felis catus) and monitored several behaviors. We found that bilbies can respond appropriately to quolls but found only limited support that experience with quolls better-prepared bilbies to respond to cats. Both populations of bilbies rapidly modified their behavior in a similar manner after their reintroduction to a novel environment. These results may have emerged due to insufficient prior exposure to quolls, inappropriate behavioral tests, or insufficient predation risk during cat exposure. Alternatively, quolls and cats are only distantly related and may not share sufficient similarities in their predatory cues or behavior to support such a learning transfer. Testing this stepping stone hypothesis with more closely related predator species and under higher predation risk would be informative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of the Eastern Mexican Alkaline Province has been explained by landward arc migration and subsequent asthenospheric upwelling after slab roll-back of the Farallon Plate. In this work, we present new petrographic, mineral chemical, geochemical, and geochronological data of the Sierra de San Carlos-Cruillas (SSCC), one of the most important complexes in the province. This information, together with published data, helped us to reinterpret the tectonic processes operating during the generation of this province, as well as the mantle sources involved in the partial melting process. Detailed geochemical analysis suggests the participation of two types of metasomatized mantle regions: a lithospheric source modified by past subduction processes and an asthenospheric source slightly affected by carbonatite-related metasomatism. Variations in the partial melting degrees controlled the extent of magma enrichment in the latter. Major and trace element geochemistry, together with geochronological data and field relations, evinced an older post-orogenic setting related to the arc-like rocks (Eocene) and a younger intraplate extensional environment associated with all enriched igneous rocks (Oligocene-Miocene). Bivariate diagrams of SiO2-trace element ratios and multi-element patterns indicate that magmas from the SSCC complex dominantly evolved through fractional crystallization with a limited crustal contribution. Petrographic and mineral chemistry features suggest that some of these magmas experienced open-system processes (e.g. recharge events) in a complex and dynamic magmatic feeding system. In contrast to the traditional petrotectonic model, we propound that the passage and subsequent foundering of the Hess conjugate under northeastern Mexico resulted in its eclogitization and triggered slab tearing and succeeding detachment. This latter process occasioned mantle upwelling and the partial melting of the two recognized metasomatized mantle sources, thus generating the San Carlos-Cruillas magmatism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aposematic coloration is traditionally considered to signal unpalatability or toxicity. In mammals, most research has focused on just one form of defense, namely, noxious anal secretions, and its black‐and‐white advertisement as exemplified by skunks. The original formulation of aposematism, however, encompassed a broader range of morphological, physiological, and behavioral defenses, and there are many mammal species with black‐and‐white contrasting patterns that do not have noxious adaptations. Here, using Bayesian phylogenetic models and data from 1726 terrestrial nonvolant mammals we find that two aspects of conspicuous coloration, black‐and‐white coloration patterns on the head and body, advertise defenses that are morphological (spines, large body size), behavioral (pugnacity), and physiological (anal secretions), as well as being involved with sexual signaling and environmental factors linked to crypsis. Within Carnivora, defensive anal secretions are associated with complex black‐and‐white head patterns and longitudinal black‐and‐white body striping; in primates, larger bodied species exhibit irregular patches of black‐and‐white pelage; and in rodents, pugnacity is linked to sharp countershading and irregular blocks of white and black pelage. We show that black‐and‐white coloration in mammals is multifunctional, that it serves to warn predators of several defenses other than noxious anal secretions, and that aposematism in mammals is not restricted to carnivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical Pacific is highly responsible for controlling the tendencies of global climate. Here, we have found a subdecadal (i.e. 3-year-running means) variation that has been distinctively observed in the 2000s over the tropical Pacific. The warm water that originated from the positive ocean-heat-content (OHC) anomaly over the western Pacific in 2000 slowly extended eastward and stayed at the central equatorial Pacific between 2002 and 2005, rather than reaching the eastern edge. At the same time, an accompanying anticyclonic surface wind anomaly was observed in the off-equatorial North Pacific. This dynamical response of the upper ocean may have contributed to the subsequent warming in the western Pacific. In the preceding decades, in contrast, the observed OHC has usually represented a periodic fluctuation in the tropical Pacific, characterized by anomalous heat input/output in the meridional direction and slow eastward adjustment in the equatorial ocean thermocline. This subdecadal variation in the 2000s is quite distinct from our decadal hindcasts with initialization in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5. The model predominantly simulates periodic-type fluctuations in any decade, and the resultant low predictability of the subdecadal variation in the 2000s can work to modulate the predictive skills at a lead time of several years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a commercial contract with an arbitration clause, the parties may fail to determine any applicable law, in which case the arbitral tribunal is expected to identify the rules applicable to the merits of the dispute. A modern approach suggests that localizing legal issues originated from an international contract is inappropriate and that the tribunal should conduct an assessment to identify international or non-national rules or practices appropriate to the issues at hand. This approach, which grants the tribunal maximum freedom in choosing the applicable law with no reference to any choice-of-law rules, is adopted in a few institutional rules such as the Article 21(1) of the ICC Rules. This article seeks to introduce an evaluative framework informing the tribunal's methodical task in identifying the most suitable legal regimes. The evaluative framework seeks to assess the relationship of legal doctrines to commercial considerations and expectations regarded by businesses. A significant issue that befalls the arbitrators is that of pleading, proving, and measuring monetary damages. Yet, damages have remained an issue that is inaccurately dealt with by arbitral tribunals. This article aims to examine the principles governing damages available to an innocent commercial party under significant legal regimes widely applied in international commercial arbitration in an attempt to offer guidance on which legal regime has provided the most appropriate set of principles reflecting the essential needs and interests of commercial parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on two recent decisions handed down by the highest authority in the United Kingdom and Australia, this article attempts to critically review the common law rule dealing with contractual penalties through a comparison with its 'functional equivalent' under Chinese law. In the above two decisions, the UK and Australian courts effectively tightened the test for a penalty clause by making it harder for a contracting party to escape from the provision of the contract. However, the decision to retain the penalty jurisdiction remains a controversial one, and the historical and comparative analysis offered by the UK Supreme Court to justify the retention is particularly tenuous. In this regard, a comparison with Chinese law, which bears diametrical differences from the common law in both systematic design and under-structure, helps to bring out the incoherency between rule and rationale under the common law. By tracing the different historical origins and paths of evolution of both the common law and Chinese rules, the article offers a full-fledged comparison that penetrates the surface of legal texts and challenges the long-held assumption that the penalty jurisdiction exercises a fairness control by reference to the time when the contract is made. It concludes that the true rationale of allowing judicial intervention in agreed damage clauses lies in the existence of a discretionary power to achieve remedial justice and that the common law penalty rule should be abolished given its inability to adapt to this rationale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Elucidating the genomic landscape of sporadic parathyroid carcinoma (PC) has been limited by low tumor incidence. Objective Identify driver mutations of sporadic PC and potential actionable pathways. Methods Patients undergoing surgical resection for sporadic PC between 1980 and 2016 at MD Anderson Cancer Center were identified. Patients with sporadic PC according to World Health Organization diagnostic criteria and with available formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) PC tumor tissue were included and their clinical data analyzed to assess extent of disease. Patients with parathyroid tumors of uncertain malignancy or atypical parathyroid neoplasms were excluded. Thirty-one patients meeting diagnostic criteria had available tissue for analysis. FFPE PC tumors were subjected to DNA extraction and next-generation whole-exome sequencing. All variant calls are single-algorithm only. Twenty-nine samples passed quality assurance after DNA extraction. Main Outcome Measures Somatic or private germline mutations present in sporadic PC and identification of pathways involved in tumorigenesis. Results We identified 35 genes with considerable mutational load; only eight genes were previously identified in other PC cohorts. These genes mediate critical processes, including chromosome organization, DNA repair, and cell cycle regulations. Gene mutations involved in MAPK signaling and immune response are also heavily implicated. These findings are limited by inherent molecular artifacts in FFPE tissue analysis and the absence of matched germline DNA. Additionally, variant calls are only single algorithm and may include false-positive/negative calls. Conclusion We identified 33 candidate driver genes of sporadic PC, in addition to previously known driver genes CDC73 and MEN1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often claimed that the rules of contributory negligence apply to unreasonable claimant conduct that occurs prior to or contemporaneously with the defendant’s wrong, whereas the rule of avoidable losses (failure to mitigate) applies to unreasonable claimant conduct that occurs after the defendant’s wrong. Others argue that this distinction is normatively indefensible, since both doctrines are concerned with whether the claimant acted unreasonably in his or her own interests, and that the consequences of such conduct ought therefore to be the same regardless of when it occurs relative to the defendant’s wrong. In this article, I demonstrate that both views are flawed, and that the preferable distinction rests simply on whether the claimant’s unreasonable conduct (i) contributes to the claimant’s damage (contributory negligence) or (ii) increases the indirect losses that flow from that damage (the rule of avoidable losses). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analysis of rotational and translational ground motions from earthquakes recorded during October-November 2016, in association with the Central Italy seismic sequence. We use co-located measurements of the vertical ground rotation rate from a large ring laser gyroscope and the three components of ground velocity from a broad-band seismometer. Both instruments are positioned in a deep underground environment, within the Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. We collected dozens of events spanning the 3.5-5.9 magnitude range and epicentral distances between 30 and 70 km. This data set constitutes an unprecedented observation of the vertical rotational motions associated with an intense seismic sequence at local distance. Under the plane-wave approximation we process the data set in order to get an experimental estimation of the events backazimuth. Peak values of rotation rate (PRR) and horizontal acceleration (PGA) are markedly correlated, according to a scaling constant which is consistent with previous measurements from different earthquake sequences. We used a prediction model in use for Italy to calculate the expected PGA at the recording site, obtaining consequently predictions for PRR. Within the modelling uncertainties, predicted rotations are consistent with the observed ones, suggesting the possibility of establishing specific attenuation models for ground rotations, like the scaling of peak velocity and peak acceleration in empirical ground-motion prediction relationships. In a second step, after identifying the direction of the incoming wavefield, we extract phase-velocity data using the spectral ratio of the translational and rotational components. This analysis is performed over time windows associated with the P-coda, S-coda and Lg phase. Results are consistent with independent estimates of shear wave velocities in the shallow crust of the Central Apennines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the metaphor and actuality of the 'everyday cyborg', this article makes the case that the law is ill-equipped to deal with challenges raised by the linking of the organic, biological person with synthetic, inorganic parts and devices. For instance, should internal medical devices that keep the person alive be viewed as part of the person or mere objects (or something else)? Is damage to neuro-prostheses (eg nervous system integrated limb prostheses) personal injury or damage to property? Who ought to control/own the software in implanted medical devices? And how should the law deal with risks around third-party device access (including that of unauthorised access and hacking)? We argue that satisfactorily answering such questions will likely require a re-analysis of the conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of the law, as well as the law itself. To demonstrate this, we examine the uncharted terrain which everyday cyborgs pose for the law, looking in particular at five areas: (i) medical device regulation, safety, and product liability; (ii) damage to devices and liability; (iii) data and privacy; (iv) security and biohacking; and (v) intellectual property rights. The article highlights how advancing biotechnology continues to reveal, and prompts us to confront, lacunae within the law. Our analysis calls particular attention to law's boundary-work (how the law utilises and incorporates supposed ontological and moral boundaries) and the challenges which everyday cyborgs pose to this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports and discusses the results of an empirical study of punitive damages. It examines 146 claims that were decided in all parts of the UK (save for Scotland, which does not recognise punitive damages) by first instance courts in the first 16 years of the twenty-first century. The study is the first of its kind to be conducted in the UK. In the morass of data, important evidence is uncovered regarding punitive damages. Our most significant findings include (1) that punitive damages (when claimed) are awarded reasonably regularly, (2) that the average award of punitive damages is relatively modest, (3) that there is considerable uniformity in terms of the size of punitive damages awards, and (4) that actions for defamation are unlikely to constitute an important source of punitive damages awards. These (and other) findings cast considerable doubt upon widely held views regarding punitive damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the T cell surface redox environment regulate critical cell functions, such as cell migration, viral entry and cytokine production. Cell surface protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) contributes to the regulation of T cell surface redox status. Cell surface PDI can be released into the extracellular milieu or can be internalized by T cells. We have found that galectin-9, a soluble lectin expressed by T cells, endothelial cells and dendritic cells, binds to and retains PDI on the cell surface. While endogenous galectin-9 is not required for basal cell surface PDI expression, exogenous galectin-9 mediated retention of cell surface PDI shifted the disulfide/thiol equilibrium on the T cell surface. O-glycans on PDI are required for galectin-9 binding, and PDI recognition appears to be specific for galectin-9, as galectin-1 and galectin-3 do not bind PDI. Galectin-9 is widely expressed by immune and endothelial cells in inflamed tissues, suggesting that T cells would be exposed to abundant galectin-9, in cis and in trans, in infectious or autoimmune conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many contract disputes concern issues of unexpressed intention: the express terms of the contract do not directly answer the particular question raised by the circumstances. In this article we argue that there are different bases for resolving such issues in the law of contract and we present a hierarchical framework for understanding their interaction. "Construction" plays an important role, but it becomes clear that construction is not a homogeneous process. Rather, it performs different functions in relation to the different bases. These functions include: to apply contract doctrine, to rebut presumptions of intention, and the interpretative function. Using this framework, we critique the controversial views of Lord Hoffmann in Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd (on terms implied in fact) and Transfield Shipping Inc v Mercator Shipping Inc (The Achilleas) (on the first limb of Hadley v Baxendale). In both cases, Lord Hoffmann assigned construction a role different from that which it has conventionally been understood to perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) under future expected conditions of acidification and increase in nutrient inputs were studied on a post-bloom phytoplankton and bacterioplankton community of Patagonian coastal waters. We performed an experiment using microcosms where two environmental conditions were mimicked using a cluster approach: present (ambient nutrients and pH) and future (increased nutrients and acidification), and acclimating the samples for five days to two radiation treatments (full solar radiation [-UVR] and exclusion of UVR [-UVR]). We evaluated the short-term (hours) sensitivity of the community to solar UVR through chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (e.g. the effective photochemical quantum yield of PSII [ΦPSII]) at the beginning, at the mid-point and at the end of the acclimation period. Primary production and heterotrophic bacterial production (HBP) were determined, and biological weighting functions were calculated, at the beginning and at the end of the acclimation period. Mid-term effects (days) were evaluated as changes in taxonomic composition, growth rates and size structure of the community. Although the UVR-induced inhibition on <Φsub>PSII decreased in both clusters, samples remained sensitive to UVR after the 5 days of acclimation. Also, under the future conditions, there was, in general, an increase in the phytoplankton carbon incorporation rates along the experiment as compared to the present conditions. Bacterioplankton sensitivity to UVR changed along the experiment from inhibition to enhancement of HBP, and future environmental conditions stimulated bacterial growth, probably due to indirect effects caused by phytoplankton. Those changes in the microbial loop functioning and structure under future global change conditions might have important consequences for the carbon pump and thus for the carbon sequestration and trophodynamics of Patagonian coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damages are considered the primary remedy in English sales law. This remedy has also been adopted in the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. However, price reduction seems to be of a higher importance than damages in the latter legal regime, while the Sale of Goods Act (SGA) has excluded the remedy of price reduction. It remains unanswered whether it is time for English law to introduce price reduction in the SGA so that it can add significantly practical advantage to the current remedies available to a commercial buyer. This article seeks to explore the appropriateness of price reduction in comparison with its leading competitor--that is, damages. To do this, the article examines the distinctions between damages and price reduction against a novel evaluative framework that provides an appropriate mechanism for analysing the relationship of doctrine to commercial utility necessary for the buyer. This framework consists of four norms: certainty, performance interest, efficiency, and relational theory of contract. However, it proves difficult to determine which remedy could most effectively address and satisfy the particular needs of a commercial buyer. Damages are likely to provide very similar practical solutions to price reduction once a sales contract is breached, and this may constitute the reason why the SGA excluded price reduction in business-to-business transactions and why no serious attempt has been carried out to include this remedy within this particular legal regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most US states, urban expansions are governed by 'popular determination', under which residents make annexation decisions through referendum. Yet little research analyzes how urban spatial structure evolves under this system. We develop a model to examine how urban residents' collective decisions on annexations and property taxes and their interactions with agricultural landowners affect municipal structure under popular determination. We find that the evolution process of an urban area can be divided into four stages similar to human life stages (infancy, juvenile, adulthood and maturity), characterized by the pace of development. The key parameters that determine urban spatial structure include agricultural rents, construction costs, interest rate, and the rate and uncertainty of income growth. Cities tend to be more spread-out and consist of a large number of smaller municipalities, in regions with lower agricultural land rents, lower construction costs, and lower rate and uncertainty of income growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a transplant surgeon, my interest in glycobiology began through my research into ABO-incompatible allotransplantation, and grew when my goal became overcoming the shortage of organs from deceased human donors by the transplantation of pig organs into patients with terminal organ failure (xenotransplantation/cross-species transplantation). The major target for human "natural" (preformed) anti-pig antibodies is galactose-α(1,3)-galactose (the "Gal" epitope), which is expressed on many pig cells, including the vascular endothelium. The binding of human IgM and IgG antibodies to Gal antigens initiates the process of hyperacute rejection, resulting in destruction of the pig graft within minutes or hours. This major barrier has been overcome by the production of pigs in which the gene for the enzyme α(1,3)-galactosyltransferase (GT) has been deleted by genetic engineering, resulting in GT knockout (GTKO) pigs. The two other known carbohydrate antigenic targets on pig cells for human anti-pig antibodies are (i) the product of the cytidine monophosphate- N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) gene, i.e., N-glycolylneuraminic acid, and (ii) the product of the β1,4 N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase gene, i.e., the Sd(a) antigen. Expression of these two has also been deleted in pigs. These genetic manipulations, together with others directed to overcoming primate complement and coagulation activation (the latter of which also relates to glycobiology) have contributed to the prolongation of pig graft survival in nonhuman primate recipients to many months rather than a fewminutes. Clinical trials of the transplantation of pig cells are already underway and transplantation of pig organs may be expected within the relatively near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several relatively recent decisions, the House of Lords and the Court of Appeal have declared, relying on a series of early 20th century admiralty cases, that the occurrence of supervening events is irrelevant to the determination of damages for negligent injury to property. The principle has been described as 'a firm sub-rule' that applies to cases of property damage but not to other categories of loss. This paper, conversely, contends that the proper and consistent position in law is that a court tasked with assessing damages for property injury should take into account the impact of relevant supervening events. It asserts that the more recent decisions of the courts have misconstrued the early precedents, confused facially similar but factually distinct categories of cases, and fashioned an exceptional sub-rule that is inconsistent with broader principles of the common law of damages. 'Losses in any event' are relevant to the measure of loss in cases of damaged property. It is therefore proposed that the presumed sub-rule be discarded and the relevance of subsequent events acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March of 2015 New Zealand's Court of Appeal brought to a conclusion a long running dispute between the joint venture partners in the Pohokura gas and condensate field located in Taranaki, New Zealand. Todd Pohokura v. Shell Exploration NZ Limited et ano deals with the rights to production and offtake arising under the Association of International Petroleum Negotiator's (AIPN) 1995 Model Form joint operating agreement (JOA), the powers of the Operating Committee in regards thereto and the practical implications of entering into a field development without documenting all the necessary gas sale and transportation arrangements in advance. The factual matrix provides an opportunity to review the principles of common law relevant to production and offtake, including the development of those principles from early English common law into U.S. domestic law, and how those principles have been reflected in model form JOAs on both sides of the Atlantic, including the AIPN forms and ultimately the Pohokura JOA. The analysis confirms the New Zealand courts' rulings upholding the power of the Operating Committee to determine production rates under the AIPN Model form. However, it concludes that gas offtake arrangements that amend or add to the rights and obligations of the parties under the JOA must be agreed unanimously and are not within the jurisdiction of the Operating Committee to determine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the judicial decision of the Great Britain Supreme Court in the case of Hounga v. Allen, in which the Court overruled the England and Wales Court of Appeals decision on employment rights. It informs that the Court held that the doctrine of illegality (ex turpi causa non oritur actio) had barred the race discrimination claim by trafficking victim Mary Hounga against her employer.

Universal agreement on the inclusion of intestinal metaplasia to diagnose Barrett's esophagus ( BE) is lacking. Our aim was to determine the association of intestinal metaplasia and its density with the prevalence of dysplasia/cancer in columnar lined esophagus ( CLE). Patients with CLE but no intestinal metaplasia ( CLE-no IM) were identified by querying the clinical pathology database using SNOMED codes for distal esophageal biopsies. CLE-IM patients were identified from a prospectively maintained database of BE patients. Subsequently, relative risks for prevalent dysplasia and cancer were calculated. Since patients with CLE-no IM are not usually enrolled in surveillance, only prevalent dysplasia/cancer on index endoscopy was analyzed. Goblet cell density and percent intestinal metaplasia were estimated. All biopsy slides were reviewed for dysplasia by two experienced gastrointestinal pathologists. Two hundred sixty-two CLE-IM and 260 CLE-no IM patients were included (age 64 ± 12 vs. 60 ± 11 years, P = 0.001; whites 92% vs. 82%, P = 0.001; males 99.7% vs. 99.3%, P = NS; CLE length 3.4 ± 3.2 vears 1.4 ± 0.4 cm, P = 0.001 and hiatus hernia 64% vs. 56%, P = 0.013). The odds of finding low-grade dysplasia and of high-grade dysplasia ( HGD)/cancer were 12.5-fold (2.9-53.8, P = 0.007) and 4.2-fold (95% CI 1.4-13, P = 0.01) higher, respectively, in the CLE-IM group. Reanalysis after controlling for important variables of age, race, and length did not significantly alter the overall results. In CLE-IM group, when patients with high (>50/ LPF) versus low goblet cell density (<50/ LPF) and <10% versus >10% intestinal metaplasia were compared, the odds of HGD/cancer, OR 1.5 (0.5-4.9, P = 0.5) and 1.97 (0.54-7.22), respectively, were not significantly higher. Demonstration of intestinal metaplasia continues to be an essential element in the definition of BE, but its quantification may not be useful for risk stratification of HGD/cancer in BE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously developed novel probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy ( pCLE) criteria have been found to have high accuracy and substantial interobserver agreement ( IOA) for diagnosing dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus ( BE) when used by endoscopists. These updated criteria are: (i) epithelial surface: saw toothed, (ii) cells: enlarged, (iii) cells: pleomorphic, (iv) glands: not equidistant, (v) glands: unequal in size and shape, and (vi) goblet cells: not easily identified. The accuracy and IOA among pathologists in the diagnosis of dysplasia using the novel pCLE criteria is not known. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the accuracy, overall IOA and learning curve among three gastrointestinal ( GI) pathologists in diagnosing dysplasia in BE using the updated pCLE criteria. The secondary aim was to compare the accuracy and IOA between GI pathologists and gastroenterology endoscopists. Ninety pCLE videos and respective histology were retrieved from a previously conducted multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial evaluating the utility of pCLE in BE patients. Videos were obtained from 101 BE patients previously enrolled for surveillance or endoscopic treatment of high-grade dysplasia or early esophageal adenocarcinoma. Three GI pathologists reviewed 90 pCLE video clips for dysplasia versus no dysplasia, confidence in their diagnosis, and image quality. The overall accuracy for the diagnosis of dysplasia (low-grade dysplasia/high-grade dysplasia/esophageal adenocarcinoma) was 77.8% (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 72.4-82.3). The accuracy was higher when pathologists had 'high confidence' in their assessment of the videos (93.8% vs. 69.3%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in accuracy between the first set of 30 and second set of 60 videos (84% vs. 74%, P = 0.065). IOA among GI pathologists was substantial, k = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.53-0.73). The sensitivity for detecting dysplasia was 85% (95% CI: 78.1-90.7) and the specificity was 70% (95% CI: 61.91-77.92). These results were comparable with the evaluation of the same set of videos by endoscopists. GI pathologists have high accuracy and substantial IOA for diagnosing BE dysplasia with pCLE. Pathologists appear to have similar accuracy and IOA as endoscopists. These results provide further support of endoscopists accurately interpreting the in vivo optical histology provided by pCLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criddle, K. R. 2012. Adaptation and maladaptation: factors that influence the resilience of four Alaskan fisheries governed by durable entitlements. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: .Sustainability of fisheries and fishery-dependent communities depends largely on the intrinsic characteristics of social, economic, and legal systems that determine who is allowed to fish and how fishing takes place. That is, fisheries sustainability is not a biological problem, it is a social problem. Social factors that contribute to or detract from sustainability are illustrated in four Alaskan fisheries as they have evolved over time. Each fishery has come to be managed under durable entitlements (DEs) in terms of their participation. DE programmes, such as limited entry permits and individual or community fishing quotas, can increase profitability and help fishers adapt to modest adverse changes in stock abundance, ex-vessel prices, or input costs, but the design characteristics of some DE programmes makes them vulnerable to larger perturbations. Moreover, although DE programmes increase choice and therefore resilience from the perspective of individuals, they can increase or decrease the resilience of fishery-dependent communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The rules governing recovery for negligently inflicted psychiatric injury are among the most criticized of all of tort law. However, one area which, to date, has escaped with a minimum of judicial or academic scrutiny concerns the very threshold requirement for these actions: proof of a ‘recognized psychiatric illness’. This article critiques that longstanding requirement of English law from two perspectives. First, it is argued that the international classifications of psychiatric disorders (ICD-10 and DSM-IV) are being misapplied and misconstrued in the English medico-legal context and that the role (and limitations) of these classifications are worthy of far greater judicial examination and critical scrutiny than has typically been the case to date. Secondly, it is contended that the insistence upon a recognized psychiatric illness, as a threshold requirement, is giving rise to inconsistencies and distortions in the law and that the requirement is neither legally nor medically supportable in the modern era. Instead, it is argued that the stage has been reached whereby something lesser than a recognized psychiatric illness should be sufficient to trigger a compensable injury in law. The article concludes by suggesting various legal avenues by which to feasibly and robustly ‘ring-fence’ the number of potential claims in negligence, should the reform-oriented approach of this article be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines Native American demands for religious freedom in an era when the U.S. government systematically suppressed indigenous traditions. Records from across Indian country reveal that religious freedom claims emerged as only one option in a broader strategic toolbox. While tribal leaders named some ceremonies as religion, they defended others as harmless social events similar to white dances, or as the Indian way of celebrating the Fourth of July. Significantly, while the former tended to take on characteristics that supported the designation of “religion” in the eyes of authorities, the latter tended to drop such attributes. The point here is not simply that some ceremonies were secularized while others became more religious—in fact neither development was absolute—but that the very distinction between “religion” and the “secular” in Native American traditions was a product of government suppression, a necessary accommodation to the norms of the dominant society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Intensity of the geomagnetic field during the Archaean can potentially be used to study an evolution of the dynamo activity in the Earth's core. In order to investigate this issue, we present new palaeomagnetic and geochronological results from the dolerite dyke, which have been intruded into the Archaean Gneisses of Nuuk area, southwest Greenland. 40Ar/39Ar dating of the pyroxene grains from dolerite yield an age of 2585 ± 21 Ma. The high temperature component, which has been recognized as a characteristic direction, is identified in 24 dolerite samples. Comparison of the palaeomagnetic directions from dolerite dykes with those from host gneisses suggests a primary origin for this component. Magnetic mineralogical and grain size investigations revealed a pseudo-single domain magnetite as a dominant career of magnetization. Thellier palaeointensity determinations of 14 dolerite specimens yield a mean field value of 13.9 ± 2.5 μT. Strength of the virtual dipole moment (2.30 ± 0.42 × 1022 Am2) obtained from this study is about one quarter of the present Earth's filed value. A simulation based numerical model of the Thellier experiments suggests that the presence of multidomain grains can play a role in enhancing the strength of palaeointensity. Even after taking in to account the effects of multidomain grains, an intensity value (13.9 μT) from this study suggests that the strength of geomagnetic field at about 2.6 Ga was much lower than that of the present time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggest that eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) avoid roads, but it is unclear whether vehicle traffic plays a role in this avoidance. The purpose of this study was to determine whether road avoidance in chipmunks increases with traffic. We tracked the movements of 68 chipmunks released near roads with widely varying volumes of traffic. Our results suggest that chipmunks responded to changes in traffic volume only in the preliminary stages of their movement pathways. Apart from this initial response, we found that road avoidance was independent of traffic, with evidence that chipmunks avoided both the roadside verge and the road surface. Because avoidance of roads was independent of traffic, effects of roads on populations of chipmunks may be manifest more as population subdivision than as direct mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we examine the role which vindication plays in contract damages. Vindication describes the making good of a right by the award of an adequate remedy. We argue that, while the primary purpose of compensation is to provide an indemnity for loss, an award of compensatory damages will nevertheless generally vindicate the right to performance of the contract. We go on to consider a distinct measure of damages, vindicatory damages. These, we argue, are neither compensatory nor restitutionary, neither loss-based nor gain-based: they are a rights-based remedy. We then identify various situations in which the courts may be seen to have awarded what are, in substance, vindicatory damages. We conclude by considering the benefits which may follow from recognition of the availability of vindicatory damages as a contract remedy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the measures taken by UNESCO to prevent the sort of race-based prejudice that lead to the Jewish Holocaust in Europe by creating a program that would discourage racism existing under the guise of science. The plan for such a program did not come to fruition because of international debate and a lack of agreement among scientists. The article discusses the effect that Nazism and scientific racism had on others in science and the reaction that anthropologists like Franz Boas had to that ideology. It is also noted that the U.S. also participated in racist practices like separating blood donations by African American soldiers so that it would not be given to Caucasian soldiers.

Narratives can be an effective means of communicating cancer-related information. Transportation into narrative worlds, or immersion into a story, is a primary mechanism of narrative persuasion (Green & Brock, 2000, 2002). Transportation theory extends the domain of traditional message effects theories, as well as providing mechanisms for behavior change. Transporting narratives can both change beliefs and motivate action, and may be particularly useful for conveying cancer information because they reduce counterarguments (and thus help individuals overcome barriers to treatment seeking); facilitate the mental simulation of unknown, difficult, or frightening procedures (e.g., screening); provide role models for behavior change; and create strong attitudes that are based on both cognition and emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is an increasing body of opinion that awards of damages for breach of contract should take account of the claimant's performance interest, there has been little in the way of analysis of what the performance interest is. Commonly the concept is put forward as simply a reformulation or reconceptualization of the expectation interest, itself hitherto regarded as the one true contractual interest. Such thinking is flawed. A closer analysis of contract doctrine shows there to be two distinct contractual interests; in receiving performance, and in being compensated for losses caused by non-performance. Receiving compensatory damages for nonperformance is not the same as receiving performance. At present, this important difference is not fully appreciated, resulting in a failure to develop a principled approach to the claims that can be made following a breach of contract. Recognition of this distinction forces us to confront the fundamental question of how committed we are to the notion that contracts entail a right to performance. This article examines the distinction between these two interests, how the performance interest may be given effect by a damages award, and what the consequences of this analysis are for our understanding of the nature of contractual obligation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Following an ischemic insult, cardiac contractile recovery might be perturbed by the release of autacoids, like platelet-activating factor (PAF), that depress heart function by acting through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The signaling events downstream the PAF receptor that lead to the negative inotropic effect are still obscure. We thus investigated whether the GPCR-activated phosphoisositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) could play a role in the cardiac response to PAF. Methods: The negative inotropic effect of PAF was studied ex vivo, in isolated electrically driven atria and in Langendorff-perfused whole hearts derived from wild-type and PI3Kγ-null mice. Postischemic recovery of contractility was analyzed in normal and mutant whole hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 40 min of reperfusion in the presence or absence of a PAF receptor antagonist. Results: While wild-type hearts stimulated with PAF showed increased nitric oxide (NO) production and a consequent decreased cardiac contractility, PI3Kγ-null hearts displayed reduced phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3), blunted nitric oxide production and a complete protection from the PAF-induced negative inotropism. In addition, Langendorff-perfused PI3Kγ-null hearts showed a better contractile recovery after ischemia/reperfusion, a condition where PAF is known to be an important player in depressing contractility. In agreement with a role of PI3Kγ in this PAF-mediated signaling, postischemic contractile recovery in PI3Kγ-null mice appeared overlapping with that of normal hearts treated with the PAF receptor antagonist WEB 2170. Conclusion: These data indicate a novel PAF-dependent signaling pathway that, involving PI3Kγ and NOS3, contributes to postischemic contractile depression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Small RNA molecules can participate in complex regulatory networks not merely through Watson–Crick interactions with other RNAs (as in anti-sense RNA), but also by forming discrete structures that bind protein or low-molecular weight targets. RNA aptamers derived from in vitro selections (SELEX) are being used inside cells for at least four purposes: (1) to antagonise normal cellular proteins as a means of elucidating their biological roles; (2) as decoys to natural RNA-binding proteins to reveal their functions or those of structural elements within naturally occurring transcripts; (3) as regulatory modules to govern the expression of exogenous genes; and (4) to antagonise disease-related targets for potential biomedical applications. This paper summarises recent advances in each of these areas, the parameters that influence successful application and the potential for future developments. The use of aptamers in vivo may serve as a paradigm for understanding how some non-coding RNAs and other elements of the ribonome exert their influence on the intracellular proteome, and is thus becoming an important tool for modern cell and molecular biology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The heart responds to ischaemic stimuli with release of negative inotropic mediators such as cytokines, platelet-activating factor, oxygen free radicals, arachidonic acids, nitric oxide, adenosine, and still unidentified “cardiodepressant factors” that modulate myocardial performance via autocrine and paracrine coupling. This review summarises experimental and clinical data on the role of negative inotropic mediators that are released from cardiac cells (including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and resident mast cells) after myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Analyzes the visual depictions of the evolutionary ideas in the reading materials and museums of the 20th century. How the progressive ideas are presented in human evolution theory; Debates over evolution that culminated in the Scopes trial in 1925; Contest of words and the contest of images; How scientists use images to communicate and shape their ideas and influence the public; Social aspects of the history of evolutionary ideas in the United States.

Background. Studies in experimental animals have suggested that platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a mediator of sepsis-associated acute renal failure (ARF). In the present study we have evaluated whether an increased concentration of PAF within circulation of urine of septic patients correlated with the worsening of renal function. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The long-term sequelae of vasectomy were studied in a retrospective cohort study of 4596 vasectomized and 4340 nonvasectomized farmers from eight rural communes in Sichuan, People's Republic of China. The mean duration since the operation was 14.5 years with a range of 10 to 25 years. At the time of evaluation the vasectomlzed men were generally healthier than the non-vasectomized for a wide range of health indicators including clinical signs of cardiovascular disease, resting ECG changes, positive ECG changes following a maximal stress test or fundus abnormalities. The lack of association between vasectomy and cardiovascular disease noted in Europe and the USA is supported by the present study conducted in a population with a low prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

P-selectin mediates the adhesion of leukocytes to activated platelets and endothelial cells. To characterize the functional domains of P-selectin for ligand recognition, we established nine hybridoma cell lines secreting anti-rat P-selectin mAb. Among them, the mAb C215 bound both rat and human P-selectins, and inhibited binding of rat and human P-selectins to P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) from HL-60 cells. In contrast, mAb C215 failed to inhibit the binding of rat and human P-selectin-IgG to sialyl Lewis X (sLex) oligosaccharides. Epitope mapping of mAb C215 using synthetic decapeptides revealed that mAb C215 binds specifically to an eight-residue epitope that spans amino acids 76-83 of rat P-selectin, a region completely conserved by human P-selectin. Synthetic peptides containing the mAb C215 epitope inhibited binding of P-selectin to PSGL-1, but not to sLex oligosaccharides, suggesting that the C215 epitope on P-selectin may directly interact with a particular site on the PSGL-1 core protein essential for interaction with P-selectin, such as sulfated tyrosine residues. Our results suggest the presence of two ligand recognition sites on P-selectin necessary for binding to PSGL-1 - one recognizes sLex, while the other recognises the PSGL-1 core protein. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present study, we investigated the expression of the tumour suppressor protein p53 in 113 primary and 43 metastatic malignant melanomas by immunohistochemistry, and correlated the findings with clinicopathological parameters such as histological melanoma subtype, thickness of primary melanomas (Breslow thickness) and patient outcome. In primary melanomas, the polyclonal anti-p53 antibody CM-1 detected immunoreactivity in 70% of the lesions, predominantly in the cytoplasm. Signals were observed in this cellular compartment in 57% of the melanomas, whereas in 32% nuclear p53 over-expression was detected. Immunohistochemistry, using the monoclonal antibody DO-1, revealed lower staining frequencies. However, both antibodies showed congruent results in approximately 80% of the cases. Overall, immunoreactivity was observed in 73% of superficial spreading melanomas, but only in 52% of lentigo maligna melanomas. This difference (P<1.001) was mainly due to a lower frequency of cytoplasmic immunoreactivity (P<0.002). There was no difference with respect to cytoplasmic and nuclear immunoreactivity between thin (<1 mm thickness) and thicker primary melanomas. Staining frequencies detected in metastatic lesions seemed to be lower than in primary tumours. In 103 primary melanomas, follow-up data for at least 5 years were available. In 71% (54 of 76) of the primary melanomas which did not recur, and in 78% (21 of 27) of tumours with subsequent metastases, p53 over-expression was detected by CM-1. However, this difference was not statistically significant. The results of the present study indicate that immunoreactivity to anti-p53 antibodies is a common observation in malignant melanomas, with staining signals predominantly found in the cytoplasm of cells. The observation of similar staining frequencies in thin, thick and metastatic lesions indicates that p53 over-expression is an early event in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma. However, the immunohistochemical detection of p53 in primary melanomas is not related to prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p5 3 gene mutation appears to play an important role in the development of systemic lymphoma. and may he associated with tumour progression. Its role in cutaneous lymphoma is currently unknown. We examined p53 expression in 55 biopsies of cutaneous lymphoma. including patch-, plaque- and tumour-stage mycosis fungoides (ME). T- and B-cell lymphoma and lymphomatoid papulosis. Strong, homogeneous p53 expression, thought to correlate most closely with p53 gene mutation, was seen in only three cases; in a plaque and tumour from a patient with tumour-stage MF, in plaque-stage ME in a patient without tumours, and in one case of CD30+ large-cell anaplastic lymphoma. These data suggest that p53 gene mutation is not a critical step in the development of the majority of primary cutaneous lymphomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an author index for the December 1993 issue of "British Journal of Dermatology."

Mice were immunized with the cell wall of BCG suspended in an oil-in-saline emulsion, and examined against time for the emergence of T cell-mediated acquired immunity. Evidence is presented that shows that levels of acquired resistance expressed in these animals over the first month following inoculation, and which enabled them to substantially resist an intravenous challenge infection with Mycobaeteriurn tuberculosis, were completely nonspecific in nature, in that they were equally well expressed in normal and T cell-deficient mice, and were present at a time when no protective T cell activity could be passively transferred from the inoculated host. Paradoxically, in contrast, weak but statistically significant protective immunity could be detected in the spleens of CW-immunized mice approximately 3 months after inoculation, at a time when the donor animals were devoid of resistance to rechallenge. Finally, evidence is presented that shows that the CW material, if given subcutaneously, is highly immunogenic for the generation of delayed-type hypersensitivity effector T cells; however, these cells do not themselves contribute to protective immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]