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India’s legislature, judiciary and academia have by and large cast a blind eye on workplace bullying. There is literary vacuum on legal aspects of workplace bullying in Indian context. This article tries to address this dearth of literature by analyzing potential legal remedies and roadmaps for mitigation of bullying in Indian workplaces. It tries to achieve this by evaluating existing legal provisions with potential of mitigating workplace bullying and comparatively analyzing legal strategies of other countries.

IN 1938, JAZZ LEGEND JELLY ROLL MORTON TOLD FOLKLORIST ALAN Lomax about a song that was too dangerous to sing. It described the events of July 1900, when the city of New Orleans erupted in a four-day spasm of racial violence after a black man named Robert Charles shot and killed several white police officers. Though Morton remembered many details of the riot (and fabricated several others along the way), he adamantly insisted that the words of the Robert Charles song were lost to history. "This song was squashed very easily by the [police] department," Morton said, "due to the fact that it was a trouble breeder. So that song never did get very far. I once knew the Robert Charles song, but I found out it was best for me to forget it and that I did in order to go along with the world on the peaceful side." (1) Perhaps Jelly Roll Morton had truly forgotten the ballad of Robert Charles by the time of his interview with Lomax. Perhaps he was simply unwilling to share it. Either way, Morton's peculiar relationship with the Charles story--unable to forget but unwilling to remember--offers a striking point of departure for a study of popular memory and racial violence in the Jim Crow South. Relying on Jelly Roll Morton's recollections, a number of scholars have argued that the tale of Robert Charles's stand against the New Orleans Police Department was kept alive in the city's African American homes and workplaces for decades. In Carnival of Fury, an impressive piece of historical detective work first published in 1976 that still stands as the only book-length study of the Robert Charles riot, William Ivy Hair writes, "Among lower class blacks [Charles] became an immediate folic hero and 'the Robert Charles song,' praising his exploits, would occasionally be played at all-black gatherings for years to come." (2) Other scholars offer similar assessments, using Morton's reminiscences to make a claim for the clandestine persistence of the Charles story. (3) In these treatments, Robert Charles is elevated to mythic status, a part of the folk culture of black New Orleans in the early twentieth century. There is much that is satisfying about this narrative, which treats the durability of the Charles story as evidence of deep-rooted cultural resistance to the Jim Crow regime. At the same time, such a framing has limitations. It assumes that the veneration of Charles took place exclusively in secret gatherings and behind closed doors. An unknown, unseen cast of thousands may have cultivated the memory of Robert Charles through whispers and late-night jam sessions, but historians are denied access to their deeds, their thoughts, and even their names. Such details would seem to be lost forever, along with the words to the Robert Charles song. This willingness to simply assert or assume Charles's status as a folk hero has prevented historians from asking further questions about the legacy of the 1900 New Orleans riot and, by extension, about the nature of popular memory and its role in resisting racial oppression. It is possible, and necessary, to move beyond generic references to the lost ballad of Robert Charles. The subject demands much greater analytical specificity, in terms of personnel, content, and context. We do not need to settle for a faceless and nameless black working class; it is possible to bring actual people into the study of folk memory--to learn who remembered the Robert Charles story, when they remembered it, and why they remembered it. This approach creates memory studies from the bottom up, a social history of popular memory. This article uses the commemoration of Robert Charles and the 1900 riot to explore the relationship between popular memory and black resistance in the Jim Crow South. In so doing, it extends the discussion of early-twentieth-century black resistance to Jim Crow from the organized--streetcar boycotts and antilynching campaigns--to the realm of everyday life. (4) The story of Robert Charles was certainly kept alive in black homes and Franklin Street jazz clubs, but it found its way to the streets (and into the historical record) with impressive regularity. …

Determination of the optimum concentrations of a specific mutagen for crop improvement has always been a challenge. The present study assessed the mutagenic effect of Ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) concentrations on growth, yield and nutrient composition of Arachis hypogea (Samnut 24 vr.). Seeds treated with varying concentrations (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 % v/v) of EMS for 12 hours were sown in randomized complete block design with three replicates. Alkylating effects of the EMS was studied on growth and yield parameters while nutritional quality was determined by proximate analysis at M and M generations. 1 2 Concentrations of 0.75% and 1.00% increased growth, biological yield and seed related parameters significantly (at P< 0.05). Maturity time was significantly shortened by EMS application across the generations. Higher percentage seed crude fat and protein were induced by the treatments with the optimal performance at 0.75- 1.00% concentrations. Mineral content indicated by the percentage ash was marginally increased. The trend in response to the EMS was similar across the generations, however, decreased vigour, reduced growth, less nut and biological yields were observed at M . In most traits evaluated, performance of 0.00, 0.25 and 0.50% 2 treatments were similar, 0.75-1.00% treatments were optimal while 1.25% v/v of EMS was detrimental. Correlation analysis revealed poor linkage of characters in the groundnut; nevertheless, positive significant associations exist between number of leaves and branches, pod length and seed number, seed dimension (length and circumference) and seed weight. The study concluded that since groundnut is basically cultivated for biomass yield a well as source of plant vegetable oil and fat, EMS application at optimal concentration could be used for the crop improvement.Keywords: Alkylating effect, Ethyl methanesulphonate, Mutagenesis, Proximate analysis, Samnut 24.

This chapter explores the racial exclusion of African Americans from the New Orleans police force, which had been integrated until the 1910s. It draws attention to the experience of George Doyle, a black off-duty police officer who shot a white man in 1905. Doyle’s story demonstrates the problems black police officers posed for white New Orleanians as they instituted a Jim Crow regime. It also shows how elemental all-white police departments were to that regime; when white New Orleans denied African Americans the ability to police their own communities, they stripped from them a fundamental right.

Ba1-xYbxWO4 nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation route and the effect of Yb3+ substitution on their materials properties were investigated using various characterization tools. The structural properties of the Ba1-xYbxWO4 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Optical properties of the synthesized Ba1-xYbxWO4 nanoparticles were studied using UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The structural studies show that Ba1-xYbxWO4 samples have tetragonal scheelite structure. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirm that the size and shape of the Ba1-xYbxWO4 nanoparticles changes upon Yb3+ substitution. The optical bandgap of the samples decreases with an increase in the amount of Yb atoms in the Ba1-xYbxWO4 sample, which confirms the formation of intermediate energy levels. Photoluminescence spectra exhibit near infrared emission for the Ba1-xYbxWO4 samples, which proposes their uses in optical fiber communication, efficient solar cells, and bioanalyses and imaging.

The present work reports dose dependent influence of 8 MeV electron beam irradiation on the structural and optical properties of BaWO4 nanoparticles fabricated by chemical precipitation route. The synthesized materials were calcined at 400 °C for 3 h to get well defined nanocrystalline particles. The calcined materials were irradiated by 8 MeV electron beams of different doses and studied the influence of irradiation on the structural and optical properties of BaWO4 nanoparticles using various characterization tools. The structural studies revealed modifications of lattice parameters a and c, unit cell volume, d spacing, crystallite size, micro-strain, and peak shift for major peaks of X-ray diffraction patterns of the electron irradiated samples. The electron irradiation also results some defects in the crystal lattice of BaWO4 nanocrystals upon electron beam irradiation. Scanning electron microscopic images demonstrated mesoporous behaviour of the BaWO4 materials. The optical studies established that optical bandgap and intensity of photoluminescence emission can be modified by using electron irradiation technique for potential applications in electronics. Photoluminescence emission properties of BaWO4 phosphors suggest that they are useful for the construction of near ultraviolet light excited blue light emitting diodes. Results explored from the present work constitute the first report for the dose-dependent influence of electron beam irradiation on the structure, optical absorption and photoluminescence properties of BaWO4 nanoparticles.

Ba1-xCuxWO4 nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation route. The structural properties of the Ba1-xCuxWO4 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies; morphological and microstructural characterizations were done by transmission electron microscopic and scanning electron microscopic measurements respectively. The optical characterization of the samples were performed by UV–Visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopic studies, and the magnetic characterization were done by vibration sample magnetometer measurements. The structural characterization confirms the tetragonal scheelite structure for the samples. On doping with Cu atoms, the agglomeration and hence the size of the particles decreases appreciably. The optical bandgap of the samples decreases with increase in the amount of Cu atoms in the Ba1-xCuxWO4 sample, confirming the formation of intermediate energy levels. The absorption edge extends to visible region and the amount absorption increases with the amount of Cu atoms in the Ba1-xCuxWO4 sample. However, photoluminescent emission decreases with the increase in concentration of Cu atoms in the Ba1-xCuxWO4 sample, which also confirm the formation of intermediate energy levels. Vibrating sample magnetometer measurements of the Ba1-xCuxWO4 samples show large variations from the magnetic behaviour of the samples upon doping. The weak ferromagnetic behaviour of the Ba1-xCuxWO4 sample changes to superparamagnetic as the doping concentration increases. Moreover, the Cu doping resulted significant modifications on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of BaWO4 nanoparticles, which make them suitable for potential applications including optoelectronics, biomedical and photocatalytic applications.

Background There is overwhelming evidence that increases in tobacco taxes reduce tobacco use, save lives and increase government tax revenue. High taxes, however, create an incentive to devise ways to avoid or evade tobacco taxes through contraband tobacco. The associated consequences are significant and call for an accurate measurement of contraband9s magnitude. However, its illegal nature makes the levels and trends in contraband intrinsically difficult to measure accurately. Objective To examine levels and trends in cigarette contraband in Canada. Methods We employed 2 approaches: first, we contrasted estimates of tax-paid cigarettes sales with consumption estimates based on survey data; second, we used data from several individual-level surveys that examined smokers9 purchasing and use behaviours. We placed a particular emphasis on the provinces of Quebec and Ontario because existing research suggests that cigarette contraband levels are far higher than in any other province. Results The estimates presented show a clear upward trend from the early 2000s in cigarette contraband in Quebec and Ontario followed by, on the whole, a decreasing trend from about 2007 to 2009. None of the data presented provide support to the narrative that cigarette contraband has been increasing in recent years. Of note are Quebec estimates which suggest relatively low levels of cigarette contraband since 2010, at levels no higher than in the early 2000s. Conclusions The data presented suggest that policies to tackle cigarette contraband introduced from the mid-2000s to late 2000s, at both federal and provincial levels, may have dampened the demand for contraband cigarettes.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a lymphoid malignancy that is typically derived from germinal-center B cells. EBV infection, mutations in NF-κB pathway genes, and genetic susceptibility are known risk factors for developing HL. CD30 and NF-κB have been identified as potential biomarkers in pediatric HL patients, and these molecules may represent therapeutic targets. Although current risk adapted and response based treatment approaches yield overall survival rates of >95%, treatment of relapse or refractory patients remains challenging. Targeted HL therapy with the antibody-drug conjugate Brentuximab vedotin (Bv) has proven to be superior to conventional salvage chemotherapy and clinical trials are being conducted to incorporate Bv into frontline therapy that substitutes Bv for alkylating agents to minimize secondary malignancies. The appearance of secondary malignancies has been a concern in pediatric HL, as these patients are at highest risk among all childhood cancer survivors. The risk of developing secondary leukemia following childhood HL treatment is 10.4 to 174.8 times greater than the risk in the general pediatric population and the prognosis is significantly poorer than the other hematological malignancies with a mortality rate of nearly 100%. Therefore, identifying clinically valuable biomarkers is of utmost importance to stratify and select patients who may or may not need intensive regimens to maintain optimal balance between maximal survival rates and averting late effects. Here we discuss epidemiology, risk factors, staging, molecular and genetic prognostic biomarkers, treatment for low and high-risk patients, and the late occurrence of secondary malignancies in pediatric HL.

Biological and molecular heterogeneity of human diseases especially cancers contributes to variations in treatment response, clinical outcome, and survival. The addition of new disease- and condition-specific biomarkers to existing clinical markers to track cancer heterogeneity provides possibilities for further assisting clinicians in predicting clinical outcomes and making choices of treatment options. Ionization patterns derived from biological specimens can be adapted for use with existing clinical markers for early detection, patient risk stratification, treatment decision making, and monitoring disease progression. In order to demonstrate the application of pyrolysis, gas chromatography, and differential mobility spectrometry (Py-GC-DMS) for human diseases to predict the outcome of diseases, we analyzed the ionized spectral signals generated by instrument ACB2000 ( ACB irox universal detector 2000, ACBirox LLC, NJ, USA) from the serum samples of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) patients. Here, we have used mantle cell lymphoma as a disease model for a conceptual study only and based on the ionization patterns of the analyzed serum samples, we developed a multivariate algorithm comprised of variable selection and reduction steps followed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis to predict the probability of a good or poor clinical outcome as a means of estimating the likely success of a particular treatment option. Our preliminary study performed with small cohort provides a proof of concept demonstrating the ability of this system to predict the clinical outcome for human diseases with high accuracy suggesting the promising application of pyrolysis, gas chromatography, and differential mobility spectrometry (Py-GC-DMS) in the field of medicine.

Background: Micro RNAs (miRNA) are endogenous, small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression by directing their target mRNAs for degradation and/or posttranscriptional repression. Compared to mRNA signatures, miRNAs have better and stronger biomarker properties with 20 times more power in biomarker studies as compared to mRNAs (when comparing 20,000 mRNAs to ∼1,000 miRNAs). Emerging evidence now supports the idea that DNA methylation is crucially involved in the dysregulation of miRNAs in cancer, representing a novel class of potential biomarkers for diagnosis, prediction of treatment, or prognosis. ER-negative breast cancer (BC) is an aggressive histological subtype with limited treatment options and very poor prognosis. Our long term objective is to derive a diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive ER-negative specific miRNA panel for detection of early cancer, recurrence/metastasis, and as potential therapeutic targets for better management of ER-negative BC. Methods: The initial discovery step profiled 39 primary ER negative and 40 ER positive BC cases using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip followed by a subanalysis focusing on 2249 miRNA CpGs assigned to 615 unique miRNAs. T-tests were used to compare the means of the M-values for the ER-positive and ER-negative groups. The t-test p-values were used to generate adaptive FDR (aFDR) levels and aFDRs of 0.05 or lower were considered to be statistically significant (Tier 1). Tier 1 CpGs were subsequently filtered to select only those with a mean beta ratio between ER positive and ER negative of under 0.5 or over 2.0 (Tier 2). The Tier 2 CpGs were further filtered to select only those with a mean beta difference of 0.2 or more (Tier 3). Because miRNAs perform their important functions via their targets, the targets of miRNAs were assessed for functional enrichment analysis in IPA for biologic involvement. Results: Over half of the miRNA CpGs (1224/2249, 54%) were differentially methylated between ER negative and ER positive BC with significant aFDR levels. The 1224 CpGs at Tier 1 were associated with 379 miRNAs; the 24 and 2 CpGs for Tiers 2 and 3 with 22 and 2 miRNAs, respectively. The 22 miRNA genes were assigned to 4621 targets using online databases that predict miRNA targets. The degree of confidence that a target gene is associated with a miRNA is characterized in these databases as either "experimentally observed", or just as "high" (predicted). Of these 4621 targets, 87 were designated as experimentally observed and were examined in IPA. Top pathways and networks designated by miRNA targets included the cell cycle G1/S checkpoint regulation canonical pathway, and the cell-to-cell interaction/cancer networks among others. MiRNA targets in top pathways and networks were circled back to their respective miRNAs revealing cooperatively mediated pathway dysregulation of ER negative BC. Conclusion: Aberrantly methylated miRNAs showed perturbation of biologically significant pathways and networks, suggesting that miRNAs mediate pathway dysregulation in a coordinated manner, strengthening the case for utility of miRNAs as viable biomarkers in ER negative BC. Support: Komen Foundation: KG110218. Citation Format: Worsham MJ, Chen KM, Datta I, Stephen JK, Chitale D, Divine G. Epigenetically altered microRNA mediated pathway dysregulation in ER negative breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-09-10.

Introduction: Common short screening measures of dependence that use number of cigarettes per day may not be appropriate for use in populations of occasional smokers.Aims: In this study, we investigate whether perceived addiction (PA) predicts quit attempts and successful cessation among occasional smokers.Methods: Current occasional smokers (18+) in the Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS) longitudinal cohort study followed up every six months for up to three years. Respondents rated their self-perceived level of addiction (very vs. somewhat or not very addicted). Generalised Estimating Equation models and proportional hazard models were used to test the predictive ability of PA.Results/Findings: Occasional smokers with very high PA had a higher likelihood of reporting a quit attempt (RR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.88, 3.30) after adjusting for demographics. Given an incident quit attempt, occasional smokers who reported being very addicted were 2.93 times more likely to relapse (95%: 2.01, 4.28). The effect of PA was independent of other predictors of smoking behaviour.Conclusions: For some, occasional smokers, smoking cessation is a difficult process that may require significant support. Asking occasional smokers about PA is an effective way to predict likely success in quitting smokers that may be easily assessed in population based, as well as in community and clinical, settings.

Infection is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). However, the optimum oral agent for antibacterial prophylaxis in SCT recipients remains uncertain. Different antibiotics might affect incidence of blood stream infections, resistance, Clostridium difficile, gut microbiome, GVHD and relapse. To explore this we started this first clinical trial of levofloxacin (Levo) versus ciprofloxacin (Cipro) at our center. Methods: This is a single center prospective randomized study. Patients who meet the SCT program criteria to undergo autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are eligible. Results: We present interim results. 111 consecutive patients were randomized since June 2018. At the time of the present report 102 of these patients have follow up for 60 days or more. There were 62 males and 40 females. Median age at time of SCT was 61. Fifty received Cipro and 52 received Levo. Fifty-six patients had autologous (27 Cipro and 29 Levo) while 46 patients had allogeneic SCT (23 Cipro and 23 Levo). For allogeneic SCT, 12 patients in each group had ATG. Time to engraftment and length of stay were similar in both groups. In the Cipro group 6 patients (12%) had bacteremia while in the Levo group 7 (13%) had bacteremia. Of patients with bacteremia, in the Cipro group none had Gram negative bacteremia while in the Levo group 4 had gram negative bacteremia (OR 9.37, p = 0.137). In the Cipro group 6 patients had gram positive bacteremia while in the Levo group 3 patients had gram positive bacteremia (OR 2.22, p = 0.277). In the Cipro group, 6 (12%) had clostridium difficile while in the Levo group only 1 (1.9%) had Clostridium difficile (OR 6.95, p = 0.078). Acute GVHD of all grades accrued in 17 patients (34%) in Cipro group and in 16 patients (30.7%) in the Levo group. Grade III-IV aGVHD occurred in 6 patients (12%) in Cipro group and in 3 patients (5.8%) in the Levo group (OR 2.23, p = 0.277). The hazard ratio for progression free survival was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.27, 1.67), p=0.395 for Levo vs. Cipro. The hazard ratio for overall survival, adjusted for auto/allo and age at transplant was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.95), p = 0.041, for Levo vs. Cipro. However, 3 of deaths in the Cipro group were not related to type of antibacterial prophylaxis (listeriosis from contaminated food, fungal pneumonia in a wooden-house builder and stroke from intraventricular thrombus). So, unadjusted hazard ratio for overall survival (Levo vs. Cipro): 0.41 (95% CI: 0.13, 1.34), p = 0.142. Hazard ratio for overall survival (Levo vs. Cipro), adjusting for allo/auto and age at transplant: 0.39 (95% CI: 0.11, 1.33), p = 0.132. Conclusion: At this point, in this interim analysis, there seems to be a trend for Cipro to protect patients from gram negative bacteremia compared to levo. As a trade-off, there is higher trend for Clostridium difficile in the Cipro group compared to Levo group, but none is statistically significant so far.