50 research outputs found
The Emerging Global Tobacco Treatment Workforce: Characteristics of Tobacco Treatment Specialists Trained in Council-Accredited Training Programs from 2017 to 2019
No full textFull author list omitted for brevity. For the full list of authors, see article.Tobacco use is projected to kill 1 billion people in the 21st century. Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD) is one of the most common substance use disorders in the world. Evidence-based treatment of TUD is effective, but treatment accessibility remains very low. A dearth of specially trained clinicians is a significant barrier to treatment accessibility, even within systems of care that implement brief intervention models. The treatment of TUD is becoming more complex and tailoring treatment to address new and traditional tobacco products is needed. The Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (Council) is the accrediting body for Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training programs. Between 2016 and 2019, n = 7761 trainees completed Council-accredited TTS training programs. Trainees were primarily from North America (92.6%) and the Eastern Mediterranean (6.1%) and were trained via in-person group workshops in medical and academic settings. From 2016 to 2019, the number of Council-accredited training programs increased from 14 to 22 and annual number of trainees increased by 28.5%. Trainees have diverse professional backgrounds and work in diverse settings but were primarily White (69.1%) and female (78.7%) located in North America. Nearly two-thirds intended to implement tobacco treatment services in their setting; two-thirds had been providing tobacco treatment for 1 year or less; and 20% were sent to training by their employers. These findings suggest that the training programs are contributing to the development of a new workforce of TTSs as well as the development of new programmatic tobacco treatment services in diverse settings. Developing strategies to support attendance from demographically and geographically diverse professionals might increase the proportion of trainees from marginalized groups and regions of the world with significant tobacco-related inequities
Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c
No full text\ua9 2023, The Author(s).Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29–39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance
Diasporas and secessionist conflicts : the mobilization of the Armenian, Albanian and Chechen diasporas
No full textThis article examines the impact of diasporas on secessionist conflicts, focusing on the Albanian, Armenian and Chechen diasporas and the conflicts in Kosovo, Karabakh and Chechnya during the 1990s. How do diasporas radicalize these conflicts? I argue that despite differences in diaspora communal characteristics and the types of the secessionist conflicts, a common pattern of mobilization develops. Large-scale diasporic support for secessionism emerges only after independence is proclaimed by the local elites. From that point onwards diasporas become engaged in a conflict spiral, and transnational coalitions are formed between local secessionist and diaspora groups. Depending on the organizational strength of the local strategic centre and the diasporic institutions, these coalitions endure or dissipate. Diasporas exert radicalization influences on the conflict spiral on two specific junctures – when grave violations of human rights occur in the homeland and when local moderate elites start losing credibility that they can achieve the secessionist goal
Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c.
No full textThe in vivo characterisation of a C-domain specific ACE inhibitor
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.The ACE protein is a zinc-dependent dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase comprised of two homologous domains termed the C- and N-domain. The C-domain is primarily responsible for the catalytic production of Ang II, while the tetrapeptide acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (AcSDKP) is predominantly cleaved by the N-domain, and both domains play a role in the metabolism of vasodilatory peptide bradykinin. In the event of myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac output and blood pressure decreases, resulting in activation of the RAS and an increase in both Ang II production and bradykinin metabolism. While initially compensatory, prolonged RAS activation has been shown to have long-term detrimental effects, and pharmaceutical intervention in the form of ACE inhibition is the first line treatment following an MI event. The ACE inhibitors currently in clinical use target both domains equally, and it has been suggested that the major side-effects of this drug class are largely attributable to the inhibition of bradykinin breakdown. A novel C-domain selective ACE inhibitor lisinopril-Trp (lisW-S) incorporates a tryptophan moiety into the P2' position of the clinically available ACE inhibitor lisinopril
A study American - Israeli relations 1967 - 1973
No full textThe War of June 1967 proved to be instrumental in changing the perceptions of the principal protagonists in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and also the major powers outside the region. The pre-emptive strike launched by Israel on 6 June began a comprehensive defeat of the Arab states, and in just six days Israel increased her size threefold, incorporating large portions of Arab land into her territory. The changes that occurred can be briefly summed up as follows: Soviet influence within the Arab states increased with military advisers sent to Egypt and Syria in great numbers to help reconstruct the defeated armies (despite the fact that Soviet armaments had failed to avoid a convincing Israeli victory). Israel's confidence both i n her own strength and i n her ability to survive increased. The idea that Israel could act as a "strategic asset" became a firmly established tenet of American foreign policy. Ironically, relations between the Soviet Union and the Arab states, who backed them, were strengthened after the defeat inflicted by Israel. On a practical level, the Soviet Union embarked upon a massive programme of military and economic support for the Arab states, quickly replacing the amount of military hardware that had been lost in the war. The Soviet newspaper "Izvestia" suggested that the Arab states realised that only: "through reliance upon the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, can they abolish completely imperialist influence in the Middle East and achieve Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Territories"
Nuclear translocation and signalling of L1-CAM in human carcinoma cells requires ADAM10 and presenilin/gamma-secretase activity
No full textL1-CAM (L1 cell-adhesion molecule), or more simply L1, plays an important role in the progression of human carcinoma. Overexpression promotes tumour-cell invasion and motility, growth in nude mice and tumour metastasis. It is feasible that L1-dependent signalling contributes to these effects. However, little is known about its mechanism in tumour cells. We reported previously that L1 is cleaved by ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) and that the cytoplasmic part is essential for L1 function. Here we analysed more closely the role of proteolytic cleavage in L1-mediated nuclear signalling. Using OVMz carcinoma cells and L1-transfected cells as a model, we found that ADAM10-mediated cleavage of L1 proceeds in lipid raft and non-raft domains. The cleavage product, L1-32, is further processed by PS (presenilin)/gamma-secretase to release L1-ICD, an L1 intracellular domain of 28 kDa. Overexpression of dominantnegative PS1 or use of a specific gamma-secretase inhibitor leads to an accumulation of L1-32. Fluorescence and biochemical analysis revealed a nuclear localization for L1-ICD. Moreover, inhibition of ADAM10 and/or gamma-secretase blocks nuclear translocation of L1-ICD and L1-dependent gene regulation. Overexpression of recombinant L1-ICD mediates gene regulation in a similar manner to full-length L1. Our results establish for the first time that regulated proteolytic processing by ADAM10 and PS/gamma-secretase is essential for the nuclear signalling of L1 in human carcinoma cell lines. Key words: a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10), L1 cell-adhesion molecule (L1-CAM), nuclear translocation, presenilin (PS)/gamma-secretase activity, raft, signalling
Boundary Algebra: A Simpler Approach to Boolean Algebra and the Sentential Connectives
No full textBoundary algebra [BA] is a algebra of type , and a simplified notation for Spencer-Brown’s (1969) primary algebra. The syntax of the primary arithmetic [PA] consists of two atoms, () and the blank page, concatenation, and enclosure between ‘(‘ and ‘)’, denoting the primitive notion of distinction. Inserting letters denoting, indifferently, the presence or absence of () into a PA formula yields a BA formula. The BA axioms are A1: ()()= (), and A2: “(()) [abbreviated ‘⊥’] may be written or erased at will,” implying (⊥)=(). The repeated application of A1 and A2 simplifies any PA formula to either () or ⊥. The basis for BA is B1: abc=bca (concatenation commutes & associates); B2, ⊥a=a (BA has a lower bound, ⊥); B3, (a)a=() (BA is a complemented lattice); and B4, (ba)a=(b)a (implies that BA is a distributive lattice). BA has two intended models: (1) the Boolean algebra 2 with base set B={(),⊥}, such that () ⇔ 1 [dually 0], (a) ⇔ a′, and ab ⇔ a∪b [a∩b]; and (2) sentential logic, such that () ⇔ true [false], (a) ⇔ ~a, and ab ⇔ a∨b [a∧b]. BA is a self-dual notation, facilitates a calculational style of proof, and simplifies clausal reasoning and Quine’s truth value analysis. BA resembles C.S. Peirce’s graphical logic, the symbolic logics of Leibniz and W.E. Johnson, the 2 notation of Byrne (1946), and the Boolean term schemata of Quine (1982).Boundary algebra; boundary logic; primary algebra; primary arithmetic; Boolean algebra; calculation proof; G. Spencer-Brown; C.S. Peirce; existential graphs
A Hierarchical Segmentation Of Articulated Bodies
No full textThis paper presents a novel segmentation method to assist the rigging of articulated bodies. The method computes a coarse-to-fine hierarchy of segments ordered by the level of detail. The results are invariant to deformations, and numerically robust to noise, irregular tessellations, and topological short-circuits. The segmentation is based on two key ideas. First, it exploits the multiscale properties of the diffusion distance on surfaces, and then it introduces a new definition of medial structures, composing a bijection between medial structures and segments. Our method computes this bijection through a simple and fast iterative approach, and applies it to triangulated meshes. © 2008 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2008 The Eurographics Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.27513491356Attene, M., Katz, S., Mortara, M., Patane, G., Spagnuolo, M., Tal, A., Mesh segmentation - a comparative study (2006) Proc. of the IEEE Intl. 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Boundary Algebra: A Simple Notation for Boolean Algebra and the Truth Functors
No full textBoundary algebra [BA] is a simpler notation for Spencer-Brown’s (1969) primary algebra [pa], the Boolean algebra 2, and the truth functors. The primary arithmetic [PA] consists of the atoms ‘()’ and the blank page, concatenation, and enclosure between ‘(‘ and ‘)’, denoting the primitive notion of distinction. Inserting letters denoting the presence or absence of () into a PA formula yields a BA formula. The BA axioms are "()()=()" (A1), and "(()) [=?] may be written or erased at will” (A2). Repeated application of these axioms to a PA formula yields a member of B= {(),?} called its simplification. (a) has two intended interpretations: (a) ? a? (Boolean algebra 2), and (a) ? ~a (sentential logic). BA is self-dual: () ? 1 [dually 0] so that B is the carrier for 2, ab ? a?b [a?b], and (a)b [(a(b))] ? a=b, so that ?=() [()=?] follows trivially and B is a poset. The BA basis abc= bca (Dilworth 1938), a(ab)= a(b), and a()=() (Bricken 2002) facilitates clausal reasoning and proof by calculation. BA also simplifies normal forms and Quine’s (1982) truth value analysis. () ? true [false] yields boundary logic.G. Spencer Brown; boundary algebra; boundary logic; primary algebra; primary arithmetic; Boolean algebra; calculation proof; C.S. Peirce; existential graphs.
