Are conventions solutions to uncertainty? Contrasting visions of social coordination

In recent years, there has been an increase in research on conventions motivated by the game-theoretic contributions of the philosopher David Lewis. Prior to this surge in interest, discussions of convention in economics had been tied to the analysis of John Maynard Keynes's writings. These literatures are distinct and have very little overlap. Yet this confluence of interests raises interesting methodological questions. Does the use of a common term, convention, denote a set of shared concerns? Can we identify what differentiates the game theoretic models from the Keynesian ones? This paper maps out the three most developed accounts of convention within economics and discusses their relations with each other in an attempt to provide an answer.

Early detection of ovarian cancer in samples pre-diagnosis using CA125 and MALDI-MS peaks

Aim: A nested case-control discovery study was undertaken 10 test whether information within the serum peptidome can improve on the utility of CA125 for early ovarian cancer detection. Materials and Methods: High-throughput matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) was used to profile 295 serum samples from women pre-dating their ovarian cancer diagnosis and from 585 matched control samples. Classification rules incorporating CA125 and MS peak intensities were tested for discriminating ability. Results: Two peaks were found which in combination with CA125 discriminated cases from controls up to 15 and 11 months before diagnosis, respectively, and earlier than using CA125 alone. One peak was identified as connective tissue-activating peptide III (CTAPIII), whilst the other was putatively identified as platelet factor 4 (PF4). ELISA data supported the down-regulation of PF4 in early cancer cases. Conclusion: Serum peptide information with CA125 improves lead time for early detection of ovarian cancer. The candidate markers are platelet-derived chemokines, suggesting a link between platelet function and tumour development.

Women, other "fresh” workers, and the new manufacturing workforce of interwar Britain

Structural, organizational, and technological changes in British industry during the interwar years led to a decline in skilled and physically demanding work, while there was a dramatic expansion in unskilled and semiskilled employment. Previous authors have noted that the new un/semiskilled jobs were generally filled by “fresh” workers recruited from outside the core manufacturing workforce, though there is considerable disagreement regarding the composition of this new workforce. This paper examines labour recruitment patterns and strategies using national data and case studies of eight rapidly expanding industrial centres. The new industrial workforce is shown to have been recruited from a “reserve army” of workers with the common features of relative cheapness, flexibility, and weak unionization. These included women, juveniles, local workers in poorly paid nonindustrial sectors, such as agriculture, and (where these other categories were in short supply) relatively young long-distance internal migrants from declining industrial areas.

Management of elderly patients with breast cancer: updated recommendations of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) and European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA)

As the mean age of the global population increases, breast cancer in older individuals will be increasingly encountered in clinical practice. Management decisions should not be based on age alone. Establishing recommendations for management of older individuals with breast cancer is challenging because of very limited level 1 evidence in this heterogeneous population. In 2007, the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) created a task force to provide evidence-based recommendations for the management of breast cancer in elderly individuals. In 2010, a multidisciplinary SIOG and European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) task force gathered to expand and update the 2007 recommendations. The recommendations were expanded to include geriatric assessment, competing causes of mortality, ductal carcinoma in situ, drug safety and compliance, patient preferences, barriers to treatment, and male breast cancer. Recommendations were updated for screening, primary endocrine therapy, surgery, radiotherapy, neoadjuvant and adjuvant systemic therapy, and metastatic breast cancer.