Hydroxycyclopentanone derivatives from D-Mannose via ring closing metathesis: An improved synthesis of a key intermediate of Tricyclo-DNA

A large scale, 10 step synthesis of cyclopentanone 1 , starting from the chiral pool compound D-mannose, is described. The synthesis proceeds via a ring closing metathesis reaction as the key step in an overall yield of 23%. Cyclopentanone 1 is a central intermediate for the synthesis of tricyclo-DNA

Quality of life after pulmonary embolism: Prospective validation of the German version of the PEmb-QoL questionnaire.

BACKGROUND The Pulmonary Embolism Quality of Life questionnaire (PEmb-QoL) is a 40-item questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary embolism. It covers six 6 dimensions: frequency of complaints, limitations in activities of daily living, work-related problems, social limitations, intensity of complaints, and emotional complaints. Originally developed in Dutch and English, we prospectively validated a German version of the PEmb-QoL. METHODS A forward-backward translation of the English version of the PEmb-QoL into German was performed. German-speaking consecutive adult patients aged ≥18 years with an acute, objectively confirmed pulmonary embolism discharged from a Swiss university hospital (01/2011-06/2013) were recruited telephonically. Established psychometric tests and criteria were used to evaluate the acceptability, reliability, and validity of the German PEmb-QoL questionnaire. To assess the underlying dimensions, an exploratory factor analysis was performed. RESULTS Overall, 102 patients were enrolled in the study. The German version of the PEmb-QoL showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.72 to 0.96), item-total (0.53-0.95) and inter-item correlations (>0.4), and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients 0.59-0.89) for the dimension scores. A moderate correlation of the PEmb-QoL with SF-36 dimension and summary scores (0.21-0.83) indicated convergent validity, while low correlations of PEmb-QoL dimensions with clinical characteristics (-0.16-0.37) supported discriminant validity. The exploratory factor analysis suggested four underlying dimensions: limitations in daily activities, symptoms, work-related problems, and emotional complaints. CONCLUSION The German version of the PEmb-QoL questionnaire is a valid and reliable disease-specific measure for quality of life in patients with pulmonary embolism.

Die Leugnung des Genozids an den Armeniern unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Meinungsäusserungsfreiheit

Im Fall Perinçek gegen die Schweiz stützt die Grosse Kammer des Europäischen Gerichtshofes für Menschenrechte (EGMR) die frühere Kammerentscheidung von 2013: Die Verurteilung des Beschwerdeführers wegen Leugnung des Genozids an den Armeniern ist nicht mit Art. 10 der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention (EMRK) vereinbar.

Analysis of the Heat-Shock Response Displayed by Two Chaetomium Species Originating from Different Thermal Environments

Three features of the heat shock response, reorganization of protein expression, intracellular accumulation of trehalose, and alteration in unsaturation degree of fatty acids were investigated in the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophile and compared to the response displayed by a closely related mesophilic species, C. brasiliense. Thermophilic heat shock response paralleled the mesophilic response in many respects like (i) the temperature difference observed between normothermia and the upper limit of translational activity, (ii) the transient nature of the heat shock response at the level of protein expression including both the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) as well as the repression of housekeeping proteins, (iii) the presence of representatives of high-molecular-weight {HSPs} families, (iv) intracellular accumulation of trehalose, and finally (v) modifications in fatty acid composition. On the other hand, a great variability between the two organisms was observed for the proteins expressed during stress, in particular a protein of the {HSP60} family that was only observed in C. thermophile. This peptide was also present constitutively at normal temperature and may thus fulfil thermophilic functions. It is shown that accumulation of trehalose does not play a part in thermophily but is only a stress response. C. thermophile contains less polyunsaturated fatty acids at normal temperature than C. brasiliense, a fact that can be directly related to thermophily. When subjected to heat stress, both organisms tended to accumulate shorter and less unsaturated fatty acids.

Optimally Combining Censored and Uncensored Datasets

Economists and other social scientists often face situations where they have access to two datasets that they can use but one set of data suffers from censoring or truncation. If the censored sample is much bigger than the uncensored sample, it is common for researchers to use the censored sample alone and attempt to deal with the problem of partial observation in some manner. Alternatively, they simply use only the uncensored sample and ignore the censored one so as to avoid biases. It is rarely the case that researchers use both datasets together, mainly because they lack guidance about how to combine them. In this paper, we develop a tractable semiparametric framework for combining the censored and uncensored datasets so that the resulting estimators are consistent, asymptotically normal, and use all information optimally. When the censored sample, which we refer to as the master sample, is much bigger than the uncensored sample (which we call the refreshment sample), the latter can be thought of as providing identification where it is otherwise absent. In contrast, when the refreshment sample is large and could typically be used alone, our methodology can be interpreted as using information from the censored sample to increase effciency. To illustrate our results in an empirical setting, we show how to estimate the effect of changes in compulsory schooling laws on age at first marriage, a variable that is censored for younger individuals. We also demonstrate how refreshment samples for this application can be created by matching cohort information across census datasets.

Lee O Case's "Elements of the Phase Rule", Chapter 3

This is the last (third) chapter of the phase rule text, again altered by the author, addressing 3 and 4 compnent systems.

Complectens accessiones er emendationes ad volumen primum totum, et partem secundi, quoad de scriptis anonymis exponit, pertinentes

fehlerhafte Seitenzählung: S. 215; 1025; 1087

Editorial: The Impact of Welfare Reform on Families

On the horizon a huge wave is building, about to crash down on the poorest most hard pressed families in our country. The impact of welfare reform on families and on those who serve them will be profound The degree to which families and workers will be adversely affected is to date not fully understood. Yet as my son concluded, "...basically, if you are on welfare you had better win the lottery or learn to swim in the treacherous waters of poverty!" (C. Sallee, personal communication, November, 1996). We are also informed by looking back at the Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601 where we find the origin of welfare reform. Orphanages, the responsibility of relatives, poorhouses and awarding relief work to the lowest private sector bidder, all introduced in the beginning of the welfare state, are key components of the current reform. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 washes away the entitlements and rights created during this country's greatest depression, leaving exposed the stark selfishness of the junk bond 1980's.