A history of agricultural production at Neolithic Catalhoyuk East, Turkey

A history of agricultural production is proposed for Neolithic Catalhoyuk East, central Turkey, using archaeobotanical, environmental, population and settlement studies. In the aceramic early phase of site occupation, intensive strategies developed as changes in population and environment caused stress on food supplies produced within a limited territory. Food exchange may have been part of the social means by which Catalhoyuk and nearby contemporary settlements amalgamated into the single site of the main occupation phase. Population change, inherited territories and continuing environmental impact led to the development of an extensive system of agriculture using widely dispersed dry soils, with an intensive regime applied to nearby alluvial soils. Social tensions caused by the evolution of this system contributed to the fissioning of the site by the Chalcolithic.

Low coral cover in a high-CO2 world

Coral reefs generally exist within a relatively narrow band of temperatures, light, and seawater aragonite saturation states. The growth of coral reefs is minimal or nonexistent outside this envelope. Climate change, through its effect on ocean temperature, has already had an impact on the world's coral reefs, with almost 30% of corals having disappeared since the beginning of the 1980s. Abnormally warm temperatures cause corals to bleach ( lose their brown dinoflagellate symbionts) and, if elevated for long enough, to die. Increasing atmospheric CO2 is also potentially affecting coral reefs by lowering the aragonite saturation state of seawater, making carbonate ions less available for calcification. The synergistic interaction of elevated temperature and CO2 is likely to produce major changes to coral reefs over the next few decades and centuries. Known tolerances of corals to projected changes to sea temperatures indicate that corals are unlikely to remain abundant on reefs and could be rare by the middle of this century if the atmospheric CO2 concentration doubles or triples. The combination of changes to sea temperature and carbonate ion availability could trigger large- scale changes in the biodiversity and function of coral reefs. The ramifications of these changes for the hundred of millions of coral reef - dependent people and industries living in a high- CO2 world have yet to be properly defined. The weight of evidence suggests, however, that projected changes will cause major shifts in the prospects for industries and societies that depend on having healthy coral reefs along their coastlines.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES OF ISPRM

This paper describes the history of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) Past achievements. and current challenges are outlined ISPRM has been successful In setting up a central office. attracting individual and national members,. holding International congresses, and establishing relations with the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine (JRM) as the organization`s official journal ISPRM is currently; In official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and collaborates closely, with WHO`s Disability and Rehabilitation team ISPRM, however also faces challenges with regard to its growth and the realization of its goals These Include boundaries of voluntary leadership. limited economic resources, the need for enhancing the central office. variations in membership. limits of the current congress bidding system and structure, relations with regional societies, and the need to further develop policies within the field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) and In relation to WHO and the United Nations system is concluded that ISPRM must evolve from an organization, of which the main activities ay-e to hold a biennial congress hosted by a member nation and to provide input to WHO on request. Into a professional non-governmental organization (NGO) ISPRA should embark on assuming, a leadership role at the further development of PRM within the broader area of human functioning and rehabilitation

ISPRM`S WAY FORWARD

This paper outlines approaches to developing the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) and addresses many current challenges Most importantly, these approaches provide the basis for ISPRM to develop its leadership role within the field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) and in relation to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) system at large. They also address a number of specific critiques of the current situation. A positioning of ISPRM within the world architecture of the UN and WHO systems, as well as the consideration and fostering of respective emerging regional PRM societies, is central to establishing networking connections at different levels of the world society. Yearly congresses, possibly in co-operation with a regional society, based on a defined regional rotation, are suggested. Thus, frustration with the current bidding system for a biennial congress and an intermediate meeting could be overcome. Yearly congresses are also an important step towards increasing the organization`s funding base, and hence the possibility to expand the functions of ISPRM`s central office. ISPRM`s envisioned leadership role in the context of an international web of PRM journals complementing the formally defined official journal of ISPRM, regional societies and so forth, is an inclusive rather than exclusive approach that contributes to the development of PRM journals worldwide. An important prerequisite for the further development of ISPRM is the expansion and bureaucratization of its Central Office, adding professionalism and systematic allocation of resources to the strengths of the voluntary engagement of individual PRM doctors.

THE POLICY AGENDA OF ISPRM

This paper suggests a comprehensive policy agenda and first steps to be undertaken by the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) in order to realize its humanitarian, professional and scientific mandates. The general aims of ISPRM, as formulated in its guiding documents, the relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations system, and demands of ISPRM`s constituency herein form the basis of this policy agenda Agenda items encompass contributions to the establishment of rehabilitation services worldwide and the development of PRM societies ISPRM`s possible input in general curricula in disability and rehabilitation, and in fighting discrimination against people experiencing disability are discuss. Moreover, the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning. Disability and Health (ICF) in medicine, contributions to WHO guidelines relevant to disability and rehabilitation the provision of a conceptual description of the rehabilitation strategy and the outline of a rehabilitation services matrix are seen as important agenda items of ISPRM`s external policy. With regard to its constituency and internal policy, a definition of the field of competence and a conceptual description of PRM, as well as the development of a consistent and comprehensive congress topic list and congress structure appear to be crucial items. The proposed agenda items serve as a basis for future discussions.

An archaeobotanical perspective on Holocene plant-use practices in lowland northern New Guinea

Existing archaeobotanical and palynological records of plant use in the northern New Guinea lowlands are reviewed in light of recent work at Kuk and theoretical refocusing on plant use practice. A practice-based approach is supported as the most useful way of investigating the highly problematical area of tropical plant food production. The existing direct record of past plant use in lowland New Guinea is considered woefully inadequate to achieve this task, as is that in Near Oceania and Island Southeast Asia. Archaeobotanical methods exist to fill the void, but full implementation requires a change in general archaeological and palaeoecological practice.

Management of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Latin America A Consensus Position Paper From Pan-American League of Associations of Rheumatology and Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Artritis Reumatoide

Objective: A consensus meeting of representatives of 18 Latin-American and Caribbean countries gathered in Renaca, Chile, for 2 days to identify problems and provide recommendations for the care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Latin America, a region where poverty and other health priorities make the efforts to provide effective and high quality care difficult. This report includes recommendations for health professionals, patients, and health authorities in Latin America, with an emphasis oil education and therapeutic issues. Methods: Fifty-one rheumatologists (list available only online on the JCR website) from 18 Latin-American and Caribbean countries with a special interest in RA participated in the consensus meeting. Participants were experts identified and appointed by the National Societies of Rheumatology affiliated with the Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) and by the Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Artritis Reumatoide (GLADAR)-an independent group of Latin American rheumatologist researchers were also invited to the meeting. Eight topics were identified as priorities: patient, community and allied health professional education, health policy and decision making, programs for early detection and appropriate treatment of RA, role of classic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), role of biologic therapy, and drug safety surveillance. To reach consensus, a survey with questions relevant to the topic of interest was sent to all participants before the meeting. During a 2 day meeting, the answers of the survey were reviewed and discussed by each group, with final recommendations on action items. Results: The specific topic of the survey was answered by 86% of the participants and 68% of them answered the entire survey. It was agreed that RA and rheumatic diseases which are currently not but should be public health priorities in Latin America, because of their prevalence and impact on quality of life. Conclusions: Strategic areas identified as priorities for our region included: early diagnosis and access to care by multidisciplinary teams, creation of databases to identify infections with the use of biologic agents in RA which are relevant to Latin America, and overall efforts to improve the care of RA patients in accordance with international standards. Implementation of educational programs aimed to improve self-management for patients with RA was also considered crucial.

Effect of hypothalamo-pituitary disconnection on the development of anterior pituitary cells in late gestation ovine fetuses

The specific role of the hypothalamus in regulating the developmental profile of anterior pituitary (AP) cells remains largely unknown. The present study evaluated hypothalamic contributions to AP cell development, utilizing the technique of hypothalamo-pituitary disconnection (HPD). HPD of fetal sheep or sham surgery was performed at 110 days gestation (d) (n=6 each group; term ~ 147d). Fetuses were removed and pituitaries collected at 110d (no surgery; n=6) or 141d (sham and HPD groups). The impact of HPD on AP cell development was assessed by single-labeled immunofluorescence for five hormones to identify proportions of AP cells expressing each hormone. HPD was associated with a 70% increase (P

DEVELOPING THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE (ISPRM): FOLLOWING THROUGH

In 2008 the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) started an initiative to systematically develop its capacity and its internal and external policy agenda. This paper sums up achievements that have been made with this ISPRM initiative as well as pending issues and strategies to address them. The paper treats the following: ISPRM`s policy agenda in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), research capacity in functioning and rehabilitation, ISPRM world conferences, relationships with regional societies of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM), and ISPRM`s membership and governance structure.

Young people's beliefs about intergenerational communication - An initial cross-cultural comparison

This article examines young people's perceptions of their conversations with older people (age 65-85) across nine cultures-five Eastern and four Western. Responses from more than 1,000 participants were entered into a cross-national factor analysis, which revealed four initial factors that underlie perceptions of intergenerational conversations. Elder nonaccommodation was when young participants reported that older people negatively stereotyped the young and did not attend to their communication needs. On the other hand, elder accommodation was when older people were perceived as supportive, attentive and generally encouraging to young people. A third factor was respect/obligation and a fourth factor labeled age-irrelevant positivity described a situation where young people felt conversations with much older people were emotionally positive and satisfying, age did not matter: Examining cross-cultural differences, some East versus West differences were observed, as might be expected, on the basis of simplistic accounts of Eastern collectivism versus Western individualism. However the results challenge commonsense notions of the status of old age in Eastern versus Western cultures. On some dimensions, participants from Korea, Japan, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines appear to have relatively less positive perceptions of their conversations with older people than the Western cultures-the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. But there was also evidence of considerable cultural variability, particularly among Eastern cultures-variability that has heretofore all too often been glossed over when global comparisons of East versus West are made. A range of explanations for these cultural differences is explored and implications for older people in these societies are also considered.

A Mox homeobox gene in the gastropod mollusc Haliotis rufescens is differentially expressed during larval morphogenesis and metamorphosis

We have isolated a homeobox-containing cDNA from the gastropod mollusc Haliotis rufescens that is most similar to members of the Mox homeobox gene class, The derived Haliotis homeodomain sequence is 85% identical to mouse and frog Mox-2 homeodomains and 88.9% identical to the partial cnidarian cnox5-Hm homeodomain. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of mRNA accumulation reveals that this gene, called HruMox, is expressed in the larva, but not in the early embryo, Transcripts are most prevalent during larval morphogenesis from trochophore to veliger. There are also transient increases in transcript prevalence 1 and 3 days after the intitiation of metamorphosis from veliger to juvenile. The identification of a molluscan Mox homeobox gene that is more closely related to vertebrate genes than other protostome (e.g. Drosophila) genes suggests the Mox class of homeobox genes may consist of several different families that have been conserved through evolution, (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

What needs to be done? Occupational therapy responsibilities and challenges regarding human rights

Background: Addressing human rights issues brings forth ethical and political responsibilities for occupational therapists and requires new epistemological and educational approaches. The way occupational therapists have faced these challenges has depended upon historical, cultural and social contexts. Aim and method: By means of literature review and historical analysis, this paper reflects on how occupational therapists have dealt with human matters issues and on the contemporary changes within the profession. Results and discussion: The paper portrays how Latin American occupational therapists have engaged in social transformation by choosing not to transform ethical and political problems into technical matters. Taking into account experiences and views from South Africa, Brazil and Chile, the paper outlines the importance of developing political literacy and interdisciplinary professional/postprofessional education to prepare the new generation of occupational therapists to engage in social transformation. Addressing issues of invisibility and lack of access to human rights, the paper reflects on the need of developing conceptual tools and strategies for change, and discusses the transformations being produced in contemporary occupational therapy. Conclusion: Occupational therapists and scientists need to be attentive to human rights issues. They also need to answer the call for interconnectedness in the present-day complex societies, and engage in networking and a cross-bordering dialogue. Nevertheless, although necessary and welcome, international cooperation requires a permanent exercise of cultural sensitivity, political awareness and self-awareness.

Factors affecting management decisions in rectal cancer in clinical practice: results from a national survey

Management of rectal cancer has become increasingly complex and a multidisciplinary approach is considered of key importance for improving outcomes. A national survey among specialists involved in this multidisciplinary setting was performed. A web-based survey containing 11 questions regarding rectal cancer management was sent to surgeons and medical oncologists registered by their corresponding societies as members. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square and Fisher`s exact tests for all categorical variables according to response to individual questions. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox`s logistic regression. Overall, 418 email recipients responded the survey. Local staging was performed without either magnetic resonance imaging or endorectal ultrasound by 64% of responders. Seventy-two percent considered that final management decision should be made after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Additionally, 46% considered that an alternative procedure (local excision or observation) was appropriate in a patient with a complete clinical response. Colorectal surgeons were more frequently in favor of longer intervals after completion of chemoradiation therapy (P = 0.001) and of alternative management procedures after a complete clinical response (P = 0.02). After multivariate analysis, the choice of a watch and wait approach after a complete clinical response following neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy was significantly more frequent among surgeons (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.8-7.1). Surgeons seem to be more in favor of tailoring management of rectal cancer according to tumor response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy, with longer intervals after chemoradiation therapy, decisions about treatment strategy being made after chemoradiation therapy instead of before, and the use of alternative surgical procedures after a complete clinical response following neoadjuvant therapy.