ASIP and TYR pigmentation variants associate with cutaneous melanoma and basal cell carcinoma

Fair color increases risk of cutaneous melanoma (CM) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Recent genome-wide association studies have identified variants affecting hair, eye and skin pigmentation in Europeans. Here, we assess the effect of these variants on risk of CM and BCC in European populations comprising 2,121 individuals with CM, 2,163 individuals with BCC and over 40,000 controls. A haplotype near ASIP, known to affect a similar spectrum of pigmentation traits as MC1R variants, conferred significant risk of CM (odds ratio (OR) = 1.45, P = 1.2 x 10(-9)) and BCC (OR = 1.33, P = 1.2 x 10(-6)). The variant in TYR encoding the R402Q amino acid substitution, previously shown to affect eye color and tanning response, conferred risk of CM (OR = 1.21, P = 2.8 x 10(-7)) and BCC (OR = 1.14, P = 6.1 x 10(-4)). An eye color variant in TYRP1 was associated with risk of CM (OR = 1.15, P = 4.6 x 10(-4)). The association of all three variants is robust with respect to adjustment for the effect of pigmentation.     

Learning with participatory monitoring and evaluation in Dir district,northwest frontier province,Pakistan

This paper is concerned with the development of a monitoring and evaluation system for the second phase of a United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) in Pakistan and the manner in which participatory structures are developed and built on in a complex development context. Initially the paper introduces the context. The project is concerned with rural development issues as part of a structured programme to substitute opium poppy growing with a range of agricultural and social innovations. During the first phase of the project (up to 1993) the main focus of attention for the project was measured in terms of physical progress with road building, electricity supply, irrigation works and concentration on improved agricultural practices. Phase II has set out to build on this, most specifically in terms of gaining the greater participation of local people in the project activity. The paper describes the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) structure for the project and notes that it is intended that M&E further encourage participation and beneficiary analysis (analysis of project benefits by those who are intended to derive most from the project outputs). One of the primary means set out for achieving this was by inducing the professional staff working in the project to adopt new mind sets, adjusting their focus from being technical experts supplying undoubted technical improvements to being co-operative partners, bringing ideas to the area but equally being willing to work through these ideas and their implications and learn from the communities. The process for the development of the monitoring system is described, and the methodology ‘TeamUp’ discussed. Links are made to related areas of study—most specifically the literature of Rapid and Participatory Rural Development (RRA and PRA). Finally, the paper discusses the results of the research to date and the likely extension of the ideas to other projects.     

Book Review: Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited: Problem Structuring Methods for Complexity,Uncertainty, and Conflict. Jonathan Rosenhead and John Mingers. Wiley,Chichester, United Kingdom. 2001, 365 pp., Chaps. 15, £22.50 (Amazon)

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

Conditioned suppression: Dissociation of learning in baclofen treated rats

Summary In rats, baclofen induced a memory deficit related to a dissociation of learning. Baclofen given prior to training or prior to testing had no effect on the amnesia elicited by diazepam.     

Combining experts' opinions using a normal-wishart model

This paper examines how a Bayesian decision maker might update her distributions for continuous variables X_i, i=1, 2, …, upon hearing experts' forecasts expressed as quantiles. To utilize the relationship between the decision maker and experts, and to avoid problems associated with different scales and ranges of the variables, we assume that the decision maker transforms the experts' quantiles in terms of her own prior distribution for each X_i. A model using such a transformation is presented and its properties are examined.     

Electrochemical characterization of the Pt /PEDOT electrode in DMFC

Poly-(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was applied in making electrodes and gas diffusion layer for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Electrochemical characterizations of Pt/PEDOT electrodes, made by two different methods, were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, methanol oxidation tests and DMFC performance. The platinum particle structure in PEDOT/PSS (poly?styrene sulfonic acid) films was investigated by SEM and TEM. Our research work showed that PEDOT influenced the catalytic activity behavior in three different ways when it was applied to the anode, cathode and the gas diffusion layer. The DMFC performance agreed with the cyclic voltammetry and methanol oxidation test results.