Glioma through the looking GLASS: molecular evolution of diffuse gliomas and the Glioma Longitudinal Analysis Consortium.

Adult diffuse gliomas are a diverse group of brain neoplasms that inflict a high emotional toll on patients and their families. The Cancer Genome Atlas and similar projects have provided a comprehensive understanding of the somatic alterations and molecular subtypes of glioma at diagnosis. However, gliomas undergo significant cellular and molecular evolution during disease progression. We review the current knowledge on the genomic and epigenetic abnormalities in primary tumors and after disease recurrence, highlight the gaps in the literature, and elaborate on the need for a new multi-institutional effort to bridge these knowledge gaps and how the Glioma Longitudinal Analysis Consortium (GLASS) aims to systemically catalog the longitudinal changes in gliomas. The GLASS initiative will provide essential insights into the evolution of glioma toward a lethal phenotype, with the potential to reveal targetable vulnerabilities and, ultimately, improved outcomes for a patient population in need

Sparse whole-genome sequencing identifies two loci for major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most frequently encountered forms of mental illness and a leading cause of disability worldwide, poses a major challenge to genetic analysis. To date, no robustly replicated genetic loci have been identified, despite analysis of more than 9,000 cases. Here, using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 5,303 Chinese women with recurrent MDD selected to reduce phenotypic heterogeneity, and 5,337 controls screened to exclude MDD, we identified, and subsequently replicated in an independent sample, two loci contributing to risk of MDD on chromosome 10: one near the SIRT1 gene (P = 2.53 × 10(-10)), the other in an intron of the LHPP gene (P = 6.45 × 10(-12)). Analysis of 4,509 cases with a severe subtype of MDD, melancholia, yielded an increased genetic signal at the SIRT1 locus. We attribute our success to the recruitment of relatively homogeneous cases with severe illness

Worker Rights Consortium Assessment re Lianglong Socks Co. Ltd (China): Findings, Recommendations, and Status Report

WRC report of its assessment of labor violations at the Lianglong factory in China. Outlines RJ McCarthy’s positive response to the assessment

Worker Rights Consortium Assessment re Far East Garment Textile and First Apparel (Thailand): Findings, Recommendations, and Status Report

WRC reports on its assessment of labor violations at the Far East factory in Thailand. Includes a discussion of logistics of the assessment and recommendations for the company to remediate the problems

Case Summary: Gina Form Bra (Thailand)

WRC report on its investigation of working conditions in the Gina Form Bra factory in Thailand. Includes a discussion of the closure of the factory despite pressure by the WRC and workers’ efforts to keep it open

Worker Rights Consortium Assessment re Hugger de Honduras and Vision Tex (Honduras): Findings, Recommendations and Status Report

WRC report on its investigation of the failure of two factories in Honduras to provide compensation to their workers. Also describes WRC’s efforts to pressure Nike to obtain compliance to labor standards from its contractors

Case Summary: Teerapat Industries (Thailand)

WRC report on its investigation of labor violations at a Teerapat Industries factory in Thailand following complaints by concerned workers. Includes a description of WRC’s intervention on behalf of workers

The Modified-Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC): Evaluation of reliability and validity

The Modified – Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC) was developed as an ecologically valid measure of social-communication behaviour, delineating forms, functions, and intended partners of children’s spontaneous communication acts. Forty one children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 48 to 73 months were filmed within small-group settings at school. Communication behaviours during a five-minute teacher-led activity and a 10-minute free play session were coded from video-tape. Inter-rater reliability was high. Many M-COSMIC codes were significantly associated as predicted with Social and Communication domain scores on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and with scores on standardised language assessments. Agreement was more variable, however, at the level of individual M-COSMIC codes and ADOS items. Higher rates of responding, compliance behaviours and following pointing gestures and gaze occurred during the more structured teacher-led activity, compared to the free play. Results demonstrate preliminary construct validity of the M-COSMIC, showing its potential to describe and evaluate spontaneous social-communication skills in young children with ASD for research and applied purposes

The Designated Suppliers Program (Revised Sept \u2706)

The Designated Suppliers Program is a system for protecting the rights of the workers who sew university logo apparel. Under the Designated Suppliers Program, university licensees are required to source most university logo apparel from supplier factories that have been determined by universities, through independent verification, to be in compliance with their obligation to respect the rights of their employees – including the right to organize and bargain collectively and the right to be paid a living wage. Licensees may bring any factory they choose into the program, provided the factory can demonstrate compliance with the program’s labor standards. The program is phased in over a three year period

Preliminary Report on Minimum Wage Violations in Bangalore, India

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.WRC_Bangalore_Minimum_Wage_Preliminary_Report.pdf: 346 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020