bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving rural and remote practitioners' knowledge of the diabetic foot: findings from an educational intervention
Authors: Schoen Deborah E. , Gausia Kaniz , Glance David G. , Thompson Sandra C.
Published: July 2016

Background

This study aimed to determine knowledge of national guidelines for diabetic foot assessment and risk stratification by rural and remote healthcare professionals in Western Australia and their implementation in practice. Assessment of diabetic foot knowledge, availability of equipment and delivery of foot care education in a primary healthcare setting at baseline enabled evaluation of the effectiveness of a diabetic foot education and training program for generalist healthcare professionals.

Methods

This study employed a quasi‐experimental pre‐test/post‐test study design. Healthcare practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and practice of diabetic foot assessment, diabetic foot risks, risk stratification, and use of the 2011 National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines were investigated with an electronic pre‐test survey. Healthcare professionals then undertook a 3‐h education and training workshop before completing the electronic post‐test knowledge, attitudes and practice survey. Comparison of pre‐test/post‐test survey findings was used to assess the change in knowledge, attitudes and intended practice due to the workshops.

Results

Two hundred and forty‐six healthcare professionals from two rural and remote health regions of Western Australia participated in training workshops. Monofilaments and diabetes foot care education brochures, particularly brochures for Aboriginal people, were reported as not readily available in rural and remote health services. For most participants (58 %), their post‐test knowledge score increased significantly from the pre‐test score. Use of the Guidelines in clinical settings was low (19 %). The healthcare professionals' baseline diabetic foot knowledge was adequate to correctly identify the high risk category. However, stratification of the intermediate risk category was poor, even after training.

Conclusion

This study reports the first assessment of Western Australia's rural and remote health professionals' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the diabetic foot. It shows that without training, generalists' levels of knowledge concerning the diabetic foot was low and they were unlikely to assess foot risk. The findings from this study in a rural and remote setting cast doubt on the ability of generalist healthcare professionals to stratify risk appropriately, especially for those at intermediate risk, without clinical decision support tools.
On the role of evangelism in consensus formation: a simulation approach
Authors: Sharma Ishank , Chourasia Bishwaraj , Bhatia Abhishek , Goyal Rinkaj
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Opinions continuously evolve in society. While conservative ideas may get replaced by a new one, some views remain immutable. Opinion formation and innovation diffusion have witnessed lots of attention in the last decade due to its widespread applicability in the diverse domain of science and technology. We analyse these scenarios in which interactions at the micro level results in the changes in opinions at the macro level in a population of predefined ideological groups.

Methods

We use the Bass model, otherwise well known for understanding innovation diffusion phenomena, to compute adoption probabilities of three opinion states-zealot, extremists and moderates. Thereafter, we employ cellular automata to explore the emergence of opinions through local and overlapped interactions between agents (people). NetLogo environment has been used to develop an agent-based model, simulating different ideological scenarios.

Results

Simulation results validate a critical proportion of committed individuals as a plausible basis for ideological shifts in societies. The analysis elucidates upon the role of moderates in the population and emergence of varying opinions. The results further delineate the role of evangelism through social and non-social methods in propagating views.

Conclusion

The results obtained from these simulations endorse the conclusions reported in previous studies regarding the role of a critical zealot population, and the preponderance of non-social influence. We, however, use two-phase opinion model with different experimental settings. Additionally, we examine global observable, such as entropy of the system to reveal common patterns of adoption in the views and evenness of population after reaching a consensus.
Vulnerable patients going to court: a psychiatrist's guide to special measures
Authors: Cooper Penny , Grace Janet
Published: August 2016

There have been significant changes to how vulnerable people are treated in the court system, including the introduction of special measures to support people both as witness and as accused. This paper summarises the use of special measures and their application to people with mental health diagnoses or cognitive impairment.
The Right of Resistance to Oppression
Authors: Alpaugh Micah
Published: July 2016

Perhaps the least self-evident right of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was that of “resistance to oppression.” Emerging from the Anglo-American rights tradition as a check on corrupt power, the term was adapted by the marquis de Lafayette for French politics in his Declaration of Rights proposed on July 11, 1789. Following the Bastille's fall and the contestations of the early to mid-Revolution, resistance to oppression would come to suggest a general right to protest against measures violating human rights. Indeed, the revised 1793 Declaration of Rights enshrined insurrection as “the most sacred of duties” (le plus saint des devoirs). Yet in the Constitution of the Year III, the right of resistance would be eliminated entirely. Based upon a broad reading of debates in the National Assemblies and printed public sphere, this article examines how revolutionaries attempted to grapple with both the possibilities and limitations of protest as they attempted to construct a democratic regime.
Gender Springtime in Paris: A Twenty-First-Century Tale of Seasons
Authors: Berger Anne Emmanuelle
Published: August 2016

From its founding, women’s and gender studies developed along a transatlantic epistemological and geopolitical axis. An interdisciplinary field, it fostered difficult conversations among disciplines that had each developed its own conceptual language. Women’s and gender studies is thus centrally concerned with crossing(s), whether crossing(s) functions as a political goal, a meta-metaphor for the field’s variegated theoretical endeavor, or as the name of a multifaceted epistemological problem. This essay focuses on the problem of translation as a form and act of crossing in the geopolitical context of globalization. It asks whether translation, a neohumanist practice of transnational exchange premised on the irreducibility of idioms and the hospitality to differences, can withstand the homogenizing pull of globalization. And it asks what the collapse of differences might do to an intellectual, political, and social field whose very raison d’être has been and continues to be the excavation of unrecognized or unwanted differences and the promotion of plurality.
Autophagy- An emerging target for melanoma therapy
Authors: Ndoye Abibatou , Weeraratna Ashani T.
Published: July 2016

Melanoma accounts for only 5% of all cancers but is the leading cause of skin cancer death due to its high metastatic potential. Patients with metastatic melanoma have a 10-year survival rate of less than 10%. While the clinical landscape for melanoma is evolving rapidly, lack of response to therapies, as well as resistance to therapy remain critical obstacles for treatment of this disease. In recent years, a myriad of therapy resistance mechanisms have been unravelled, one of which is autophagy, the focus of this review. In advanced stages of malignancy, melanoma cells hijack the autophagy machinery in order to alleviate drug-induced and metabolic stress in the tumor microenvironment, thereby promoting resistance to multiple therapies, tumor cell survival, and progression.  Autophagy is an essential cellular process that maintains cellular homeostasis through the recycling of intracellular constituents. Early studies on the role of autophagy in cancer generated controversy as to whether autophagy was pro- or anti-tumorigenic. Currently, there is a consensus that autophagy is tumor-suppressive in the early stages of cancer and tumor-promoting in established tumors.  This review aims to highlight current understandings on the role of autophagy in melanoma malignancy, and specifically therapy resistance; as well as to evaluate recent strategies for therapeutic autophagy modulation.
Exploring the barriers to and facilitators of implementing research into practice
Authors: Johnston Bridget , Coole Carol , Narayanasamy Melanie , Feakes Ruth , Whitworth Gillian , Tyrell Tracy , Hardy Beth
Published: August 2016

District and community nursing roles have changed rapidly in recent years. Community nurses are increasingly being tasked with carrying out multiple roles, which require them to put research into practice and use evidence-based tools and interventions. The implementation of interventions and tools needs to be developed from empirical research, requiring evidence, to be translated into practice. However, this process may be compromised or enhanced by a number of factors. This exploratory, descriptive qualitative study sought to identify barriers and facilitators to community nurses implementing research into practice. Four focus groups were conducted with registered community nurses and district nurses (n=22). Analysis identified four main themes: keeping up to date with evidence; using a clinical tool; education/training and implementation. Findings suggest that there are barriers at a personal, professional and organisational level. Strategies are suggested to overcome these obstacles.
Enhancing assertiveness in district nurse specialist practice
Authors: Green Julie
Published: August 2016

District nurse (DN) care delivery has undergone substantial change in recent years due to changing demographics and service delivery demands that have called for a move of care delivery from secondary to primary care. The title District Nurse is recorded with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on completion of the Specialist Practice Qualification in District Nursing (SPQ DN), which purports to be a ‘transformational’ course that prepares future caseload holders to manage their team and prioritise care delivery effectively. This article explores the need for assertiveness skills in this role in response to Australian research, and outlines the pedagogic interventions implemented during the SPQ DN course to enhance this skill. Assertiveness scores were monitored for the duration of the course and demonstrated a significant increase—a topic that is now the subject of a future, funded study.
Small Animal Review
Authors: Tennant Bryn
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis are important clinical entities in cats, with high mortality rates.
Welfare symposia — bringing stakeholders together
Authors: Whiting Martin
Published: August 2016

The RVC and CABI have joined forces to host an annual free symposium on key topics in animal welfare, opening the opportunity for discussion and networking between stakeholders.
PERCEPCIONES DEL PROFESORADO Y DE LOS PADRES DEL PACIENTE SOBRE LA PEDAGOGÍA HOSPITALARIA
Authors: Palomares Ruíz Ascensión , Sánchez Navalón Belén
Published: July 2016

INTRODUCCIÓN. La respuesta a las demandas que la sociedad plantea a la educación suele ser lenta e insuficiente, provocando discriminaciones, esencialmente, al alumnado que presenta problemas de salud. La pedagogía hospitalaria es una disciplina de flamante creación y su implantación no es igual en todos los países, por lo que investigar dicha realidad posibilita reflexionar y conocer el impacto que produce un ingreso hospitalario prolongado en los pacientes, sus familias y centros educativos de referencia. MÉTODO. Este trabajo pretende estudiar los beneficios e innovaciones que supone para los principales factores externos la pedagogía hospitalaria en las Unidades de Salud Mental, concretamente en la Unidad de Trastornos del Comportamiento Alimentario (UTCA) de un complejo hospitalario universitario que, por sus características, es un referente nacional. La investigación se desarrolla durante diez años bajo una metodología mixta. La muestra que se considera en el estudio está integrada por todos los padres de las alumnas que han sido atendidas en la UTCA (N=149) y por 149 docentes de los centros educativos de referencia. RESULTADOS. Los padres valoran las mejoras en el comportamiento y autoestima, y reconocen la ayuda facilitada por los miembros de la UTCA. Los docentes evalúan positivamente la información y coordinación con el Equipo de Atención Educativa Hospitalaria y Domiciliaria (EAEHD). Advierten que en el grupo-clase existe preocupación y apoyo hacia la compañera ingresada, y apenas cambian su metodología. Ambos grupos valoran positivamente su implicación durante el ingreso del paciente y, una vez superado, se incorpora en su nivel curricular sin grandes problemas. DISCUSIÓN. Se pone en evidencia la necesidad y efectividad de la unidad estudiada y se demanda una mayor implicación y formación del profesorado, así como el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC), para alcanzar una educación realmente inclusiva.
O mar na geopolítica de Portugal
Authors: Palmeira José
Published: August 2016

O mar é uma constante na geopolítica portuguesa. Desde o período dos Descobrimentos, passando pelo império colonial, até à participação na Aliança Atlântica (1949), que o País procurou no espaço marítimo uma forma de equilibrar o poder com a vizinha Espanha. Aliado permanente da potência marítima dominante – primeiro a Inglaterra, depois os Estados Unidos – Portugal teve uma deriva continental quando descoloniza (1974) e avança para a integração europeia (1986). No entanto, periférico na Europa, procura centralidade através do espaço lusófono (institucionalizado em 1996, com a criação da Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa) e assumindo uma posição euro-atlântica no seio da União Europeia. Dotado de uma extensa zona económica exclusiva, o País tem ainda um potencial de recursos associado à economia do mar, concomitantemente às vulnerabilidades que resultam da necessidade de meios para a sua fiscalização e segurança. O universalismo, cultivado na sua história e pela diáspora, é hoje um trunfo num sistema internacional crescentemente globalizado.
Estado Novo e maritimismo: ideologia e discursos culturais
Authors: Garrido Álvaro
Published: August 2016

Pretende-se discutir em que medida o regime autoritário compôs uma ideologia maritimista que penetrou o conceito de nacionalismo português. A interpretação dos mitos ideológicos reproduzidos pelo regime e a análise dos discursos culturais que o Estado produziu e veiculou através da Organização Corporativa das Pescas são campos fundamentais para a análise histórica que aqui se empreende. Essas evidências questionam a excessiva centralidade do ruralismo enquanto elemento de definição da ideologia do sistema ditatorial português. Segundo as representações ideológicas de cunho estatal, Portugal seria um país simultaneamente imperial e camponês. Conclui-se que o maritimismo ocupou, também, um espaço significativo no discurso ideológico do Estado Novo e assumiu um papel central na tentativa de nacionalização de uma tradição marítima singular.
RECUPERACIÓN ECOLÓGICA DE ÁREAS AFECTADAS POR UN INCENDIO FORESTAL EN LA MICROCUENCA TINTALES (BOYACÁ, COLOMBIA)
Authors: Fernández-Méndez Fernando , Velasco-Salcedo Verónica María , Guerrero-Contecha Juanita , Galvis-Rueda Manuel , Viana Neri Andreza
Published: August 2016

La microcuenca Tintales, ubicada en el Santuraio de Fauna y Flora (SFF) de Iguaque, Boyacá, fue afectada por un incendio forestal. En esa área se evaluó la regeneración natural en 29 parcelas permanentes. Se evaluaron dos fitofisonomías, afloramiento rocoso y robledal para comparar riqueza, diversidad y dominancia, obteniéndose mayor riqueza y diversidad en afloramiento rocoso. La familia Asteraceae fue la que obtuvo mayor representatividad, con dominancia de especies como Hypoxis decumbens, Pteridium aquilinum y Andropogon bicornis. La diversidad en todo el muestreo fue baja y homogénea debido a la reiterada incidencia de incendios forestales que han ocasionado cambios en la estructura y composición de la vegetación. La vegetación encontrada no difiere sustancialmente de otros estudios reportados para esta zona de vida y la región, donde las dinámicas de uso de suelo son similares, con alta deforestación e incendios. La vegetación establecida después del incendio es dominada por especies colonizadoras y pioneras. En las dos fitofisonomías estudiadas después de un año del incendio se establecen dos comunidades vegetales con diferencias estadísticas significativas en riqueza y homogeneidad. Para iniciar procesos de restauraciόn se recomienda usar como uno de los insumos las diferencias taxonómicas halladas entre robledal y afloramiento rocoso.
Restricted interpolation by meromorphic inner functions
Authors: Poltoratski Alexei , Rupam Rishika
Published: July 2016

Meromorphic Inner Functions (MIFs) on the upper half plane play an important role in applications to spectral problems for differential operators. In this paper, we survey some recent results concerning function theoretic properties of MIFs and show their connections with spectral problems for the Schrödinger operator.
Impact of Encapsulated Lactobacillus casei 01 Along with Pasteurized Purple-Rice Drinks on Modulating Colon Microbiome using a Digestive Model
Authors: Chaikham Pittaya , Apichartsrangkoon Arunee , Worametrachanon Srivilai , Van de Wiele Tom
Published: July 2016

The prospect of Lactobacillus casei 01 and pasteurized purple-rice drinks on modulating colon microbiome by using a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem was investigated. Accordingly, L. casei 01 alone and with pasteurized purple-rice drink were administered into the proximal and distal colons. In consequence, some colon bacteria and their metabolic activities were examined. The results showed that upon modulating the colon microbiota by L. casei 01 alone with pasteurized germinated-purple-rice drink in the distal colon, acetate and propionate (short-chain fatty acids) were equivalently elevated but other treatments performed differently. Based on the profile of colon microbiota, most treatments stimulated the highest number of lactobacilli followed by bifidobacteria, while other undesirable bacteria were moderately diminished. In overall, larger gelatinized starch in the rice drinks enabled by pasteurization triggered off better modulating impact than by pressurization.
The prevalence of and risk factors for healthcare-associated infections in Slovenia: results of the second national survey
Authors: Klavs Irena , Kolman Jana , Lejko Zupanc Tatjana , Kotnik Kevorkijan Božena , Korošec Aleš , Serdt Mojca
Published: July 2016

Introduction

In the second Slovenian national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) prevalence survey, conducted within the European point prevalence survey of HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute-care hospitals, we estimated the prevalence of all types of HAIs and identified risk factors.

Methods

Patients from acute-care hospitals were enrolled into a one-day cross-sectional study in October 2011. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the characteristics of patients, their exposure to invasive procedures and the prevalence of different types of HAIs. Univariate and multivariate analyses of association of having at least one HAI with possible risk factors were performed to identify risk factors.

Results

Among 5628 patients, 3.8% had at least one HAI and additional 2.6% were still being treated for HAIs on the day of the survey; the prevalence of HAIs was 6.4%. The prevalence of urinary tract infections was the highest (1.4%), followed by pneumoniae (1.3%) and surgical site infections (1.2%). In intensive care units (ICUs), the prevalence of patients with at least one HAI was 35.7%. Risk factors for HAIs included central vascular catheter (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.0; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.9-5.7), peripheral vascular catheter (aOR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5-2.6), intubation (aOR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4-3.5) and rapidly fatal underlying condition (aOR 2.1; 95% CI: 1.4-3.3).

Conclusions

The prevalence of HAIs in Slovenian acute-care hospitals in 2011 was substantial, especially in ICUs. HAIs prevention and control is an important public health priority. National surveillance of HAIs in ICUs should be developed to support evidence-based prevention and control.
A methodological approach to the analysis of egocentric social networks in public health research: a practical example
Authors: Djomba Janet Klara , Zaletel-Kragelj Lijana
Published: July 2016

Introduction

Research on social networks in public health focuses on how social structures and relationships influence health and health-related behaviour. While the sociocentric approach is used to study complete social networks, the egocentric approach is gaining popularity because of its focus on individuals, groups and communities.

Methods

One of the participants of the healthy lifestyle health education workshop ‘I’m moving’, included in the study of social support for exercise was randomly selected. The participant was denoted as the ego and members of her/his social network as the alteri. Data were collected by personal interviews using a self-made questionnaire. Numerical methods and computer programmes for the analysis of social networks were used for the demonstration of analysis.

Results

The size, composition and structure of the egocentric social network were obtained by a numerical analysis. The analysis of composition included homophily and homogeneity. Moreover, the analysis of the structure included the degree of the egocentric network, the strength of the ego-alter ties and the average strength of ties. Visualisation of the network was performed by three freely available computer programmes, namely: Egonet.QF, E-net and Pajek. The computer programmes were described and compared by their usefulness.

Conclusion

Both numerical analysis and visualisation have their benefits. The decision what approach to use is depending on the purpose of the social network analysis. While the numerical analysis can be used in large-scale population-based studies, visualisation of personal networks can help health professionals at creating, performing and evaluation of preventive programmes, especially if focused on behaviour change.
Teaching Biology with Extended Analogies
Authors: Gardner Richard D.
Published: July 2016

All teachers hope that students learn to apply and analyze, rather than simply memorize or parrot back, the teacher's words. One method of encouraging the development of students’ higher-level thinking skills is to give learners practice in identifying appropriate analogies for biological concepts, and in forming their own. Analogies focus on the larger concepts we are trying to teach, rather than specific biological details or actual biological examples. They are fun to practice in class, and this practice prepares students for similar test questions.
Two Serendipities
Authors: Taruskin Richard
Published: July 2016

The purpose of the discussion, which served as keynote at a conference convened under the title “Music and Power,” is to complicate what is often a simplified and overly dichotomized view of that relationship. Two figures, Dmitry Kabalevsky and Tikhon Khrennikov, are singled out for commentary as musicians who wielded political power or conspicuously benefited from it under the Soviet regime. The titular serendipities were occasions through which the author was made unexpectedly aware of the ambiguities and nuances that attended the interactions of music and musicians with the Soviet state.
Dynamics of a Novel Highly Repetitive CACTA Family in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Authors: Gao Dongying , Zhao Dongyan , Abernathy Brian , Iwata-Otsubo Aiko , Herrera-Estrella Alfredo , Jiang Ning , Jackson Scott A
Published: August 2016

Transposons are ubiquitous genomic components that play pivotal roles in plant gene and genome evolution. We analyzed two genome sequences of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and identified a new CACTA transposon family named pvCACTA1. The family is extremely abundant, as more than 12,000 pvCACTA1 elements were found. To our knowledge, this is the most abundant CACTA family reported thus far. The computational and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses indicated that the pvCACTA1 elements were concentrated in terminal regions of chromosomes and frequently generated AT-rich 3 bp target site duplications (TSD, WWW, W is A or T). Comparative analysis of the common bean genomes from two domesticated genetic pools revealed that new insertions or excisions of pvCACTA1 elements occurred after the divergence of the two common beans, and some of the polymorphic elements likely resulted in variation in gene sequences. pvCACTA1 elements were detected in related species but not outside the Phaseolus genus. We calculated the molecular evolutionary rate of pvCACTA1 transposons using orthologous elements that indicated that most transposition events likely occurred before the divergence of the two gene pools. These results reveal unique features and evolution of this new transposon family in the common bean genome.
Altered Function of the DnaJ Family Cochaperone DNJ-17 Modulates Locomotor Circuit Activity in a Caenorhabditis elegans Seizure Model
Authors: Takayanagi-Kiya Seika , Jin Yishi
Published: August 2016

The highly conserved cochaperone DnaJ/Hsp40 family proteins are known to interact with molecular chaperone Hsp70, and can regulate many cellular processes including protein folding, translocation, and degradation. In studies of Caenorhabditis elegans locomotion mutants, we identified a gain-of-function (gf) mutation in dnj-17 closely linked to the widely used e156 null allele of C. elegans GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) unc-25. dnj-17 encodes a DnaJ protein orthologous to human DNAJA5. In C. elegansDNJ-17 is a cytosolic protein and is broadly expressed in many tissues. dnj-17(gf) causes a single amino acid substitution in a conserved domain, and behaves as a hypermorphic mutation. The effect of this dnj-17(gf) is most prominent in mutants lacking GABA synaptic transmission. In a seizure model caused by a mutation in the ionotropic acetylcholine receptor acr-2(gf), dnj-17(gf) exacerbates the convulsion phenotype in conjunction with absence of GABA. Null mutants of dnj-17 show mild resistance to aldicarb, while dnj-17(gf) is hypersensitive. These results highlight the importance of DnaJ proteins in regulation of C. elegans locomotor circuit, and provide insights into the in vivo roles of DnaJ proteins in humans.
mCAL: A New Approach for Versatile Multiplex Action of Cas9 Using One sgRNA and Loci Flanked by a Programmed Target Sequence
Authors: Finnigan Gregory C , Thorner Jeremy
Published: August 2016

Genome editing exploiting CRISPR/Cas9 has been adopted widely in academia and in the biotechnology industry to manipulate DNA sequences in diverse organisms. Molecular engineering of Cas9 itself and its guide RNA, and the strategies for using them, have increased efficiency, optimized specificity, reduced inappropriate off-target effects, and introduced modifications for performing other functions (transcriptional regulation, high-resolution imaging, protein recruitment, and high-throughput screening). Moreover, Cas9 has the ability to multiplex, i.e., to act at different genomic targets within the same nucleus. Currently, however, introducing concurrent changes at multiple loci involves: (i) identification of appropriate genomic sites, especially the availability of suitable PAM sequences; (ii) the design, construction, and expression of multiple sgRNA directed against those sites; (iii) potential difficulties in altering essential genes; and (iv) lingering concerns about “off-target” effects. We have devised a new approach that circumvents these drawbacks, as we demonstrate here using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. First, any gene(s) of interest are flanked upstream and downstream with a single unique target sequence that does not normally exist in the genome. Thereafter, expression of one sgRNA and cotransformation with appropriate PCR fragments permits concomitant Cas9-mediated alteration of multiple genes (both essential and nonessential). The system we developed also allows for maintenance of the integrated, inducible Cas9-expression cassette or its simultaneous scarless excision. Our scheme—dubbed mCAL for “Multiplexing of Cas9 at Artificial Loci”—can be applied to any organism in which the CRISPR/Cas9 methodology is currently being utilized. In principle, it can be applied to install synthetic sequences into the genome, to generate genomic libraries, and to program strains or cell lines so that they can be conveniently (and repeatedly) manipulated at multiple loci with extremely high efficiency.
The Drosophila melanogaster Muc68E Mucin Gene Influences Adult Size, Starvation Tolerance, and Cold Recovery
Authors: Reis Micael , Silva Ana C , Vieira Cristina P , Vieira Jorge
Published: August 2016

Mucins have been implicated in many different biological processes, such as protection from mechanical damage, microorganisms, and toxic molecules, as well as providing a luminal scaffold during development. Nevertheless, it is conceivable that mucins have the potential to modulate food absorption as well, and thus contribute to the definition of several important phenotypic traits. Here we show that the Drosophila melanogaster Muc68E gene is 40- to 60-million-yr old, and is present in Drosophila species of the subgenus Sophophora only. The central repeat region of this gene is fast evolving, and shows evidence for repeated expansions/contractions. This and/or frequent gene conversion events lead to the homogenization of its repeats. The amino acid pattern P[ED][ED][ST][ST][ST] is found in the repeat region of Muc68E proteins from all Drosophila species studied, and can occur multiple times within a single conserved repeat block, and thus may have functional significance. Muc68E is a nonessential gene under laboratory conditions, but Muc68E mutant flies are smaller and lighter than controls at birth. However, at 4 d of age, Muc68E mutants are heavier, recover faster from chill-coma, and are more resistant to starvation than control flies, although they have the same percentage of lipids as controls. Mutant flies have enlarged abdominal size 1 d after chill-coma recovery, which is associated with higher lipid content. These results suggest that Muc68E has a role in metabolism modulation, food absorption, and/or feeding patterns in larvae and adults, and under normal and stress conditions. Such biological function is novel for mucin genes.
V. Šerno „Glotoedukologija” – reikšminga edukologijos mokslo srities
Authors: Ramoškienė Aldona
Published: August 2016

Vytauto Šerno dviejų dalių monografijos „Glotoedukologija“ recenzija
Regulation peculiarities of cooperative banking in Poland
Authors: Kania Ewa , Łękawa Zofia
Published: August 2016

The dual nature of cooperative banks is reflected by their formal and institutional solutions. They refer both to banking and to cooperative regulations, especially to those dedicated to relations between the two areas; hence, they result from considering their specialness and consistency.In addition to general cooperative principles which define membership rules in the first place, this paper focuses on codes ruling the coexistence of cooperative banks within a given domain and organizational solution. They include:– collaboration of cooperative banks within a federated structure as forms of association between cooperative (member) banks and the associating bank;– regionalization which defines the framework of coexistence and is combined with the territoriality of operations, or the right to operate in a limited area as independent units with no competition among respective cooperative banks;– subsidiarity which is tightly related to the division of functions between a primary level (cooperative banks) and a higher level (associating banks).This paper aims at identifying to what extent the regulations should be dedicated to cooperative banks or what real impact of cooperative specialness is on legal is solutions. Thus, a diligent examination is necessary to identify those elements of cooperative banking which require dedicated solutions and those which are identical with commercial banking.The solutions are significantly diversified, although there have been attempts to standardize them in some areas following the need to comply with the European standards and regulations, including recommendations issued by the National Union of Cooperative Banks and the European Associations of Cooperative Banks in the EU.
Temperature Management in the Delivery Room and During Neonatal Resuscitation
Authors: Lapcharoensap Wannasiri , Lee Henry C.
Published: August 2016

Hypothermia soon after delivery has been independently associated with increased mortality and other adverse clinical outcomes in newborns. This review describes mechanisms of heat loss, particularly in the vulnerable preterm infant, the significance of thermal regulation, and strategies used to create a delivery room environment that facilitates optimal temperature management. Although quality improvement initiatives have successfully reduced rates of admission hypothermia, more research is needed on whether clinical outcomes are improved with active prevention of hypothermia.
Linear Growth and Child Development in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Malawi
Authors: Prado Elizabeth L. , Abbeddou Souheila , Adu-Afarwuah Seth , Arimond Mary , Ashorn Per , Ashorn Ulla , Brown Kenneth H. , Hess Sonja Y. , Lartey Anna , Maleta Kenneth , Ocansey Eugenia , Ouédraogo Jean-Bosco , Phuka John , Somé Jérôme W. , Vosti Steve A. , Yakes Jimenez Elizabeth , Dewey Kathryn G.
Published: July 2016

OBJECTIVES:

We aimed to produce quantitative estimates of the associations between 4 domains of child development and linear growth during 3 periods: before birth, early infancy, and later infancy. We also aimed to determine whether several factors attenuated these associations.

METHODS:

In 3700 children in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Malawi, growth was measured several times from birth to age 18 months. At 18 months, language, motor, socioemotional, and executive function development were assessed. In Burkina Faso (n = 1111), personal-social development was assessed rather than the latter 2 domains.

RESULTS:

Linear growth was significantly associated with language, motor, and personal-social development but not socioemotional development or executive function. For language, the pooled adjusted estimate of the association with length-for-age z score (LAZ) at 6 months was 0.13 ± 0.02 SD, and with ΔLAZ from 6 to 18 months it was 0.11 ± 0.03 SD. For motor, these estimates were 0.16 ± 0.02 SD and 0.22 ± 0.03 SD, respectively. In 1412 children measured at birth, estimates of the association with LAZ at birth were similar (0.07–0.16 SD for language and 0.09–0.18 SD for motor development). These associations were weaker or absent in certain subsets of children with high levels of developmental stimulation or mothers who received nutritional supplementation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Growth faltering during any period from before birth to 18 months is associated with poor development of language and motor skills. Interventions to provide developmental stimulation or maternal supplementation may protect children who are faltering in growth from poor language and motor development.
Слово мо∂а в русском языке
Authors: Леонтьева Татьяна
Published: July 2016

This paper is intended to analyze the semantics of the word мо∂а ‘fashion’ in Russian and its use in different subsystems (standard language and dialects). The evolution of its meanings is traced in Russian dictionaries. Special attention is paid to the appearance of the meaning ‘custom’, typical only of Russian dialects. Text examples of the word usage fixed in archival records of the dialects and the Russian National Corpus are analyzed. It is shown that the word мо∂а has been used in Russian for three centuries and incorporated into its lexical system. It is evidenced by the diversity of its meanings. In Russian dialects, it has experienced semantic evolution different from the system of its meanings in the standard language. The idea of the model, the standard by which anything is measured and reproduced (clothes are made, preferences of human collectives are formed, human behaviour and the everyday life of people community is organized) is presented most vividly in all of its meanings.
Український фольклор та фольклористика на шпальтах періодичних видань Словаччини
Authors: Лісова Олександра
Published: July 2016

This paper deals with the publication and research of Ukrainian folklore on the pages of Ukrainian periodicals in Slovakia in the period from the mid-40’s of the 19th century to the present time. It presents the basic topics and issues under review as well as the names of the authors. It also reveals the importance of Ukrainian periodicals for the development and preservation of national and cultural identity of the Ukrainian minority in Slovakia.
Polish experience in soil improvement using explosion techniques
Authors: Dembicki E. , Zadroga B.
Published: July 2016

A number of cases of soil improvement in Poland over recent years by use of the explosion method are presented. The improvement work was conducted on cohesionless and cohesive subsoil, on land and in water. The main characteristics of the technique, examples of applications, the scope and methodology of control measurements of efficiency and also advantages and drawbacks of the methods are presented for several different engineering cases.
Soil improvement experiences in Belgium: part I. Overview and dynamic compaction
Authors: Van Impe W. F. , De Cock F. , Van Der Cruyssen J. P. , Maertens J.
Published: July 2016

A lot of advanced soil improvement techniques can be considered as common practice in Belgium. Two types of procedures have reached a very high technological and engineering design level: soil improvement by vibratory compaction and soil improvement by stone columns. Of the former group of techniques, the experiences with resonant compaction are most promising, and a case history in Antwerp is discussed. Comparisons between resonant vibratory compaction efficiency on the one hand and more traditional vibratory compaction, casing driving compaction and stone column compaction on the other hand are made. This first contribution in a series of three gives an overview of the most commonly used soil improvement techniques including the heavy tamping method, in Belgium. In a second part, practice performance and design aspects concerning two more specific soil improvement techniques (vibrocompaction and stone columns) will be discussed. In a third contribution the overview of soil improvement experiences in Belgium will be completed by some case histories.
Possible role of ground improvement measures in mitigating the Chernobyl environmental disaster
Authors: Zhivoderov V. N.
Published: July 2016

This technical note reports on the many deaths and illnesses suffered by geotechnical engineers who worked in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear power station explosion in 1986. It recommends that postaccident geo-environmental protection works should only be undertaken after a site has been made safe by specialist damage control teams. It also recommends that geoenvironmental protection measures should be implemented on all existing and future nuclear projects before waiting for an accident to happen.
Ground improvement engineering – the state of the US practice: part 1. Methods
Authors: Munfakh G. A.
Published: July 2016

The US practice of ground improvement is divided into six main categories: densification, consolidation, reinforcement, chemical treatment, thermal stabilization and biotechnical stabilization. Densification, which applies mainly to granular soils, includes vibrocompaction, dynamic compaction, blasting and compaction grouting. Consolidation is basically achieved through preloading and the use of vertical drains. Soil reinforcement is divided into two groups: those involving compacted fill such as mechanically stabilized backfill systems, and those applied in situ such as soil nailing, element walls, micropiles and stone columns. The chemical treatment methods discussed are those applied at depth such as permeation grouting, jet grouting, deep soil mixing and lime columns. Thermal stabilization is covered through ground freezing and its use in urban construction. Finally, biotechnical stabilization, which is one of the latest developments in the field, is briefly presented. Discussed in the paper are the applications, advantages, limitations, design and construction aspects of each ground improvement method as well as the durability and long-term performance of the improved ground. The use of ground improvement in environmental engineering is briefly highlighted.
Stabilisation of tributyltin-sediment in a harbour in Helsinki
Authors: Havukainen Jorma , Piispanen Ari , Leppänen Mikko
Published: July 2016

In the new Vuosaari harbour in Helsinki, an area of 75 ha tributyltin-contaminated sediment was dredged by accurate techniques and mass-stabilised in lagoons with cement. The task was completed in December 2006. The quality control and the quality assurance procedure was based on control of the hydraulic conductivity and shear strength. The settlements under the preloading phase were also carefully observed. The quality observing concept was considered together by the project owner, the geotechnical consultant and the contractor and approved by the environmental authorities. The preloading and the hardening time increased the strength significantly. The target values of the strength and the hydraulic conductivity were achieved throughout. After the removal of the preloading the stabilised layer was covered with drainage and surface layers, and with a top asphalt layer. The mass stabilisation method proved to be an environmentally and geotechnically safe application for the production of structural fill.
Summer 2011
Authors: Lal Hamish
Published: August 2016

I am delighted to welcome readers to the very first issue of ICE Construction Law Quarterly. This publication is deliberately different and is written for practitioners for whom law is not the primary practice yet who need to understand and remain up to date with contracts, procurement law, claims and, indeed, dispute resolution.
Spring 2014
Authors: Lal Hamish
Published: August 2016

The emphasis in this issue is on two important areas: (a) bonds, guarantees and collateral warranties, and (b) the dangers for consultants when agreeing to do work or provide services. Performance bonds, parent company guarantees and collateral warranties become especially important where, for example, the main contractor becomes insolvent, and so it is no surprise to see that the High Court has looked at the question of whether a bond and/or collateral warranty must be provided by an insolvent contractor in circumstances where the building contract has already been terminated. We also look at Wuhan Guoyu Logistics Group Co Ltd & Anor v. Emporiki Bank of Greece SA, which provides a short textbook-type summary on how on-demand bonds are intended to work in practice.

Farrer (Practising As Farrer Huxley Associates) & Anor v. Wiles is a Court of Appeal case dealing with circumstances when a professional agrees to act outside of his or her competence. The Court of Appeal decision in Harrison & Ors v. Technical Sign Company Ltd & Ors illustrates the importance of being clear on the scope of services being provided and for whose benefit such services are being provided. It also serves as an important warning when providing advice and assistance on an informal or ad hoc basis. Readers will draw their own conclusions when reading the facts in these cases but the warnings are tangible and indelible.

What should happen to a party which, when invited by its opponent to take part in a mediation, simply declines to respond to the invitation in any way? This was the very question answered by the Court of Appeal in PGF II SA v. OMFS Company 1 Ltd. Readers are encouraged to keep a copy of this case to hand, not least because the principles articulated in it are likely to be useful when dealing with mediation procedure. Finally, we have chosen to report a case dealing with adjudication – Twintec Ltd v Volkerfitzpatrick Ltd – because it sought to open up novel and innovative arguments to stop an adjudication that had been commenced in circumstances where litigation was also in progress.

I should like to end this Editorial with a plea. Please do write and let me have your candid feedback and, indeed, please also feel free to contribute news or items that ought to reach a wider audience. The success of ICE Construction Law Quarterly is derivative to its readers, so please have a think.
Winter issue 2014
Authors: Lal Hamish
Published: August 2016

In this, the last issue of 2014, we look at one of the most talked about cases in 2014, Eurocom Ltd v. Siemens Plc, dealing with a previously unseen challenge to an adjudicator’s decision based upon defects in the nomination process caused by a practice whereby referring parties will seek to influence the adjudicator nominating body by ‘inventing’ conflicts of interest. The ‘fall out’ from this case is significant, and is likely to lead to changes in the way that nominating bodies now nominate adjudicators. We take a close look at the concept of certification under PFI contracts – which has not ordinarily been considered to be different from orthodox construction contracts, but a recent High Court case has made it clear that an independent certifier is actually restricted to the procedure set out in the contract and limited by what the contract actually requires as ‘pre-conditions’ to completion. In terms of issues that arise in international contracts, we report on a case that looked at the unamended FIDIC dispute adjudication board (DAB) provisions. On the face of the sub-clauses, one says disputes shall be adjudicated, while clause 20.8.1 says that a party can go to court if there is no DAB in place. The judge in Peterborough City Council v. Enterprise Managed Services Ltd dealt with this issue swiftly, holding that ‘[FIDIC] sub-clause 20.8, which is in the same form in all three of the FIDIC Books, probably applies only in cases where the contract provides for a standing DAB, rather than the procedure of appointing an ad hoc DAB after a dispute has arisen.’ I am grateful to David Cornes and Michael Sergeant, who have contributed ‘The strange case of a mediation that was not mediation’ and ‘Variations: different contracts, different solutions’, respectively. It has been my aim for a while to increase the number of articles from external contributors, and I am delighted that we are now making progress. Finally, I hope all our readers had a most enjoyable Christmas…