Dieldrin in fish and shellfish from the Mersey Estuary and Liverpool Bay

OBJECT: The authors studied the reliability of a new method for noninvasive assessment of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in head-injured patients in which mean arterial blood pressure (ABP) and transcranial Doppler middle cerebral artery mean and diastolic flow velocities are measured. METHODS: Cerebral perfusion pressure was estimated (eCPP) over periods of continuous monitoring (20 minutes-2 hours, 421 daily examinations) in 96 head-injured patients (Glasgow Coma Scale score < 13) who were admitted to the intensive care unit. All patients were sedated, paralyzed, and ventilated. The eCPP and the measured CPP (ABP minus intracranial pressure, measured using an intraparenchymal microsensor) were compared. The correlation between eCPP and measured CPP was r=0.73; p < 10(-6). In 71% of the examinations, the estimation error was less than 10 mm Hg and in 84% of the examinations, the error was less than 15 mm Hg. The method had a high positive predictive power (94%) for detecting low CPP (< 60 mm Hg). The eCPP also accurately reflected changes in measured CPP over time (r > 0.8; p < 0.001) in situations such as plateau and B waves of intracranial pressure, arterial hypotension, and refractory intracranial hypertension. A good correlation was found between the average measured CPP and eCPP when day-by-day variability was assessed in a group of 41 patients (r=0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive estimation of CPP by using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography may be of value in situations in which monitoring relative changes in CPP is required without invasive measurement of intracranial pressure.     

Viscous Open Data: The Roles of Intermediaries in an Open Data Ecosystem

Open data have the potential to improve the governance of universities as public institutions. In addition, open data are likely to increase the quality, efficacy and efficiency of the research and analysis of higher education systems by providing a shared empirical base for critical interrogation and reinterpretation. Drawing on research conducted by the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries project, and using an ecosystems approach, this research paper considers the supply, demand and use of open data as well as the roles of intermediaries in the governance of South African public higher education. It shows that government's higher education database is a closed and isolated data source in the data ecosystem; and that the open data that are made available by government is inaccessible and rarely used. In contrast, government data made available by data intermediaries in the ecosystem are being used by key stakeholders. Intermediaries are found to play several important roles in the ecosystem: (i) they increase the accessibility and utility of data; (ii) they may assume the role of a “keystone species” in a data ecosystem; and (iii) they have the potential to democratize the impacts and use of open data. The article concludes that despite poor data provision by government, the public university governance open data ecosystem has evolved because intermediaries in the ecosystem have reduced the viscosity of government data. Further increasing the fluidity of government open data will improve access and ensure the sustainability of open data supply in the ecosystem.     

为保护人类和地球作出贡献

联合国可持续发展目标,诞生于2012年在里约热内卢举行的联合国可持续发展会议,是一系列指导2015-2030年全球发展工作的世界目标,包含17个,可持续发展目标和169个具体目标,涵盖可持续发展的三个维度:经济增长、社会包容和环境保护。     

The HIV-1 Gag Protein Displays Extensive Functional and Structural Roles in Virus Replication and Infectivity

Once merely thought of as the protein responsible for the overall physical nature of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the Gag polyprotein has since been elucidated to have several roles in viral replication and functionality. Over the years, extensive research into the polyproteins’ structure has revealed that Gag can mediate its own trafficking to the plasma membrane, it can interact with several host factors and can even aid in viral genome packaging. Not surprisingly, Gag has also been associated with HIV-1 drug resistance and even treatment failure. Therefore, this review provides an extensive overview of the structural and functional roles of the HIV-1 Gag domains in virion integrity, functionality and infectivity.     

Oxidative Stress and Chemoradiation-Induced Oral Mucositis: A Scoping Review of In Vitro,In Vivo and Clinical Studies

Chemoradiation-induced mucositis is a debilitating condition of the gastrointestinal tract eventuating from antineoplastic treatment. It is believed to occur primarily due to oxidative stress mechanisms, which generate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). The aim of this scoping review was to assess the role of oxidative stress in the development of Oral Mucositis (OM). Studies from the literature, published in MEDLINE and SCOPUS, that evaluated the oxidative stress pathways or antioxidant interventions for OM, were retrieved to elucidate the current understanding of their relationship. Studies failing inclusion criteria were excluded, and those suitable underwent data extraction, using a predefined data extraction table. Eighty-nine articles fulfilled criteria, and these were sub-stratified into models of study (in vitro, in vivo, or clinical) for evaluation. Thirty-five clinical studies evaluated antioxidant interventions on OM’s severity, duration, and pain, amongst other attributes. A number of clinical studies sought to elucidate the protective or therapeutic effects of compounds that had been pre-determined to have antioxidant properties, without directly assessing oxidative stress parameters (these were deemed “indirect evidence”). Forty-seven in vivo studies assessed the capacity of various compounds to prevent OM. Findings were mostly consistent, reporting reduced OM severity associated with a reduction in ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), but higher glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity or expression. Twenty-one in vitro studies assessed potential OM therapeutic interventions. The majority demonstrated successful a reduction in ROS, and in select studies, secondary molecules were assessed to identify the mechanism. In summary, this review highlighted numerous oxidative stress pathways involved in OM pathogenesis, which may inform the development of novel therapeutic targets.     

Thermostat settings in English houses: No evidence of change between 1984 and 2007

Rising demand temperatures are widely blamed for UK home energy use not declining over time despite the increased efficiency of dwelling envelopes and heating technologies. The hypothesis that thermostat settings have risen over time is tested using a repeated cross-sectional social survey of owners of centrally heated English houses. No statistical evidence for changes in reported thermostat settings between 1984 and 2007 is found.     

Effect of deicing solutions on the tensile strength of micro- or nano-modified asphalt mixture

This paper reports on the potential benefits of micro- or nano-sized materials for asphalt mixtures used on pavements, specifically when they are exposed to water or deicing solutions. Asphalt mixtures were prepared with various amount of nanoclay and/or carbon microfiber, and compacted using the Superpave? gyratory compactor. Moisture susceptibility and deicer impacts were assessed by exposing the samples to water or deicing chemicals (NaCl, MgCl₂ and CaCl₂), and seven freeze–thaw cycles, in a modified AASHTO T283 test. Comparisons of micro- or nano-modified asphalt mixtures exposed to deicers are made based on results of indirect tensile strength tests, which preliminarily demonstrate the great potential of using microfibers and nanoclays in asphalt mixture for improved performance. Based on the results, it was found that the addition of nanoclay and carbon microfiber would improve a mixture’s moisture susceptibility performance or decrease the moisture damage potential in most cases. The detailed effects of deicing solutions on the tensile strength of micro- or nano- modified asphalt mixture are discussed in this paper.     

Correction to Kelley and Jouriles (2011).

Reports an error in An introduction to the special section on U.S. Military operations: Effects on military members' partners and children by Michelle L. Kelley and Ernest N. Jouriles (Journal of Family Psychology, 2011[Aug], Vol 25[4], 459-460). An author’s name cited in the text and the reference section was misspelled as Knoblock. The correct reference is Knobloch, L. K., & Theiss, J. A. (2011). Depressive symptoms and mechanisms of relational turbulence as predictors of relationship satisfaction among returning service members. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 470–478. The online versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-17889-001.) The deployment of U.S. military personnel to global hot spots, whether as combatants or as peacekeepers, has increased attention to the psychological well-being of military personnel and their family members. Despite the growing awareness that deployments have reverberating effects on all family members, theoretical explanations and empirical research on the impact of deployment on couple, family, and child adjustment, factors that serve to protect families from the demands of military employment, and effective methods of treating the mental health needs of military families are needed. The seven papers in this section increase our understanding of how the demands of U.S. military operations impact couples, family functioning, parenting, and child psychological adjustment and provide an additional resource for mental health professionals who work with these families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)