Methodology of the biological risk classification of animal pathogens in Belgium

The biological hazards posed by micro-organisms have lead to their categorisation into risk groups and the elaboration of classification lists. Current classification systems rely on criteria defined by the World Health Organization, which cover the severity of the disease the micro-organism might cause, its ability to spread and the availability of prophylaxis or efficient treatment. Animal pathogens are classified according to the definitions of the World Organization of Animal Health, which also consider economic aspects of disease. In Europe, classification is often directly linked to containment measures. The Belgian classification system however, only considers the inherent characteristics of the micro-organism, not its use, making the risk classification independent of containment measures. A common classification list for human and animal pathogens has been developed in Belgium using as comprehensive an approach as possible. Evolution of scientific knowledge will demand regular updating of classification lists. This paper describes the Belgian risk classification system and the methodology that was used for its peer-reviewed revision (with a focus on animal pathogens)

Relatively Congruence-free Regular Semigroups

Yu, Wang, Wu and Ye call a semigroup S τ -congruence-free, where τ is an equivalence relation on S, if any congruence ρ on S is either disjoint from τ or contains τ . A congruence-free semigroup is then just an ω-congruence-free semigroup, where ω is the universal relation. They determined the completely regular semigroups that are τ -congruence-free with respect to each of the Green’s relations. The goal of this paper is to extend their results to all regular semigroups. Such a semigroup is J –congruence-free if and only if it is either a semilattice or has a single nontrivial J -class, J, say, and either J is a subsemigroup, in which case it is congruence-free, or otherwise its principal factor is congruence-free. Given the current knowledge of congruence-free regular semigroups, this result is probably best possible. When specialized to completely semisimple semigroups, however, a complete answer is obtained, one that specializes to that of Yu et al. A similar outcome is obtained for L and R. In the case of H, only the completely semisimple case is fully resolved, again specializing to those of Yu et al

Effectiveness of a Natural Family Planning Service Program

Purpose: The aims of this study were to determine and compare extended use-effectiveness of an online nurse-managed fertility education service program among women (and subgroups of women) seeking to avoid pregnancy. Study Design and Methods: This was a 24-month prospective study of a university-based online Web site with 663 nonbreastfeeding women using an online charting system to avoid pregnancy. Participants tracked their fertility online with either cervical mucus monitoring, electronic hormonal fertility monitoring, or both fertility indicators. Unintended pregnancies were validated by professional nurses. Results: Participants had a mean age of 30.4 years (SD = 6.3) and mean 1.7 children (SD = 2.0). Among the 663 nonbreastfeeding participants there were 2 unintended pregnancies per 100 at 24 cycles of correct use and 15 pregnancies at 24 cycles of typical use. However, the 212 women using the electronic fertility monitor had a typical use unintended pregnancy rate of 6 at 24 cycles of use in comparison with the 118 women using cervical mucus monitoring that had a typical use pregnancy rate of 19 at 24 cycles and with the 333 women using both fertility indicators that had a pregnancy rate of 18 at 24 cycles of use. Clinical Implications: Use of the fertility monitor to estimate fertility among nonbreastfeeding women provides the most secure method of avoiding pregnancy

Electronic peer review: a large cohort teaching themselves?

[Abstract]: Electronic peer review can empower lecturers of large courses to produce rapid feedback, promote social interaction and encourage higher order learning for students. But what are the payoffs to educators? Do students recognise the benefits of such a system? Foundation Computing is one of the largest courses at the University of Southern Queensland. A system of electronic submission and peer reviewing with instructor moderation is now being used in this course. This system is innovative and unique and delivers benefits to students, lecturers and the University. This system has been evaluated, proven successful and is being considered for wider use

Extremal \u3cem\u3eH\u3c/em\u3e-Colorings of Graphs with Fixed Minimum Degree

For graphs G and H, a homomorphism from G to H, or H-coloring of G, is a map from the vertices of G to the vertices of H that preserves adjacency. When H is composed of an edge with one looped endvertex, an H-coloring of G corresponds to an independent set in G. Galvin showed that, for sufficiently large n, the complete bipartite graph Κ is the n-vertex graph with minimum degree δ that has the largest number of independent sets. In this article, we begin the project of generalizing this result to arbitrary H. Writing hom(G,H) for the number of H-colorings of G, we show that for fixed H and δ=1 or δ=2, hom(G,H) ≤max[hom(Kσ+1, H)^(n/2σ), hom(Kσ,n-δ, H)] for any n-vertex G with minimum degree δ (for sufficiently large n). We also provide examples of H for which the maximum is achieved by and other H for which the maximum is achieved by hom(Kσ+1, H)^(n/2σ). For δ≥3 (and sufficiently large n), we provide an infinite family of H for which hom(G,H)≤ hom(Kσ,n-δ, H) for any n-vertex G with minimum degree δ. The results generalize to weighted H-colorings

Free Split Bands

We solve the word problem for the free objects in the variety consisting of bands with a semilattice transversal. It follows that every free band can be embedded into a band with a semilattice transversal

Marketing an Established Institutional Repository: Marquette Libraries’ Research Stewardship Survey

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of Marquette University Libraries’ survey measuring faculty knowledge and attitudes about the institution’s repository, for the purposes of creating a marketing plan for the institutional repository (IR). Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a quantitative approach through the use of a survey. Findings Like many other endeavors to measure faculty engagement with the IR, the investigators discovered that faculty knowledge of the IR is not universal. Moreover, the perceived values and motivators for faculty use of the IR were also not surprising, with faculty viewing online dissemination of their work to be the most valuable feature offered by the IR, and furthering their own careers was the prime motivator. The importance of continual and varied methods of marketing is reaffirmed. Originality/value Whereas many articles on faculty recruitment for IRs agree on the importance of marketing, very few suggest specific strategies. The investigators make suggestions for continual and varied marketing methods based on their findings

Seek Ways to Minimize the Mushrooming Alternative Minimum Tax

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is reaching a broader segment of individuals. Yet, many of these taxpayers are not aware of the implications of this tax. Even worse, some of their tax advisors are not as informed as they should be. By identifying items that trigger the individual AMT, taxpayers and their advisors have greater opportunities to develop strategies to avoid the special tax. The AMT is essentially a parallel tax system that involves a separate tax calculation from the regular income tax. The AMT calculation is then compared to the income tax figured under the normal manner. The taxpayer pays the higher of the two amounts. With proper planning, many individuals can avoid or at least reduce their AMT liability. For best results, these individuals should enlist the aid of a tax professional to perform pro forma calculations throughout the year and identify the AMT potential of transactions sufficiently in advance for the taxpayer to plan accordingly. In instances where the AMT-producing transaction is still worthwhile, the taxpayer can take steps to raise the necessary cash to pay the tax