What are we waiting for? [guest editorial]

The clinical education of Australia's aged care nurses can no longer be treated as the Cinderella of nursing's specialities. It is urgent that ways be agreed and measures taken to bring this branch of the profession, and residential aged care nursing in particular, into mainstream health care services. There should be no need to describe again the evolving shape of Australia's demographic profile between now and the middle of this century; and no need to prove here that the ageing bulge is already placing a severe strain on staffmg in the sector. A substantial percentage of the aged care nursing workforce is nearing retirement and the ratio of departures to recruits seems set to worsen at the same time as demand for high quality nursing care escalates. Important indicators - the number of the most highly dependent residents has doubled in the past seven years; compounding co-morbidities are increasingly common and an estimated 60-80% of residents in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) have a dementing illness - reveal the rapidly rising levels of frailty and dependency in the RACF population....

Documents Relating to El Destino and Chemonie Plantations, Middle Florida, 1828-1868. Part I

This series of plantation documents will be continued through several numbers of the QUARTERLY. Taken singly, some of these may seem to be of slight interest and of no value to the recording of Florida’s history; but they have been selected to give a view of plantation life and conditions and practice from as many different directions as possible, and it is believed that together they picture at least an outline of what a typical Middle Florida plantation was before the War. Portions of the journals of the overseers, their letters to the owner, and extracts literatim from the other records of the plantation and its mill will follow: day after day the numbers, and frequently the names, of the hands in the field and at each of numerous and widely different tasks-births and deaths of the slaves, sickness, weather, crops, disasters

An Insightful Study of the Oppression Remedy under South African and Canadian Corporate Law

A new perspective is provided on the South African company law through the comparative analysis of a shareholders’ remedy known as the Oppression Remedy under section 163 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 and section 241 of the Canada Business Corporations Act. Despite the introduction of the new Companies Act 71 of 2008, the statute still remains unclear as to the rights, duties and powers of each individual within a company. In an aim to address this lack of clarity, this thesis takes a “back-to-basics” approach by discussing the fundamental principles of corporate personality and majority rule. This thesis provides a historical analysis of the English company law, its influence on the South African company law as well as the development of Canadian corporate law specifically through section 241. This study analyses the English, South African and Canadian statutes, cases and secondary materials

The impact of low energy proton damage on the operational characteristics of EPIC-MOS CCDs

The University of Tübingen 3.5 MeV Van de Graaf accelerator facility was used to investigate the effect of low energy protons on the performance of the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC), metal–oxide semiconductor (MOS), charge coupled devices (CCDs). Two CCDs were irradiated in different parts of their detecting areas using different proton spectra and dose rates. Iron-55 was the calibration source in all cases and was used to measure any increases in charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) and spectral resolution of the CCDs. Additional changes in the CCD bright pixel table and changes in the low X-ray energy response of the device were examined. The Monte Carlo code Stopping Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) was used to model the effect of a 10 MeV equivalent fluence of protons interacting with the CCD. Since the non-ionising energy loss (NIEL) function could not be applied effectively at such low proton energies. From the 10 MeV values, the expected CTI degradation could be calculated and then compared to the measured CTI changes

Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine Attenuates Cocaine Self-Administration under a Progressive-Ratio Schedule and Cocaine Discrimination in Rats

Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is an alkaloid found in many traditional Chinese herbal preparations and has a unique pharmacological profile that includes dopamine receptor antagonism. Previously we demonstrated that l-THP attenuates fixed-ratio (FR) cocaine self-administration (SA) and cocaine-induced reinstatement in rats at doses that do not alter food-reinforced responding. This study examined the effects of l-THP on cocaine and food SA under progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement and the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine. In adult male Sprague–Dawley rats self-administering cocaine (0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg/inf), l-THP significantly reduced breaking points at the 1.875, 3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg doses. l-THP also reduced the breaking point and response rate for PR SA of sucrose-sweetened food pellets, although the decrease was significant only at the 7.5 mg/kg l-THP dose. In rats trained to discriminate cocaine (10 mg/kg, ip) from saline, l-THP (1.875, 3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg) produced a rightward shift in the dose–response curve for cocaine generalization. During generalization testing, l-THP reduced response rate, but only at the 7.5 mg/kg dose. l-THP also prevented substitution of the dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist, (±) 7-OH-DPAT, for cocaine suggesting a potential role for antagonism of D2 and/or D3 receptors in the effects of l-THP. These data further demonstrate that l-THP attenuates the reinforcing and subjective effects of cocaine at doses that do not produce marked motor effects and provide additional evidence that l-THP may have utility for the management of cocaine addiction

The Association between Soft Drink Consumption and Body Fat in Females age 16 to 24

American soft drink consumption (SDC) has increased since the 1960’s surpassing all other kinds of beverage consumption. In recent years, the scientific literature has suggested that SDC has been linked to the rising epidemic of obesity in children and adolescents. However, there is lack of information in scientific literature on the effects of SDC on body fat (BF%) in young females. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between SDC and BF% in young women, ages 16-24 years. Sixty-six females were asked to complete a 3-day food record, food frequency questionnaire, and an assessment BF% by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Overall, participants consumed 29.44 ± 44.68 fl oz/day of soft drinks. There were significant positive associations between SDC and BF% (r = 0.24, p \u3c 0.05). Due to the large standard deviation in SDC, secondary analysis compared moderate SDC (MSDC: \u3c 32 fl oz/day) to high SDC (HSDC: ≥ 32 fl oz/day). Results suggested HSCD had significantly greater BF% than MSDC. Therefore, limiting the consumption of soft drinks is important in order to maintain a healthy BF%

Validation of Omron™ Pedometers Using MTI Accelerometers for Use with Children

International Journal of Exercise Science 6(2) : 106-113, 2013. The MTI accelerometer is highly regarded as a reliable means to measure physical activity in children (Trost et. al., 1998); however, it is not always a practical instrument to use. Pedometers offer an alternative method of activity measurement and are often more practical. PURPOSE: To validate Omron™ pedometer (steps/day) against MTI accelerometer (counts /day and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) min/day) for children. METHODS: 190 children (88 males, 102 females, 8.7±2.1 yrs, 76.9±27.5 BMI %tile) wore an MTI accelerometer and Omron™ pedometer attached to the same belt for 3.9±2.2 days. MVPA was defined as movement ≥4 METs (Troiano et al., 2008). A Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine validity coefficients between Omron™ steps/day and MTI accelerometer MVPA min/day and counts/day. A stepwise regression was used to predict MVPA using Omron steps/day, sex, and age with 488 days of data. Cross-validation and paired t-tests were used to determine differences from predicted MVPA and actual MVPA. RESULTS: The correlations between Omron™ steps/day with both MTI counts/day and MTI MVPA min/day were r=0.79, p\u3c0.05 and r=0.74, p\u3c0.05 respectively. The model generated from the multiple regression equation accounted for 67% of the variance (r2 = 0.6689, SEE = 24.5) in MVPA, MVPA = 67.99 + 0.0068(steps/day) + -7.531(age in years) + 5.559(sex). CONCLUSION: Our validation correlations between the Omron™ pedometer and MTI accelerometer were acceptable The results indicate that the Omron pedometer can be used to estimate MVPA minutes and could serve as a useful alternative to accelerometry for those with limited resources or in practical situations

Laughing to Keep Human: Disruptions of Racist Logic in African American Humor

This project examines black humorists who challenge the Eurocentric, racist logics delimiting what it means to be human while demarcating blackness as inferior. While many scholars in black humor centralize humor as a means of resistance, a source of comic rage or redress, this project suggests that black humor offers a space to celebrate black humanity as it broadens representations of blackness. By turning to the staged parodies of Frederick Douglass in the 19th century, the stand-up routines of Jackie "Moms" Mabley and Richard Pryor in the 20th century, and the satire of novelist Paul Beatty, the project uses this unlikely assemblage to reveal a lineage of black humor that has effectively and cogently disrupted white supremacist logics while enacting a type of self-actualization of a fuller sense of humanity