Reviewing the review process : examining decision-making in practice

A national multi-disciplinary audit showed variation in SLT practice on the decision to review pre-school children or place them on waiting lists following initial assessment. Audit evidence suggests some reasons for these differences and contributing factors are illustrated by case history examples. Current health-care policies encourage practitioners to make decision-making transparent to consumers but this process is problematic if there is a lack of evidence to support principled choice. An outline is presented to enable therapists to gather their own evidence for review outcomes in daily practice

Nuclear Surveillance and Degradation of Hypomodified Initiator tRNA\u3csup\u3eMet\u3c/sup\u3e in \u3cem\u3eS. cerevisiae\u3c/em\u3e

The tRNA m1A58 methyltransferase is composed of two subunits encoded by the essential genes TRM6 and TRM61 (formerly GCD10 and GCD14). The trm6-504 mutation results in a defective m1A methyltransferase (Mtase) and a temperature-sensitive growth phenotype that is attributable to the absence of m1A58 and consequential tRNAiMet instability. We used a genetic approach to identify the genes responsible for tRNAiMet degradation in trm6 cells. Three recessive extragenic mutations that suppress trm6-504 mutant phenotypes and restore hypomodified tRNAiMet to near normal levels were identified. The wild-type allele of one suppressor, DIS3/RRP44, encodes a 3′-5′ exoribonuclease and a member of the multisubunit exosome complex. We provide evidence that a functional nuclear exosome is required for the degradation of tRNAiMet lacking m1A58. A second suppressor gene encodes Trf4p, a DNA polymerase (pol σ) with poly(A) polymerase activity. Whereas deletion of TRF4 leads to stabilization of tRNAiMet, overexpression of Trf4p destabilizes the hypomodified tRNAiMet in trm6 cells. The hypomodified, but not wild-type, pre-tRNAiMet accumulates as a polyadenylated species, whose abundance and length distribution both increase upon Trf4p overexpression. These data indicate that a tRNA surveillance pathway exists in yeast that requires Trf4p and the exosome for polyadenylation and degradation of hypomodified pre-tRNAiMet

Development of a Haptic Training Simulation for the Administration of Dental Anaesthesia based upon Accurate Anatomical Data

In the dental curriculum, the initial administration of local anaesthesia injection on live patients is critical and students may experience a high degree of anxiety. Low self-confidence often caused by insufficient knowledge of anatomy has been repeatedly reported as one of the major causes. In this paper, we focus on the development of a haptic training system based upon an accurate anatomical model, which aims to encourage self-paced learning of the practical skills that are required in such procedures and to increase students’ self-confidence. We first present the workflow we have considered to develop an accurate anatomical model of the human head and neck and introduce a Virtual Reality-based application commissioned by NHS Education for Scotland to support the learning of the anatomy in a safe and repeatable manner. Finally, we describe the functionalities of the haptic training system and discuss further developments with regard to existing research outcomes

The revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA): Key design features and significance for global trade and development

The WTO's plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement ("the GPA" or "the Agreement") is an important ongoing success story for the Organization. In March 2012, the GPA Parties completed a comprehensive revision of the Agreement, encompassing both its text and coverage (market access commitments). The revised GPA, the negotiating processes that led to its adoption and coming into force, and the continuing gradual broadening of its membership are of therefore interest for the evolution of the international trading system. The GPA's successful renegotiation, the continuing growth of its membership and its vitality as an instrument of public policy were not achieved through happenstance. The paper discusses a number of specific design features of the GPA that clearly facilitated the successful conclusion of the renegotiation and that, as such, may in the future be relevant to other areas of global trade liberalization. In addition to the Agreement's plurilateral nature, of particular interest are the approach taken with respect to application of the most-favored-nation (MFN) principle in the Agreement; the GPA's continuing strong emphasis on principles of reciprocity in market access concessions; and its approach to special and differential treatment for developing countries, in all of which it differs from approaches that are widely used in other WTO Agreements. Apart from the above, the GPA revision is important for the merging of trade and good governance concerns that it exemplifies. As discussed in the paper, the themes of governance and the sound management of public resources that are treated in the revised Agreement were not afterthoughts to the renegotiation; rather, they permeated the revised text and received focused attention from the Parties in their own right. As well, the GPA has direct implications for investment policy and for domestic economic reforms, and is an important tool of e-commerce. And, the revision has made possible very significant synergies between the GPA and other international instruments and activities in reducing barriers to participation and strengthening governance in public procurement markets. For all these reasons, the revised Agreement is likely to have a wider impact than meets the eye, and well merits the support and attention that it has received from the participating WTO Member governments

Competition policy and poverty reduction: A holistic approach

This paper examines the role of competition law and policy as tools for poverty reduction and development. The authors put forward five related principles, building upon the important work on related issues that has been done by the OECD, the International Competition Network (ICN), UNCTAD and civil society organizations such as CUTS in recent years, in addition to the earlier work done on these topics in the WTO Working Group on the Interaction between Trade and Competition Policy when that body was active from 1997 through 2003. Together, these principles comprise the holistic approach to competition law and policy which is referenced in the title of the paper: * First, the focus of policy makers in using competition policy as tool for poverty reduction should be on approaches that are relatively easy to implement but have a trackrecord of being effective and economically sound. * Second, for competition policy reforms and legislation to be successful, public acceptance and support is critical and must be an essential focus of related initiatives. * Third, to serve as an effective tool of poverty reduction, competition policy needs to address the needs of the citizens of poorer societies in their capacities as producers (and, therefore, as users of extensive input goods and services, including public infrastructure), in addition to their capacities as final consumers/households. * Fourth, it is posited that competition policy is more than just what competition agencies do and includes the full spectrum of measures that governments employ to enhance competition and improve the performance of markets. * Fifth, in order to address the challenges posed by the changing landscape of competition policy worldwide, new forms of international co-operation may need to be considered. The paper then develops the application of these principles with respect to five specific areas in which competition policy can contribute to poverty reduction, namely: (i) the reform of public and business infrastructure sectors, particularly in the context of developing and transition economies; (ii) the complementary roles of competition law enforcement and market liberalization in public procurement markets; (iii) various related dimensions of competition policy as they relate to public health objectives; (iv) the addressing of possible monopsonistic practices in international supply chains that may affect the ability of developing country producers to reap gains from participation in international markets; and (v) measures to address the enduring problem of international cartels which, despite an impressive record of prosecutions by developed jurisdiction competition agencies over the past decade, continue to impose substantial costs on developing economies. The paper concludes with some observations regarding the future of international cooperation in the competition policy sphere

Asia's Changing Role in World Trade: Prospects for South - South Trade Growth to 2030

Developing Asia's rapid economic growth has been shifting the global economic and industrial centers of gravity away from the North Atlantic, raising the importance of Asia in world trade, and boosting South–South trade. How will trade patterns change over the next 2 decades in the course of economic growth and structural changes in developing Asia and the rest of the world? In particular, what can be expected of developing Asia's intraregional trade and its trade with other developing country regions? This paper addresses these questions by projecting a core baseline for the world economy from 2004 to 2030 and comparing it with alternative scenarios for 2030. We employ the global economywide GTAP model and Version 7.1 of the GTAP database, and assume for the core projection that trade-related policies do not change over the next 2 decades. Alternative scenarios explore (i) slower economic growth rates in the "North", (ii) slower productivity growth in primary sectors, and (iii) various trade policy reforms in developing Asia without and with policy reforms also in the "North" and in South–South trade. Projected impacts on international prices, sectoral shares of regional gross domestic product and trade, "openness" to trade, and welfare gains from trade reforms are highlighted, in addition to their effects on regional shares of global gross domestic product and trade. The paper concludes by drawing out implications for regional and multilateral trade policy

RUNX-mediated growth arrest and senescence are attenuated by diverse mechanisms in cells expressing RUNX1 fusion oncoproteins

RUNX gene over-expression inhibits growth of primary cells but transforms cells with tumor suppressor defects, consistent with reported associations with tumor progression. In contrast, chromosomal translocations involving RUNX1 are detectable in utero, suggesting an initiating role in leukemias. How do cells expressing RUNX1 fusion oncoproteins evade RUNX-mediated growth suppression? Previous studies showed that the TEL-RUNX1 fusion from t(12;21) B-ALLs is unable to induce senescence-like growth arrest (SLGA) in primary fibroblasts while potent activity is displayed by the RUNX1-ETO fusion found in t(8;21) AMLs. We now show that SLGA potential is suppressed in TEL-RUNX1 but reactivated by deletion of the TEL HLH domain or mutation of a key residue (K99R). Attenuation of SLGA activity is also a feature of RUNX1-ETO9a, a minor product of t(8;21) translocations with increased leukemogenicity. Finally, while RUNX1-ETO induces SLGA it also drives a potent senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and promotes the immortalisation of rare cells that escape SLGA. Moreover, the RUNX1-ETO SASP is not strictly linked to growth arrest as it is largely suppressed by RUNX1 and partially activated by RUNX1-ETO9a. These findings underline the heterogeneous nature of premature senescence and the multiple mechanisms by which this failsafe process is subverted in cells expressing RUNX1 oncoproteins

Intermediate reading exercises for use with the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Scaling properties of a low-actuation pressure microfluidic valve

Using basic physical arguments, we present a design and method for the fabrication of microfluidic valves using multilayer soft lithography. These on-off valves have extremely low actuation pressures and can be used to fabricate active functions, such as pumps and mixers in integrated microfluidic chips. We characterized the performance of the valves by measuring both the actuation pressure and flow resistance over a wide range of design parameters, and compared them to both finite element simulations and alternative valve geometries

The relationship between services trade and government procurement commitments: Insights from relevant WTO agreements and recent RTAs

To date, government procurement has been effectively carved out of the main multilateral rules of the WTO system. This paper examines the systemic and other ramifications of this exclusion, from both an economic and a legal point of view. In addition to relevant elements of the WTO Agreements, particularly the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), it derives insights from a large number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) that embody substantive provisions on both government procurement and services trade. An important finding is that, from an economic perspective, general market access commitments with respect to services trade and commitments regarding government procurement of services are complementary and mutually reinforcing. In contrast, from a legal point of view and at the multilateral level, disciplines in the two areas have been "divided up" into two Agreements with different (but complementary) spheres of application: the key provisions regarding the scope of application of the GATS and the GPA make clear that each serves purposes that the other does not. Analysis of corresponding provisions of RTAs broadly supports and extends this finding. In light of the foregoing, a question arises as to possible ways of deepening disciplines in this area. Part 5 sets out, for reflection, several related options: (i) the built-in mandate in the GATS for negotiations on services procurement (Article XIII:2); (ii) "multilateralization" of the GPA; (iii) the reactivation of work in the (currently inactive) WTO Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement; and (iv) the taking up of relevant issues in the context of bilateral or regional negotiations. Overall, we find that each of these possibilities has potential merits, though none is without related challenges