Stuck in the slow lane: reconceptualising the links between gender, transport and social exclusion

This article draws upon primary research undertaken with over 3,000 women in the North East of England to explore the links between women, transport and the labour market. The research, funded by the ESF, advances the idea of spatiality as a social construction and builds on seminal studies relating to women and poverty to consider the way in which a gender division of transport constrains women's mobility and restricts their employment opportunities. It is likely to contribute to important debates, concerning strategies to tackle worklessness and the most effective spatial level at which to configure public transport networks

Science results from sixteen years of MRO SHARAD operations

In operation for >16 years to date, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Shallow Radar (SHARAD) sounder has acquired data at its nominal 300–450 m along-track and 3-km cross-track resolution covering >55% of the Martian surface, with nearly 100% overlap in coverage at that scale in the polar regions and in a number of smaller mid-latitude areas. While SHARAD data have opened a new window into understanding the interior structures and properties of Martian ices, volcanics, and sedimentary deposits up to a few kilometers in depth, they have also led to new revelations about the deeper interior and the behavior of the planet’s ionosphere. Here we summarize the data collected by SHARAD over this time period, the methods used in the analysis of that data, and the resulting scientific findings. The polar data are especially rich, revealing complex structures that comprise up to several dozen reflecting interfaces that extend to depths of 3 km, which inform the evolution of Martian climate in the late Amazonian period. SHARAD observations of mid-latitude lobate debris aprons and other glacier-like landforms detect strong basal reflections and low dielectric loss, confirming that they are icerich debris-covered glaciers. In other mid-latitude terrains, SHARAD data demonstrate the presence of widespread ground ices, likely at lower concentrations. SHARAD signals also probe non-icy materials, mapping out stacked lava flows, probing low-density materials thought to be ash-fall deposits, and occasionally penetrating sedimentary deposits, all of which reveal the structures and interior properties diagnostic of emplacement processes. SHARAD signals are impacted by their passage through the Martian ionosphere, revealing variations in time and space of the total electron content linked with the remanent magnetic field. Advanced techniques developed over the course of the mission, which include subband and super-resolution processing, coherent and incoherent summing, and three-dimensional (3D) radar imaging, are enabling new discoveries and extending the utility of the data. For 3D imaging, a cross-track spacing at the nominal 3-km resolution is more than sufficient to achieve good results, but finer spacing of 0.5 km or less significantly improves the spatially interpolated radar images. Recent electromagnetic modeling and a flight test show that SHARAD’s signal-to-noise ratio can be greatly improved with a large (~120◦) roll of the spacecraft to reduce interference with the spacecraft body. Both MRO and SHARAD are in remarkably fine working order, and the teams look forward to many more years in which to pursue improvements in coverage density, temporal variability in the ionosphere, and data quality that promise exciting new discoveries at Mars

Stresul oxidativ în infecţiile de tract urinar la copii

Summary The preoperative and postoperative characteristics of the oxidative stress in children with urinary infections are presented, as well as the complications that can occur as a result of lipids peroxide oxidation. Introducere. Infecţiile tractului urinar reprezintă motivul pentru care copiii frecvent sunt consultaţi de medic. Lucrarea are caracter prospectiv şi analizează copiii cu malformaţii renourinare, asociate cu infecţie de tract urinar. Obiectivele lucrării. Stabilirea rolului radicalilor liberi în fiziopatologia infecţiei de tract urinar la copii, justificarea profilaxiei antioxidante şi reducerea stresului oxidativ la nivelul răspunsului inflamator sistemic. Material şi metode. Grupul de studiu cuprinde 342 copii cu vârstă de la 0 la 18 ani cu infecţie de tract urinar ce a survenit pe fundal de anomalii congenitale (rinichi dublu, rinichi în “potcoavă”, rinichi hipoplaziat, hidronefroză). Lotul martor a cuprins 20 copii practic sănătoşi. Determinarea indicilor proceselor de peroxidare lipidică şi activitatea antioxidantă serică s-a efectuat după metoda standard spectrofotometrică. S-a acceptat ca normă valoarea de 1,43 ± 0,13 un/ml pentru dienele conjugate (DC), 2,80 ± 0,20 mmol/l pentru dialdehida malonică (DAM), 35,20+1,42 % pentru activitatea antioxidantă totală (AAO). Evaluarea indicilor s-a efectuat începând cu internarea pacientului. S-a continuat determinarea lor în dinamică, la intervale de 3-4 zile, la cele 5 etape clinicoevolutive. Tuturor pacienţilor li s-a făcut anestezie generală. Tehnicile chirurgicale au fost individualizate. Rezultate. La copiii cu malformaţii congenitale şi infecţie urinară la toate etapele, inclusiv intra- şi postoperator, s-a constatat prezenţa unui grad de stres oxidativ exprimat prin creşterea peroxidării lipidice şi printr-o scădere a activităţii sistemelor antioxidante enzimatice. Parametrii urmăriţi au fost mai majoraţi la pacienţii cu rinichi dublu, rinichi în “potcoavă”, corespunzător cu martorul DC - 5,50 ± 0,64 un/ml; DAM 7,50 ± 0,41, AAO - 15,10 ± 4,35 % faţă de martor şi au corelat cu modificările gazelor sângelui. S-a constatat un nivel preexistent crescut al peroxidării lipidice serice la internare, preoperator, exprimând un grad de stres oxidativ preexistent intervenţiei chirurgicale. Este de remarcat tendinţa de creştere precoce şi constantă a radicalilor liberi la a 4-a zi postoperator, cu o scădere către ziua a 10-a postoperator, până la valori foarte apropiate de lotul martor. Toţi pacienţii au beneficiat de o strategie sofisticată de apărare antioxidantă cu utilizarea acidului ascorbic, Vit.E, Acidului linoleic, Solcoseril, etc. Concluzii: 1. În baza unei prelucrări statistice, putem conchide: însăşi prezenţa infecţiei urinare în malformaţiile congenitale renale pare să inducă o creştere a peroxidării lipidice sistemice, deci un grad de stres oxidativ. 2. Intervenţia chirurgicală individualizată de urgenţă şi programată în malformaţiile congenitale este însoţită de o creştere a peroxidării lipidice şi induce un stres oxidativ semnificativ. Durata intervenţiei chirurgicale (2-3 ore) pare a fi un factor foarte important de stres oxidativ în contextul sindromului de răspuns inflamator sistemic postagresiv. 3. Modificările constatate în sistemul de peroxidare lipidică ar putea coinstitui un argument în favoarea folosirii acestui marcher ca indicator de prognostic privind riscul dezvoltării comlicaţiilor şi totodată justifică tentativa de profilaxie antioxidantă, în scopul reducerii stresului oxidativ şi deci a nivelului răspunsului inflamator sistemic

Disfuncția neurogenă a vezicii urinare la copii

Summary. The analysis of the investigation results of 499 children with urinary act dysfunction has been presented. In order to assess the detrussor function, retrograde cystometria, urination frequency evaluation and uroflowmetria were performed. On the base of complex investigation was established that hyperreflectory type of neurogenic bladder prevailed. In the treatment there was given preference to complex therapy

Characterization of HIV drug resistance mutations among patients failing first-line antiretroviral therapy from a tertiary referral center in Lusaka, Zambia: Sequence Analysis of HIV DRMs in Lusaka, Zambia

In settings of resource constraint, an understanding of HIV drug resistance can guide antiretroviral therapy (ART) at switch to second-line therapy. To determine the prevalence of such HIV drug resistance mutations (HIV DRM), we used an in-house sequencing assay in the pol gene (protease and partial reverse transcriptase) in a cohort of patients suspected of failing a first-line regimen, which in Zambia comprises two nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Our analysis cohort (n=68) was referred to the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka from November 2009 to October 2012. Median duration on first-line ART to suspected treatment failure was 3.2 years (IQR 1.7–4.7 years). The majority of patients (95%) harbored HIV-1 subtype C virus. Analysis of reverse transcriptase revealed M184V (88%), K103N/S (32%), and Y181C/I/V (41%) DRMs, with the latter conferring reduced susceptibility to the salvage therapy candidates etravirine and rilpivirine. Three patients (5%) had major protease inhibitor (PI) resistance mutations: all three had the V82A mutation, and one patient (Clade J virus) had a concurrent M46I, Q58E, and L76V DRM. HIV-1 genotyping revealed major and minor DRMs as well as high levels of polymorphisms in subtype C isolates from patients failing first-line antiretroviral therapy. Closer monitoring of DRM mutations at first-line failure can inform clinicians about future options for salvage therapy

The radionudeide cystoureterography and uroflowmetry

IMSPIMC, Centrul Naţional Știinţifico-Practic de Chirurgie Pediatrică "Natalia Gheorghiu", Catedra de Chirurgie Pediatrică, Departamentul de urologie pediatrică, Al VI-lea Congres de Urologie, Dializă şi Transplant Renal din Republica Moldova cu participare internaţională (21-23 octombrie 2015)În articol sunt prezentate rezultatele unui studiu privind diagnosticarea refluxului vezico-renal şi aprecierea urodinamicii ureterului refluxant, realizat pe un lot de 42 pacienţi, trataţi în cadrul CNŞP de Chirugie Pediatrică„Natalia Georghiu". Rezultatele studiului au demonstrat că urofloumetria radionudeidă oferă informaţie sumară şi regională privind vezica urinară, uretra posterioară şi anterioară.Summary This article presents the results of a study for diagnosis the renal vesicoureteral reflux and ureteral urodynamics reflux, conducted on a sample of 42 patients treated in the Pediatric Surgery of National Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Surgery "Natalia Gheorghiu". The study results demonstrated that radionuclides uroflowmetry provides summary and regional information about the bladder and the anterior and posterior urethra

Факторы риска и диагностика патологии мочевой системы у детей

The paper gives the current data available in the literature on the risk factors and etiology of various tract diseases in children. Determination of enzyme activity in plasma and urine to evaluate the extent of damage of structural and functional elements of the nephron, specify preferential localization process and judge the prognosis of the disease.Представлены современные данные литературы по вопросам факторов риска и этиологии различных заболеваний мочевой системы у детей. Определение активности ферментов в плазме и моче позволяет оценить степень повреждения структурно-функциональных элементов нефрона, уточнить преимущественную локализацию процесса и судить о прогнозе заболевания

Синдром хронической почечной недостаточности у детей

The authors present a clinical observation of a patient with chronic renal failure, as well as the literature data, regarding pathogenesis of this severe condition.Автор представляет клиническое наблюдение пациента с хронической почечной недостаточностью. Представлен обзор литературы и выдвинутых до сих пор патогенетических гипотез

Is the ‘New Deal for Communities’ a New Deal for Equality? Getting Women on Board in Neighbourhood Governance

Across the EU, neighbourhoods have been the focus for achieving social cohesion and reducing social exclusion. Neighbourhood renewal and community involvement were central themes in the UK Labour government's urban policy. This article focuses on the challenge of community engagement given the heterogeneity of individuals and neighbourhoods. It uses the case study of a New Deal for Communities (NDC) partnership to explore the experiences of different women on an NDC board, including those from minority ethnic groups. The NDC in the case study provides optimism about the possibility of including diverse groups and people in neighbourhood governance, yet too little attention is still given at both national policy and neighbourhood levels to working politically and productively with concepts of ethnicity and gender

Correlations between VIMS and RADAR data over the surface of Titan: Implications for Titan's surface properties

We apply a multivariate statistical method to Titan data acquired by different instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft. We have searched through Cassini/VIMS hyperspectral cubes, selecting those data with convenient viewing geometry and that overlap with Cassini/RADAR scatterometry footprints with a comparable spatial resolution. We look for correlations between the infrared and microwave ranges the two instruments cover. Where found, the normalized backscatter cross-section obtained from the scatterometer measurement, corrected for incidence angle, and the calibrated antenna temperature measured along with the scatterometry echoes, are combined with the infrared reflectances, with estimated errors, to produce an aggregate data set, that we process using a multivariate classification method to identify homogeneous taxonomic units in the multivariate space of the samples.In medium resolution data (from 20 to 100. km/pixel), sampling relatively large portions of the satellite's surface, we find regional geophysical units matching both the major dark and bright features seen in the optical mosaic. Given the VIMS cubes and RADAR scatterometer passes considered in this work, the largest homogeneous type is associated with the dark equatorial basins, showing similar characteristics as each other on the basis of all the considered parameters.On the other hand, the major bright features seen in these data generally do not show the same characteristics as each other. Xanadu, the largest continental feature, is as bright as the other equatorial bright features, while showing the highest backscattering coefficient of the entire satellite. Tsegihi is very bright at 5 μm but it shows a low backscattering coefficient, so it could have a low roughness on a regional scale and/or a different composition. Another well-defined region, located southwest of Xanadu beyond the Tui Regio, seems to be detached from the surrounding terrains, being bright at 2.69, 2.78 and 5 μm but having a low radar brightness. In this way, other units can be found that show correlations or anti-correlations between the scatterometric response and the spectrophotometric behavior, not evident from the optical remote sensing data. © 2010 Elsevier Inc