Augmenting entry: the possibilities for utilizing geo-referenced information to improve mobile calendar applications

Today's mobile communication devices often offer extensive calendar facilities. However the use of these is often very limited through cumbersome interfaces and inappropriate designs for small devices. Prompted by previous work in mobile calendar usability, this paper discusses how augmentation of calendar entries with mobile spatial information could provide potential advantages and improve the usability of an electronic calendar

Development of indole sulfonamides as cannabinoid receptor negative allosteric modulators

This Letter was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) in 2011Peer reviewedPostprin

Implementation and perceived impact of the SWAN model of end-of-life and bereavement care: a realist evaluation

Objectives To evaluate the End-of-Life and Bereavement Care model (SWAN) from conception to current use. Design A realist evaluation was conducted to understand what works for whom and in what circumstances. The programme theory, derived from a scoping review, comprised: person and family centred care, institutional approaches and infrastructure. Data were collected across three stages (May 2021 to December 2021): semi-structured, online interviews and analysis of routinely collected local and national data. Setting Stage 1: Greater Manchester area of England where the SWAN model was developed and implemented. Stage 2: Midlands. Stage 3: National data. Participants Twenty-three participants were interviewed: Trust SWAN leads, end-of-life care nurses, board members, bereavement services, faith leadership, quality improvement, medicine, nursing, patient transport, mortuary, police and coroners. Results Results from all three stages were integrated within themes, linked to the mechanisms, context and outcomes for the SWAN model. The mechanisms are: SWAN is a values-based model, promoting person/family-centred care and emphasising personhood after death. Key features are: memory-making, normalisation of death and ‘one chance’ to get things right. SWAN is an enablement and empowerment model for all involved. The branding is recognisable and raises the profile of end-of-life and bereavement care. The contextual factors for successful implementation and sustainability include leadership, organisational support, teamwork and integrated working, education and engagement and investment in resources and facilities. The outcomes are perceived to be: a consistent approach to end-of-life and bereavement care; a person/family-centred approach to care; empowered and creative staff; an organisational culture that prioritises end-of-life and bereavement care. Conclusion The SWAN model is agile and has transferred to different settings and circumstances. This realist evaluation revealed the mechanisms of the SWAN model, the contextual factors supporting implementation and perceived outcomes for patients, families, staff and the organisation

The ABC transporter gene family of Caenorhabditis elegans has implications for the evolutionary dynamics of multidrug resistance in eukaryotes

BACKGROUND: Many drugs of natural origin are hydrophobic and can pass through cell membranes. Hydrophobic molecules must be susceptible to active efflux systems if they are to be maintained at lower concentrations in cells than in their environment. Multi-drug resistance (MDR), often mediated by intrinsic membrane proteins that couple energy to drug efflux, provides this function. All eukaryotic genomes encode several gene families capable of encoding MDR functions, among which the ABC transporters are the largest. The number of candidate MDR genes means that study of the drug-resistance properties of an organism cannot be effectively carried out without taking a genomic perspective. RESULTS: We have annotated sequences for all 60 ABC transporters from the Caenorhabditis elegans genome, and performed a phylogenetic analysis of these along with the 49 human, 30 yeast, and 57 fly ABC transporters currently available in GenBank. Classification according to a unified nomenclature is presented. Comparison between genomes reveals much gene duplication and loss, and surprisingly little orthology among analogous genes. Proteins capable of conferring MDR are found in several distinct subfamilies and are likely to have arisen independently multiple times. CONCLUSIONS: ABC transporter evolution fits a pattern expected from a process termed 'dynamic-coherence'. This is an unusual result for such a highly conserved gene family as this one, present in all domains of cellular life. Mechanistically, this may result from the broad substrate specificity of some ABC proteins, which both reduces selection against gene loss, and leads to the facile sorting of functions among paralogs following gene duplication

Prospective seroepidemiological study of human toxocarosis in Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires province, Argentina

The Inhabitants of Villa Nocito neighbourhood in Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, suffers from many basic needs. In earlier studies, the authors have shown that 2.7% of dog feces collected in public places in the area had Toxocara canis eggs. In this paper, T. canis antibody prevalence is studied in sera from 94 local inhabitants of different ages and both sexes. Two ELISA tests were employed -LMD Toxocara Serology and a laboratory-made one. The Immuneblotting Technique (WB) was used as confirmatory test. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher Test and EPIDAT 3.1, 2006 software. Results showed 18% seroprevalence for T. canis. Mean sensitivity of ELISA tests was 96.79% with 86.55% of predictive value of positive result, without any significant differences between the two when compared with WB. No statistical significant risk associations were detected for sex, age, current water use, type of bathroom, contact with animals and earth, journeys, parasitosis history, and presence of special signs or symptomatology. Even though positive serology percentage was higher among those who had cesspit to dispose feces, this fact did not show a statistical significant difference (p: 0,14). Results showed a lower seroprevalence for T. canis than other authors have reported in 1994 and are in agreement with the scarce presence of T. canis eggs in feces of local dogs.Asociación Parasitológica Argentin

Cluster variation - Pade` approximants method for the simple cubic Ising model

The cluster variation - Pade` approximant method is a recently proposed tool, based on the extrapolation of low/high temperature results obtained with the cluster variation method, for the determination of critical parameters in Ising-like models. Here the method is applied to the three-dimensional simple cubic Ising model, and new results, obtained with an 18-site basic cluster, are reported. Other techniques for extracting non-classical critical exponents are also applied and their results compared with those by the cluster variation - Pade` approximant method.Comment: 8 RevTeX pages, 3 PostScript figure

Academics' Experiences in Veterinary Educational Research : Results of an International Survey

Research conducted by the veterinary education community is critical to continual improvement of educational outcomes. Additionally, research productivity is one metric in promotion and tenure decisions. We sought to identify challenges encountered or anticipated when undertaking or planning veterinary educational research (VER), to learn how these challenges might be overcome, and to synthesize tips for success from those who have performed VER. A branching survey was developed and deployed along the authors' worldwide veterinary education contacts in a cascading manner. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative information from participants who had performed VER and those who planned to perform VER in the future. The 258 participants represented 41 countries. Of the participants, 204 had performed VER (79%) and 54 planned to in the future (21%). The median time spent teaching was 14 years, and median time performing VER was 5 years. The most commonly reported challenges in performing VER were lack of funding, lack of time, and difficulties encountered when undertaking a study, including data collection, analysis, and publishing. When asked about overcoming the challenges, a major theme emerged around people, who provided expertise and mentoring. The most commonly reported tip for success was collaboration; 73% of experienced researchers reported people as most helpful upon beginning VER. Collaborators provided diverse help with ideas, study design, statistics, and other aspects. These results suggest that institutions can offer support to academics in the form of small grants, protected research time, writing workshops, and mentorship to assist with the production of meaningful VER.Peer reviewe

Psychological therapies for the prevention of migraine in adults [Protocol]

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess beneficial and adverse effects of psychological treatment versus active alternative treatment or no treatment in adults with migraine, using methods that allow comparison with reviews of psychological interventions for other painful conditions