A study of hydrolases and their release from trichomonads

The acid hydrolase N-acetyl-Beta-D-glucosaminadase (NAGase) la a high activity lysosomal enzyme in trichomonads. Tritririchomonas foetus (strains F2, KV1 and CA84-2), Trichomonas vaginalis and Trichomonas augusta all contained and released NAGase. Analysis of NAGase using electrophoretic techniques demonstrated in all the Tritririchomonas foetus strains the same four major forms, named NAGase 1-4, whose mobility suggested apparent M,s of 54 000, 89 000, 100 000 and 158 000 respectively. Trichomonas vaginalis and Trichomonas augusta, however, each contained a single form of this enzyme of apparant M,s 138 000 and 107 000 respectively. In all cases the intracellular and extracellular forms of NAGase appeared to be identical. Growth of Tritririchomonas foetus, F2, in the presence of the glycosylation inhibitor, tunicamycin, resulted in an extra NAGase band with higher mobility assumed to be a non-glycosylated but active enzyme form. NAGase 3 mobility was simultaneously diminished. Extra NAGase forms wars also observed after incubating this parasite In serum free media containing the two proteinase inhibitors, leupeptin and Z-Phe-Phe-CHN2, indicating that proteolytic processing may be involved in the production of NAGase forms. NAGase 1, the enzyme with an apparent M, of 54 000, was purified from Tritririchomonas foetus, F2. Preparative Isoelectric focusing was used to separate the four NAGase forms and as the first step in its purification. Total denuturation of NAGase 1 before electrophoresis produced a decrease in mobility from an apparent M, of 54 000 to a doublet of apparent M,s of 68 000 and 70 000. This transformation was found to be complete within 2 min at 50°C but was dependent at this temperature on the presence of both SDS and Beta-mercaptoethanol. This transformation also occured without sample buffer at 100°C and may relate to the breaking of disulphide bridges. Treatment of NAGase 1 with endoglycosidase reduced its apparent M, by 2000, indicating the enzyme to be an N-linked glycoprotein. Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritririchomonas foetus were also found to contain and release acid phosphatase. SDS-PAQE analysis of this hydrolase found one form with an apparent M, of 126 000 In Tritririchomonas foetus, strains F2 and KV1, Trichomonas augusta also had one form of apparent M, 135 000 while Trichomonas vaginalis contained and released two forms with apparent M,s of 155 000 and 160 000. Despite several immunisation attempts purified NAGase 1 was found to be non-antigenic in rabbits and so It was not possible to analyse the release processes In the detail originally proposed. However, although the results have not allowed details of the release mechanisms and physiology, they have confirmed release and provided more Information on the properties of the hydrolases, especially NAGase

Washington State History: The Early Years

The High School Completion Lab setting for Washington State History students, whose pre-project assignment for two hours a day, three days a week, involved reading the selected text, Northwest Heritage by William Scofield, and answering Chapter Questions, met state requirements but seemed unnecessarily sterile. It was hoped that the production of videotaped lessons which could be presented either to groups of H.S. 016 students or to individuals would, if well-made, provide the class with an enriched perspective of Washington State History

Using the Onitor® Track for weight loss : A mixed methods study among overweight and obese women

Funding Information: The authors thank the participants for their engagement with and significant contributions to this study. They also thank Cloudtag? for providing Onitor? Track test units, technical support (for the test unit and app) and comments on this paper. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2019. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

What difference does ("good") HRM make?

The importance of human resources management (HRM) to the success or failure of health system performance has, until recently, been generally overlooked. In recent years it has been increasingly recognised that getting HR policy and management "right" has to be at the core of any sustainable solution to health system performance. In comparison to the evidence base on health care reform-related issues of health system finance and appropriate purchaser/provider incentive structures, there is very limited information on the HRM dimension or its impact. Despite the limited, but growing, evidence base on the impact of HRM on organisational performance in other sectors, there have been relatively few attempts to assess the implications of this evidence for the health sector. This paper examines this broader evidence base on HRM in other sectors and examines some of the underlying issues related to "good" HRM in the health sector. The paper considers how human resource management (HRM) has been defined and evaluated in other sectors. Essentially there are two sub-themes: how have HRM interventions been defined? and how have the effects of these interventions been measured in order to identify which interventions are most effective? In other words, what is "good" HRM? The paper argues that it is not only the organisational context that differentiates the health sector from many other sectors, in terms of HRM. Many of the measures of organisational performance are also unique. "Performance" in the health sector can be fully assessed only by means of indicators that are sector-specific. These can focus on measures of clinical activity or workload (e.g. staff per occupied bed, or patient acuity measures), on measures of output (e.g. number of patients treated) or, less frequently, on measures of outcome (e.g. mortality rates or rate of post-surgery complications). The paper also stresses the need for a "fit" between the HRM approach and the organisational characteristics, context and priorities, and for recognition that so-called "bundles" of linked and coordinated HRM interventions will be more likely to achieve sustained improvements in organisational performance than single or uncoordinated interventions

Bridging the Research-Practice Gap in Requirements Engineering through Effective Teaching and Peer Learning

In this paper, we introduce the concept of the research practice gap as it is perceived in the field of software requirements engineering. An analysis of this gap has shown that two key causes for the research-practice gap are lack of effective communication and the relatively light coverage of requirements engineering material in University programmes. We discuss the design and delivery of a Masters course in Software Requirements Engineering (SRE) that is designed to overcome some of the issues that have caused the research-practice gap. By encouraging students to share their experiences in a peer learning environment, we aim to improve shared understanding between students (many of whom are current industry practitioners) and researchers (including academic staff members) to improve the potential for effective collaborations, whilst simultaneously developing the requirements engineering skill sets of the enrolled students. Feedback from students in the course is discussed and directions for the future development of the curriculum and learning strategies are given.Comment: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG 2009

Swift Neighbors and Persistent Strangers: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation of Trust and Reciprocity in Social Exchange

In four countries, levels of trust and reciprocity in direct-reciprocal exchange are compared with those in network-generalized exchanges among experimentally manipulated groups’ members (neighbors) or random experimental participants (strangers). Results show that cooperation decreases as social distance increases; and, that identical network-generalized exchanges generate different amounts of trusting behavior due solely to manipulated social identity between the actors. This study demonstrates the interaction of culture and social identity on the propensity to trust and reciprocate and also reveals differing relationships between trust and reciprocation in each of the four countries, bringing into question the theoretical relationship between these cooperative behaviors

'20 days protected learning' - students' experiences of an Overseas Nurses Programme - 4 years on: A retrospective survey

Background From September 2005 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced new arrangements for the registration of non-EU overseas nurses which requires all applicants to undertake '20 days of protected learning' time in the UK and for some, a period of supervised practice. A survey was undertaken at Bournemouth University, which offers a '20 days protected learning only' programme, to elicit overseas nurses' demographic details, experiences in completing the programme and their 'final destinations' once registered. Methods An online survey was devised which contained a mixture of tick box and open ended questions which covered demographic details, views on the programme and final destinations This was uploaded to www.SurveyMonkey.com and sent out to nurses who had completed the Overseas Nurses Programme (ONP) with Bournemouth University (n=1050). Quantiative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were coded and analysed using content analysis . Results There were 251 respondents (27.7% response rate). The typical 'profile' of a nurse who responded to the survey was female, aged 25-40 years and had been qualified for more than 5 years with a bachelors degree. The majority came from Australia on a 2 year working holiday visa and the key final destination in the UK, on registration with the NMC, was working for an agency. There were five key findings regarding experience of the programe. Of those surveyed 61.2% did not feel it necessary to undergo an ONP; 71.6% felt that they should be able to complete the programme on-line in their own country; 64.2% that the ONP should only contain information about delivery of healthcare in UK and Legal and professional (NMC) issues; 57% that European nurses should also undergo the same programme and sit an IELTS test; and 68.2% that the programme was too theory orientated; and should have links to practice (21%). Conclusions The NMC set the admissions criteria for entry to the register and Standards for an ONP. The findings of this survey raise issues regarding the percieved value and use of this approach for overseas nurses, and it may be helpful to take this into account when considering future policy

High-Frequency Jet Ventilation During Cryoablation of Small Renal Tumours

AIM: To evaluate the effect of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) in place of standard intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV) on procedure duration, patient radiation dose, complication rates, and outcomes during CT-guided cryoablation of small renal tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred consecutive CT-guided cryoablation procedures to treat small renal tumours under general anaesthesia were evaluated-50 with standard IPPV and 50 after the introduction of HFJV as standard practice. Anaesthesia and procedural times, ionising radiation dose, complications, and 1-month post-treatment outcomes were collected. RESULTS: HFJV was feasible and safe in all cases. Mean procedure time and total anaesthetic time were shorter with HFJV (p = <0.0001). The number of required CT acquisitions (p = 0.0002) and total procedure patient radiation dose (p = 0.0027) were also lower in the HFJV group compared with the IPPV group. There were a total of four complications of Clavien-Dindo classification 3 or above-three in the IPPV group and one in the HFJV group. At 1-month follow-up, two cases (both in the IPPV group) demonstrated subtotal treatment. Both cases were subsequently successfully retreated with cryoablation. CONCLUSION: By reducing target tumour motion during CT-guided renal cryoablation, HFJV can reduce procedure times and exposure to ionising radiation. HFJV provides an important adjunct to complex image-guided interventions, with potential to improve safety and treatment outcomes