4,327 research outputs found
No Sirve: The Invalidity of Service of Process Abroad by Mail or Private Process Server on Parties in Mexico Under the Hague Service Convention
The "DeMAND" coding scheme: A "common language" for representing and analyzing student discourse
Survey of Terrestrial Invertebrate Species from Byers Cave; Dade County, Georgia
Byers Cave is one of Georgia’s largest cave systems and is inhabited by a wide variety of unique invertebrate organisms that have not been documented or studied. From March 2008 through April 2010, baited ramp pit-fall traps and visual surveys were used to sample and document invertebrate species that live in this cave system. After three trapping periods and four visual surveys, we collected over 4,400 individuals comprising 13 orders, 29 families and 34 species. The majority of these species were troglophiles and trogloxenes; however, there were also numerous troglobitic species present
Standing Without Gravity: the Use of Lower Body Negative Pressure for Research and Reconditioning in Spaceflight
Weightlessness during spaceflight causes cephalad redistribution of intravascular and extravascular fluid, provoking cardiovascular and autonomic nervous system adaptations. The resulting functional state is appropriate for weightlessness but can result in orthostatic hypotension and intolerance during and after return to a persistent acceleration or gravitational environment. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) applies subambient air pressure to the legs and lower abdomen inside a volume sealed at the waist, and decompression by 4050 mmHg reverses the spaceflightinduced cephalad shift. LBNP has been used both to test the state of cardiovascular system during spaceflight and as a countermeasure by all spacefaring nations. Two configurations have thus far been used in spaceflight since the first LBNP flew on the first Soviet Salyut station in 1971. The Soviet and Russian configuration, used in four Salyut stations, the Mir space station and the Russian segment of the International Space Station, has no saddle to support the body so during decompression the feet press against the bottom of the collapsible chamber which shortens and applies force against the feet proportional to the decompression level. Thus, activation of the skeletal musculature partially counteracts vascular and venous pooling in the enclosed body segments, stimulating the orthostatic compensatory mechanisms as they would be standing on Earth. In the American configuration, used aboard Skylab and the Space Shuttle, a saddle supported the astronaut so the feet did not contact the bottom of the chamber, and vascular engorgement was not countered by muscular contraction. This minimized skeletal muscle involvement, unmasked vascular compensatory mechanisms for research purposes, and allowed measurements of changes in leg volume and muscle sympathetic nerve activity. Both variants have demonstrated research and therapeutic value in appropriately designed protocols. LBNP continues to be used for research and countermeasures on ISS, and future versions may explore the value of exercise during LBNP as an integrated countermeasure. This paperwill review the history
and development of LBNP for spaceflight research and therapeutic purposes
First report of anthelmintic resistance in Haemonchus contortus in alpacas in Australia
BACKGROUND: Parasitic nematodes can cause substantial clinical and subclinical problems in alpacas and anthelmintics are regularly used to control parasitic nematodes in alpacas. Although anthelmintic resistance has been reported in ruminants worldwide, very little is known about anthelmintic resistance in alpacas. The present study was carried out to confirm a suspected case of anthelmintic resistance in Haemonchus contortus in alpacas in Australia. METHODS: Post mortem examination of an alpaca was conducted to determine the cause of its death. To confirm a suspected case of macrocyclic lactone (ML) resistance in H. contortus in alpacas, a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was performed using closantel (7.5 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg). Nematode species were identified by morphological and molecular methods. RESULTS: Post mortem examination of a 1-year-old female alpaca that had died following a brief period of lethargy, anorexia and recumbency revealed severe anaemia, hypoproteinaemia and gastric parasitism by adult Haemonchus contortus, despite recent abamectin (0.2 mg/kg) treatment. Based on these findings and the exclusive use of MLs in the herd over the preceding six years, ML resistance in parasitic nematodes of alpacas on this farm was suspected. FECRT revealed that the efficacy of closantel was 99% (95% CI 93-100), whereas that of ivermectin was 35% (95% CI 0-78), indicating that the treatment failure was likely due to the presence of ML-resistant nematodes. Larval culture of faecal samples collected following ivermectin treatment consisted of 99% H. contortus and 1% Cooperia oncophora, a result confirmed using a PCR assay. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first evidence of ML resistance in H. contortus in alpacas in Australia. Based on the extent of anthelmintic resistance in sheep gastrointestinal nematodes in Australia, veterinarians and alpaca owners should be encouraged to implement integrated parasite management strategies to improve nematode control in alpacas
Links between the local trade in natural products, livelihoods and poverty alleviation in a semi-arid region of South Africa
Can the local commercialization of natural products contribute to reduced poverty and vulnerability? Commentary on this issue is mixed, with some observers being quite optimistic, while others hold a counterview. This paper explores the poverty alleviation potential of four products traded in Bushbuckridge, South Africa—traditional brooms, reed mats, woodcraft, and “marula” beer. While key in enhancing the livelihood security of the poorest households, these products were unlikely to provide a route out of poverty for most, although there were exceptions. Incomes often surpassed local wage rates, and some producers obtained returns equivalent to the minimum wage. Non-financial benefits such as the opportunity to work from home were highly rated, and the trade was found to represent a range of livelihood strategies both within and across products
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