A Metric Inequality for the Thompson and Hilbert Geometries

There are two natural metrics defined on an arbitrary convex cone: Thompson's part metric and Hilbert's projective metric. For both, we establish an inequality giving information about how far the metric is from being non-positively curved.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures. To appear in J. Inequalities Pure Appl. Mat

Evaluation des zoonoses et gestion de populations de chats errants dans 4 unités militaires de Sud-Ouest

Les chats errants posent de nombreux problèmes de salubrité dans nos villes. Leur gestion passe par une meilleure connaissance de la biologie des populations de ces chats, et des principales maladies transmissibles à l'homme et à ses congénères. Deux méthodes de contrôle de ces populations sont envisagées : la stérilisation/relâcher tend à se généraliser, mais les programmes d'éradication sont toujours en vigueur sur le plan légal. Une étude épidémiologique de différentes maladies félines a été menée au niveau militaire. Les résultats montrent un risque de zoonoses. 34% des chats sont atteints de teigne et 37% des chats sont porteurs du germe responsable de la maladie des griffes du chat. 75% des animaux sont infectés par les puces : vecteurs de Bartonella et Rickettsia, deux pathogènes humains. D'autre part, aucun des chats n'est porteur de la leucose féline, le taux d'infection de l'immunodéficience s'établit à 21% et enfin, celui de la péritonite infectieuse féline à 3,4%

Resilience in Nurses: An Integrative Review

Aim To describe nursing research that has been conducted to understand the phenomenon of resilience in nurses. Background Resilience is the ability to bounce back or cope successfully despite adverse circumstances. Nurses deal with modern-day problems that affect their abilities to remain resilient. Nursing administrators/managers need to look for solutions not only to recruit nurses, but to become knowledgeable about how to support and retain nurses. Evaluation A comprehensive search was undertaken for nursing research conducted between 1990 and 2011. Key search terms were nurse, resilience, resiliency and resilient. Whittemore and Knafl\u27s integrative approach was used to conduct the methodological review. Key issues Challenging workplaces, psychological emptiness, diminishing inner balance and a sense of dissonance are contributing factors for resilience. Examples of intrapersonal characteristics include hope, self-efficacy and coping. Cognitive reframing, toughening up, grounding connections, work-life balance and reconciliation are resilience building strategies. Conclusion This review provides information about the concept of resilience. Becoming aware of contributing factors to the need for resilience and successful strategies to build resilience can help in recruiting and retaining nurses. Implications for nursing management Understanding the concept of resilience can assist in providing support and developing programmes to help nurses become and stay resilient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR

Challenges to establish the diagnosis of aspergillosis in non-laboratory animals: looking for alternatives in veterinary medicine and demonstration of feasibility through two concrete examples in penguins and dolphins

Aspergillosis remains difficult to diagnose in animals. Laboratory-based assays are far less developed than those for human medicine, and only few studies have been completed to validate their utility in routine veterinary diagnostics. To overcome the current limitations, veterinarians and researchers have to propose alternative methods including extrapolating from human diagnostic tools and using innovative technology. In the present overview, two specific examples were complementarily addressed in penguins and dolphins to illustrate how is challenging the diagnosis of aspergillosis in animals. Specific focus will be made on the novel application of simple testing in blood based on serological assays or protein electrophoresis and on the new information garnered from metabolomics/proteomics to discover potential new biomarkers. In conclusion, while the diagnostic approach of aspergillosis in veterinary medicine cannot be directly taken from options developed for human medicine, it can certainly serve as inspiration

Judiciarisation des personnes itinérantes à Québec : une géographie des pratiques policières répressives au service de la revitalisation

La question de l’occupation de l’espace public par les populations SDF fait l’objet d’un contrôle policier et d’une judiciarisation de plus en plus importante dans la plupart des villes occidentales. Le déploiement de stratégies de contrôle tient en partie aux mutations des politiques urbaines, aux transformations de la police de proximité mais aussi aux enjeux que soulève la revitalisation urbaine dans le cadre de la compétition mondiale entre les villes. En cherchant toutes à promouvoir leurs richesses, leurs potentialités et leur qualité de vie, elles sont contraintes de réguler et d’invisibiliser la misère de leurs rues. C’est dans ce contexte que nous avons étudié la judiciarisation de l’itinérance dans différentes villes canadiennes. L’objectif de cet article est de montrer comment la géographie des pratiques policières répressives suit largement les stratégies de revitalisation urbaine mises en œuvre, à partir d’une analyse des contraventions émises auprès des populations itinérantes à Québec.The occupation of public spaces by homeless people is increasingly controlled and repressed by public and private police in several Western cities. This penalization of homeless people is in part connected to changes in urban policies, transformations in community policing strategies and practices but also to socio-spatial gentrification issues.. As cities compete to be ever more prosperous, dynamic, attractive and rich, they try to make poverty invisible. Our study on the penalization of homeless people in various Canadian cities fits in this broader context of penalization of poverty and homelessness. The purpose of this paper is to show how the spatialization of police repressive practices are linked to the revitalization of certain neighborhoods in Quebec City by considering where tickets have been issued to homeless people

Discordance in the minimal inhibitory concentrations of ertapenem for Enterobacter cloacae: Vitek 2 system versus Etest and agar dilution methods

Our objective was to compare the ertapenem minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Enterobacter cloacae isolates categorized intermediate or resistant to ertapenem when measured with the Vitek 2 system, with the MICs for these isolates when measured by two methods performed in agar medium: the Etest and agar plate dilution method (APDM). Overall, 50 E. cloacae isolates were included in the study. The mean MIC of ertapenem was 2.92±1.77μg/ml according to the Vitek 2 system, 0.94±0.84μg/ml according to the Etest strips, and 0.93±0.62μg/ml according to the APDM. Furthermore, the MICs determined by the Vitek 2 system were higher than the MICs determined by the two other methods for 96% of strains. Lastly, according to the Etest strips and APDM, 42% of E. cloacae were susceptible to ertapenem. No carbapenemase was identified by the screening method used. Using the Vitek 2 system to determine ertapenem MICs for E. cloacae can have potential consequences in terms of additional carbapenemase-detecting tests and antimicrobial therapy. It would be interesting to determine if the Vitek 2 system is more effective for the detection of carbapenemase producers with low-level carbapenem resistance than the two methods performed in agar medium

Targeting Aspergillus fumigatus Crf Transglycosylases With Neutralizing Antibody Is Relevant but Not Sufficient to Erase Fungal Burden in a Neutropenic Rat Model

Aspergillus fumigatus is an airborne opportunistic fungal pathogen responsible for severe infections. Among them, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis has become a major concern as mortality rates exceed 50% in immunocompromised hosts. In parallel, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis frequently encountered in cystic fibrosis patients, is also a comorbidity factor. Current treatments suffer from high toxicity which prevents their use in weakened subjects, resulting in impaired prognostic. Because of their low toxicity and high specificity, anti-infectious therapeutic antibodies could be a new alternative to conventional therapeutics. In this study, we investigated the potential of Chitin Ring Formation cell wall transglycosylases of A. fumigatus to be therapeutic targets for therapeutic antibodies. We demonstrated that the Crf target was highly conserved, regardless of the pathophysiological context; whereas the CRF1 gene was found to be 100% conserved in 92% of the isolates studied, Crf proteins were expressed in 98% of the strains. In addition, we highlighted the role of Crf proteins in fungal growth, using a deletion mutant for CRF1 gene, for which a growth decrease of 23.6% was observed after 48 h. It was demonstrated that anti-Crf antibodies neutralized the enzymatic activity of recombinant Crf protein, and delayed fungal growth by 12.3% in vitro when added to spores. In a neutropenic rat model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, anti-Crf antibodies elicited a significant recruitment of neutrophils, macrophages and T CD4 lymphocytes but it was not correlated with a decrease of fungal burden in lungs and improvement in survival. Overall, our study highlighted the potential relevance of targeting Crf cell wall protein (CWP) with therapeutic antibodies

Guyanese Women's Experiences of Invisibility in Health Care in England

This article explores the opportunities for strengthening participatory action research (PAR) through an intersectionality framework. In 2015, I completed a Ph.D. study into the lived experiences of migrant Guyanese women, living in England, when seeking diagnoses and treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Group storytelling acted as a lens for the women to talk about how they tried to obtain a diagnosis, in addition to their migratory experiences. Both PAR and intersectionality encourage participant collaboration and community engagement of oppressed groups. The article concludes that the PAR study would have been enhanced by overlaying it with an intersectionality framework. The argument is presented that by doing so the women's accounts in the research study would have been privileged more and activism encouraged in bringing about change to current practices and avoiding perpetuating existing oppressions. The Ph.D. study methodology was based on Koch's interpretation of PAR. In this, PAR is used where the focus is on participation of all stakeholders toward reform and change. It is seen as a social, practical and collaborative process where building relationships with participants is crucial. Intersectionality acknowledges the potential for “black” and other women of color to not remain on the margins but to challenge the traditional biomedical model of health care delivery. Implementing an intersectional approach to the data generation and analysis would have acknowledged power dynamics (i.e., privilege and oppression) and help to identify potential gaps in diabetic provision which are currently invisible or inequitable due to interventions designed to meet the needs of a homogeneous White middle class society

A qualitative study into the perceived barriers of accessing healthcare among a vulnerable population involved with a community centre in Romania

(1) Interview guide for family members, and (2) Interview guide for staff members. (DOCX 103 kb