Developing a Measure of Living Standards for Elders in New Zealand

Author manuscriptNo abstrac

Riverine Carbon Cycling as a Function of Seasonality

Montana has one of the most dynamic climate regimes in all of the United States, with seasonal changes spanning a large range of temperatures.  In Montana, we depend on water originating from snow and glacial melt. These freshwater ecosystems are considered to be some of the most vulnerable to climate change on Earth.  Glacially fed ecosystems are unique habitats for a vast array of life and geochemical processes, including carbon cycling. In order to study carbon cycling in environments vulnerable to change, an interdisciplinary approach including biogeochemical analyses of river DOM production and external allochthonous inputs is necessary to evaluate the impacts of climate change.  The overarching hypothesis for this work is: Seasonal changes in Montana rivers will cause shifts in carbon cycling as ecosystems respond to changes in temperature.  Unlike our initial hypothesis that the amount of sunlight and temperature would play a bigger role in what was happening, the time of the year was much more significant. In Big Sky OC levels in June for the sunny and canopy covered reaches were similar, 1.24 and 1.23 mg C/L, respectively; whereas at the end of July OC in the sunny reach was 0.42 mg C/Land the canopy cover reach was 0.955 mg C/L. The same trend is seen for the urban location in Bozeman. Cell abundance in the reaches followed similar trends, which were not solely based on temperature

Dendritic cells require a systemic type I interferon response to mature and induce CD4+ Th1 immunity with poly IC as adjuvant

Relative to several other toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, we found polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly IC) to be the most effective adjuvant for Th1 CD4+ T cell responses to a dendritic cell (DC)-targeted HIV gag protein vaccine in mice. To identify mechanisms for adjuvant action in the intact animal and the polyclonal T cell repertoire, we found poly IC to be the most effective inducer of type I interferon (IFN), which was produced by DEC-205+ DCs, monocytes, and stromal cells. Antibody blocking or deletion of type I IFN receptor showed that IFN was essential for DC maturation and development of CD4+ immunity. The IFN-AR receptor was directly required for DCs to respond to poly IC. STAT 1 was also essential, in keeping with the type I IFN requirement, but not type II IFN or IL-12 p40. Induction of type I IFN was mda5 dependent, but DCs additionally used TLR3. In bone marrow chimeras, radioresistant and, likely, nonhematopoietic cells were the main source of IFN, but mda5 was required in both marrow-derived and radioresistant host cells for adaptive responses. Therefore, the adjuvant action of poly IC requires a widespread innate type I IFN response that directly links antigen presentation by DCs to adaptive immunity

The Future of Audit

At a time when increased independence requirements for auditors, legal backing for auditing standards, and increased audit documentation requirements have occurred, this book examines key issues in the market for audit services in Australia. It investigates issues including: the understandability of audit and the state of the audit expectations gap; auditors’ business acumen and industry expertise; the auditors’ use of materiality; whether or not the increasingly prescriptive nature of auditing is creating a distraction from the ‘real’ audit task and stifling auditors’ judgement; whether or not CLERP 9 reforms involving audit partner rotation and restrictions on non-audit service provision are efficient and effective and reactions to the increasing scrutiny of auditors and audit firms by regulators. With its thorough coverage of contemporary issues, this book intersperses the authors’ summaries, interpretations and recommendations with the perceptions, expressed in their own words in order to faithfully convey their candid assessments, of users of audit reports, purchasers and suppliers of the audit product, auditing standard setters and regulators of the audit market

Kajian Terhadap Pidana Penjara Sebagai Subsidair Pidana Tambahan Pembayaran Uang Pengganti Dalam Tindak Pidana Korupsi

AbstrakTindak Pidana Korupsi adalah kejahatan yang merugikan keuangan negara. Pemerintah membentuk Undang – Undang No. 20 Tahun 2001 Tentang Perubahan Atas Undang – Undang No. 31 Tahun 1999 tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Korupsi. Didalam undang – undang ini diatur mengenai pidana tambahan yaitu pembayaran uang penggantiuntuk mengembalikan kerugian negara, apabila terdakwa tidak mampu membayar maka diganti dengan pidana penjara. Namun pada kenyataannya pengaturan mengenai dasar pertimbangan Hakim dalam menentukan lama pidana penjara sebagai subsidair pembayaran uang pengganti juga tidak jelas dan detail.Harusdilakukan beberapa perubahan terhadap Undang – Undang tindak pidana korupsi ini agar tercipta suatu keadilan dan kepastian hukum yang seimbang

Kajian Terhadap Pidana Penjara Sebagai Subsidair Pidana Tambahan Pembayaran Uang Pengganti Dalam Tindak Pidana Korupsi

AbstrakTindak Pidana Korupsi adalah kejahatan yang merugikan keuangan negara. Pemerintah membentuk Undang – Undang No. 20 Tahun 2001 Tentang Perubahan Atas Undang – Undang No. 31 Tahun 1999 tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Korupsi. Didalam undang – undang ini diatur mengenai pidana tambahan yaitu pembayaran uang penggantiuntuk mengembalikan kerugian negara, apabila terdakwa tidak mampu membayar maka diganti dengan pidana penjara. Namun pada kenyataannya pengaturan mengenai dasar pertimbangan Hakim dalam menentukan lama pidana penjara sebagai subsidair pembayaran uang pengganti juga tidak jelas dan detail.Harusdilakukan beberapa perubahan terhadap Undang – Undang tindak pidana korupsi ini agar tercipta suatu keadilan dan kepastian hukum yang seimbang

Practical Strategies and Advice for Managing Ethical Concerns in End-of-Life Research

poster abstractProblem/Issue Statement A growing national interest in improving end-of-life care has increased the amount of research involving dying patients and their families. However, questions about how to best balance the pressing need for research with protecting participants trouble both investigators and institutional review boards (IRBs). Furthermore, ethical concerns were identified as a potential barrier to advancing end-of-life science at the 2004 NIH State of the Science Consensus Conference. This NIH-funded study describes ethical concerns and practical strategies for managing ethical challenges in the conduct of end-of-life research. Description of Research Methods: A qualitative, exploratory case study design followed the development of end-of-life research from proposal generation through the review process. Inclusion criteria mirrored those used in the NIH State of the Science Report. Cases were identified through a search of active studies in the NIH RePORT database and an internet search of active research funded by private foundations and institutions. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 34 principal investigators who participated by phone in semistructured interviews and provided document data regarding their experiences with the grant and IRB review processes. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with identifying information removed to protect confidentiality. Relevant document data were extracted and de-identified. Data were analyzed using exploratory qualitative case study methods. Results: The most common ethical concerns about research with end-of-life populations were recruitment strategies, the burden of study procedures, and population vulnerability. Strategies to address these concerns included gathering data about the benefits of research participation, consulting with the IRB and with more experienced researchers, using non-threatening language in the consent and other materials, being flexible in data collection protocols to accommodate participant limitations, creating back-up plans in the event of crisis, partnering with clinicians to ensure prompt attention to symptom reports, and addressing the training and emotional needs of research staff . PIs advise IRBs to seek out expert consultants for end-of-life studies, work collaboratively with investigators, simplify the consent process, and be open to the benefits of research participation for dying patients and their families rather than assuming harm will occur. Conclusion: Investigators use a variety of strategies to manage ethical issues in the conduct of end-oflife research. They advise IRBs to seek out expertise, enhance knowledge of the population, and work collaboratively with investigators. Future research will focus on gathering systematic data regarding the experiences of dying patients and their families with end-of-life research

The Future of Audit

At a time when increased independence requirements for auditors, legal backing for auditing standards, and increased audit documentation requirements have occurred, this book examines key issues in the market for audit services in Australia. It investigates issues including: the understandability of audit and the state of the audit expectations gap; auditors’ business acumen and industry expertise; the auditors’ use of materiality; whether or not the increasingly prescriptive nature of auditing is creating a distraction from the ‘real’ audit task and stifling auditors’ judgement; whether or not CLERP 9 reforms involving audit partner rotation and restrictions on non-audit service provision are efficient and effective and reactions to the increasing scrutiny of auditors and audit firms by regulators. With its thorough coverage of contemporary issues, this book intersperses the authors’ summaries, interpretations and recommendations with the perceptions, expressed in their own words in order to faithfully convey their candid assessments, of users of audit reports, purchasers and suppliers of the audit product, auditing standard setters and regulators of the audit market

Untersuchungen zur katalytischen CO2-Hydrierung in Dreiphasensystemen

Zur Entwicklung eines effizienten Verfahrens zur CO2-Hydierung im Dreiphasensystem erfolgten in dieser Arbeit Untersuchungen zur Optimierung des Katalysatorsystems, zum Screening nach neuen geeigneten Lösungsmitteln und zum Einfluss der Prozessführung. Durch Variieren des Trägersystems und der Präparationsmethode ergaben sich sieben Kupferkatalysatoren, welche sich in ihren Eigenschaften und ihrer katalytischen Aktivität unterschieden. Zudem gelang die Immobilisierung von Kupferkatalysatoren auf Aluminiumoxid und auf Glas. Es wurde eine kontinuierliche Anlage mit Rieselbettreaktor entwickelt und in Betrieb genommen, welche die Durchführung der CO2-Hydrierung in Gasphase und im Dreiphasensystem bei bis zu 90 bar ermöglicht. Im Batchversuch zeigte sich der Einfluss der Lösungsmittel auf die Effizienz des Katalysators. Vielversprechende Lösungsmittel wurden dann zur Methanolsynthese im kontinuierlichen Prozess eingesetzt, um den Einfluss der Prozessbedingungen zu untersuchen