Sexual and seasonal dimorphisms in the dermal, dental and ampullary structures of the lesser-spotted catshark, Scyliorhinus canicula

Sexual dimorphisms in head morphology, integument and dentition of some elasmobranch species have been established. These dimorphisms are reportedly linked to reproductive behaviour, whereby male biting during copulation results in a dimorphism in head dimensions and dentition and, as a result, differences in skin thickness. The findings for Scyliorhinus canicula from the Solent support the findings of other authors, whereby adult males were found to possess longer, narrower mouths and a longer head than adult females. Juvenile male catsharks were found to possess a longer mouth than females. No head, mouth or jaw dimorphisms for hatchling catsharks were found. Adult male catsharks were found to possess unicuspid teeth, with large central cusps, in contrast to the pentacuspid form of female and immature catsharks. A sexual dimorphism was found in the tooth row numbers for hatchling and adult catsharks, with hatchling males possessing a greater number of tooth rows than hatchling females on the lower jaw and adult males possessing a greater number of tooth rows than adult females in the upper jaw. Seasonal comparisons were made to ascertain whether morphological changes occurred that could indicate a mating season for the Solent population of S. canicula. Adult head length, mouth length and mouth width were found to be significantly different. Adult males sampled in all seasons possessed a longer mouth than females sampled in all seasons, whilst the lower jaw length was significantly greater for adult males in all seasons compared to adult females. Juvenile female catsharks were found to possess a thicker epidermis than juvenile male catsharks in all seasons of the year, whilst adult females possessed a thicker epidermal layer than adult males, findings not previously reported in this species. Adult females were found to possess a thicker dermal layer in all seasons compared to adult male catsharks. Adult females also possessed wider and longer dermal denticles on the pectoral fins than adult males. Hatchling catsharks had a greater dermal denticle density on both fins indicating the possession of smaller dermal denticles than hatchling females. A sexual dimorphism was found in the Ampullae of Lorenzini with male catsharks possessing a greater number of alveoli than adult females, possibly both an ecological and reproductive adaptation. The seasonal and sexual dimorphisms found in this study do not directly indicate a specific mating season for this species in the Solent.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Visioning For Secondary Palliative Care Service Hubs in Rural Communities: A Qualitative Case Study from British Columbia\u27s Interior

Background: As the populations of many developed nations continue to age at rapid rates it is becomingincreasingly important to enhance palliative care service delivery in order to meet anticipated demand. Rural areasface a number of challenges in doing this, and thus dedicated attention must be given to determining how to bestenhance service delivery in ways that are sensitive to their particular needs. The purposes of this article are todetermine the vision for establishing secondary palliative care service hubs (SPCH) in rural communities throughundertaking a case study, and to ascertain the criteria that need to be considered when siting such hubs.Methods: A rural region of British Columbia, Canada was selected for primary data collection, which took placeover a five-month period in 2008. Formal and informal palliative care providers (n = 31) were interviewed. Apurposeful recruitment strategy was used to maximize occupational and practice diversity. Interviews wereconducted by phone using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim.Data were managed using NVivo8™ software and analyzed thematically, using investigator triangulation tostrengthen interpretation.Results: Four themes emerged from the dataset: (1) main SPCH features; (2) determining a location; (3) valueaddedoutcomes; and (4) key considerations. It was found that participants generally supported implementing aSPCH in the rural region of focus. Several consistent messages emerged, including that: (1) SPCHs must createopportunities for two-way information exchange between specialists and generalists and communities; (2) SPCHsshould diffuse information and ideas throughout the region, thus serving as a locus for education and a means ofenhancing training opportunities; and (3) hubs need not be physical sites in the community (e.g., an office in ahospice or hospital), but may be virtual or take other forms based upon local needs.Conclusion: Visioning innovation in the provision of palliative care service in rural communities can be enhancedby consultation with local providers. Interviews are a means of determining local concerns and priorities. Therewas widespread support for SPCH coupled with some uncertainty about means of implementation

An open-label study into the efficacy and dosing of probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 for the prevention of gram-negative gastric colonisation in ventilated intensive care patients

Twenty-five percent of hospital infections occur in critical care patients. Up to 30% of these develop ventilator associated pneumonia, increasing length of stay, morbidity, mortality and cost. Causative bacteria are predominantly Gram-negative, and with increasing multidrug-resistant strains, we must look towards non-antibiotic strategies in prevention and treatment. Probiotics are one option in this quest; however, efficacy and mechanisms of action are unclear. The randomised controlled trials of probiotics to date, have predominantly used Gram-positive bacteria and varied in their inclusion criteria, sample size and population studied, in addition to formula, dosing and route of administration. These studies have yielded conflicting results, however, there is some evidence that ventilator associated pneumonia can be prevented by probiotic treatment. This thesis demonstrates successful gastric colonisation by probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 in ventilated patients. Trends toward dose-dependent incidence, and time to colonisation were observed, but these were not statistically significant. In the 15 millilitre treatment group, there was a significant reduction in the burden of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria in gastric aspirates after 48 hours. Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 can be safely administered to a selected group of critically ill patients. As a reduction in pathogenic Gram-negative gastric colonisation has been demonstrated, further study is warranted to determine if this leads to a reduction in the incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia

Iowa New Farms Project

Growing the dairy industry in Iowa has taken many facets. The Iowa New Farms Project started 4 years ago with 3 pilot communities, Butler County, Stacyville, and Brooklyn. The first dairy relocated to Butler County and started operation on November 15, 2005. The 350 cow dairy is owned by a former Dutch dairy farmer who immigrated to the United States on an EB-5 visa. Additional dairy farm families are in the process of developing their business plans for a similar move in 2006

Iowa New Farms Project Update

A general description of the Iowa New Farms project was presented in A.S. Leaflet R 2095 in the Animal Industry Report 2006. This is an update of the project. Six dairy farm families have immigrated or moved from other states to Iowa under the New Farms Project. There is one additional dairy that has established an Iowa base, but has done so under an E-2 Visa. All of the others are utilizing the EB-5 Visa and have located in one of the 77 Iowa counties designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. The economic impact of these new dairies is very significant. A Minnesota source estimates total economic impact of a dairy to be $15,000 per cow. That would give an economic impact of$15,000,000 on Iowa’s economy from the first 4 immigrant dairy farm families to establish in Iowa