Communicating about AIDS-changes in understanding and coping with help of language in urban Kagera, Tanzania

Faced with the problems of HIV/AIDS, people have to find ways to communicate around them. The aim of this paper is to mirror changes over time in the Kagera people\u27s social cognition regarding HIV/AIDS, using their own language as a tracer of this process. Focus group discussions and personal and group interviews conducted during 1992 to 1995 in urban Bukoba, Kagera, constitute the basis for an analysis of metaphorical expressions in use since 1985. Pronounced uncertainty is later transformed into a deeper understanding of the pandemic and an increased disposition to cope with the situation. Knowledge about the socio-linguistic expressions mapped out in this article can be of help when developing guidelines on how to communicate about interventions

Birch establishes anywhere! So, what is there to know about natural regeneration and direct seeding of birch?

We tested three soil scarification approaches of varying intensity (intensive preparation exposing bare mineral soil, medium intensity with a mixture of organic material and mineral soil, and control without site preparation) on six clear-felled sites in two localities in northern and central Sweden between 2018 and 2021. The effect of soil scarification intensity and soil moisture on the occurrence of naturally regenerated birch seedlings was tested one, two and three years after soil scarification, and the density of direct-seeded birch seedlings one year after seeding. In addition, we tested the effect of the annual seed rain, and differences between the two birch species, on the density of direct-seeded seedlings. Soil scarification and its interaction with soil moisture had a significant positive effect on both the occurrence of naturally regenerated birch seedlings and the density of direct-seeded birch seedlings. There was no significant effect of neither annual natural seed rain nor species choice on direct-seeded seedling density. Time since soil scarification had a significant effect on the occurrence of naturally regenerated birch seedlings. In moist soils with high volumetric water content (>= 28%), birch seeds germinate at high rates and seedlings survive without soil scarification. In mesic soils, birch seeds germinate with higher rates after soil scarification. In dry soils, birch seeds rarely germinate regardless of any disturbance of the humus layer

A screening study of relationships among concentrations of algal toxins, PFAS, thiamine deficiency and biomarkers in the European flounder from the southern Baltic Sea

In the disturbed Baltic Sea ecosystem, several animal species display failing health related to exposure to toxic compounds, reduced energy metabolism and immune system disorders. In order to investigate possible associations between fish health and exposure to chemicals affecting the energy metabolism and immune defence, the levels of algal toxins (bromophenols, hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers and nodularin), perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and thiamine (vitamin B1) were determined in European flounder (Platichthys flesus). Several biomarkers indicating health status were examined in the fish, including ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), and activities of glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase and catalase, in addition to a large set of blood variables. The fish were collected from Hanobukten in the south-western parts of the Baltic Sea in late August 2018. Regression analyses of algal toxins, PFAS and thiamine concentration displayed several significant associations with biomarkers associated with detoxification and liver function, immune system function and blood status of the fish. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

One-Year Outcomes Using Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Results of a Prospective and Retrospective Observational Multicentre Study

The Swedish Lucentis Quality Registry is a 12-month, open-label, observational, prospective, and retrospective study of ranibizumab administration for wet AMD. Visual acuity (VA) was measured with Snellen or ETDRS chart in 370 patients (66.8% women; age range 46–93 years). In total, a mean of 4.7 ± 1.6 injections per patient (range 1–10) was given to month 12. Mean VA score was 58.3 ± 12.2 letters before treatment, 63.3 ± 12.5 after 3 injections (Δ4.9 ± 10.1 letters from baseline), and 59.3 ± 16.2 at 12 months (Δ1.0 ± 13.6). VA score from baseline to month 12 was stable in 74.4% of patients, improved by 15 letters/3 lines or more in 14.7%, and decreased by ≥15 letters/3 lines in 10.9% of patients. With a mean of 4.7 ranibizumab injections per patient per year, mean VA was stabilised but not increased. To maintain the initial gain seen after the first three injections, an average of 1.8 ± 1.5 additional injections does not appear to be adequate

A study of methods of evaluating multimedia materials for language learning

There is a long tradition of paper based materials evaluation in ELT, but at this juncture, a scarcity of studies on ELT Multimedia (MM) materials evaluation. Such studies as have been undertaken have tended to adopt the perspective of the materials developer rather than the end user. But there have been no developed studies of evaluation methods which could be adopted by potential users. Despite calls being made for systematic evaluation, not many proposals have been developed, and there has been little exploration of potential best practice, or of the 'goodness of fit' between methods and evaluation puposes. This study aims to investigate evaluation methods in order to establish best practice in the evaluation of multimedia CALL applications, with a focus on learners' experience and opinions, and with the aim of enabling potential teacher-users of CALL materials to gauge the suitability of materials for their learners. Chapter one of this thesis provides a rationale for this study and an overview of the background to this research. Chapter two presents a review of literature undertaken in four domains: educational evaluation and research methods; Human Computer Interaction (HCI) usability evaluation methods; ELT materials evaluation; and studies ofCALL materials in use. Chapter three focuses on the design and conduct of the study by explaining how some methods of evaluation were trialled in a pilot study and four were selected for adoption and analysis in the main study. The methods selected were Foeu.r Groups, Rttrospective Protorolr, PLUM and SUM! Questionnaires and Activity Monitonitg. To determine the qualities and limitations of these methods, a set of criteria was developed from the literature on software usability evaluation methods in HCI and a broader literature on educational evaluation and research methods. The four data study chapters (4-7) each discuss one of the chosen methods and descnbe how the method was ,6perationalised in an evaluation of learner responses to multimedia software. The final chapter draws together the discussion of the findings and presents different proposals for best practice. The focus in the discussion of findings is on how the chosen methods performed according to the set of criteria. The findings confirm that focus groups and questionnaires are quick and efficient methods whereas retrospective protocols and activity monitoring provide more detailed and protracted data. Teacher evaluators can be guided by the objectives of their evaluation to explore different combinations ofthese methods. Participants in the pilot were 12 ESL students from the University of Warwick and in the main study 45 Freshman/sophomore students from a university in Pakistan. The materials used to operationalise methods were the EASE CD-ROMS listening to Lectures and Seminar Skills 1: Presentations. The research contributes to the field in undertaking an in-depth and extensive study of evaluation methods applicable to CALL materials, whi~ adopt a leamer-centred perspective, and conform to sound principles within educational evaluation, yet which draw on practice in the field of HCI, since this expertise is so relevant in the rapid development of multimedia materials for use in ELT. Moreover, by developing the composite set of core criteria this study has created a tool which practitioners in the field can use to select most appropriate methods for their particular evaluation purposes.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Diet and lifestyle of the Sami of southern Lapland in the 1930s-1950s and today

To describe the lifestyle of the Sami of southern Lapland 50 to 70 years ago in relation to the present-day Sami and non-Sami populations and, thereby, to provide a basis for future studies of culturally related determinants of health and illness. A qualitative analysis, and a quantitative comparison of Sami and non-Sami groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 elderly Sami concerning their parents’ lifestyle and diet 50 to 70 years ago. Questionnaire data from 81 reindeer-herding Sami, 226 non-reindeer-herding Sami and 1,842 sex-, age- and geographically matched non-Sami from the population-based Västerbotten Intervention Project were analysed by non-parametric tests and partial least squares methodology. Surprisingly, fatty fish may have been more important than reindeer meat for the Sami of southern Lapland in the 1930s to 1950s, and it is still consumed more frequently by reindeer-herding Sami than nonreindeer-herding Sami and non-Sami. Other dietary characteristics of the historical Sami and present-day reindeer-herding Sami were higher intakes of fat, blood and boiled coffee, and lower intakes of bread, fibre and cultivated vegetables, compared with present-day non-Sami. Physical activity was also a part of the daily life of the Sami to a greater extent in the 1930s to 1950s than today. Sami men often worked far from home, while the women were responsible for fishing, farming, gardening (which was introduced in the 1930–1950 period), as well as housework and childcare. For studies investigating characteristic lifestyle elements of specific ethnic groups, the elements of greatest acknowledged cultural importance today (in this case reindeer meat) may not be of the most objective importance traditionally

Wind and Fisheries: Desktop Study on the Coexistence Between Offshore Wind and Fisheries in Sothern North Sea II

The Norwegian Government has launched a major initiative to promote offshore wind power , in which bottom-fixed wind power will be developed in the Southern North Sea II (SN II) area. There is a low level of fishing activities in this area with varying catch sizes over the years. The activities consist nearly exclusively of bottom trawling of sandeel. The fishing industry has raised concerns about the development of offshore wind farms (OWFs), including risks for collision and hindrance for fishing vessels, negative impacts on fish stocks, and other ecosystem-wide effects. This report has conducted a data study and compiled existing literature on these topics to, based on best available science, assess how OWF development could affect fisheries in SN II, the possibilities for facilitating coexistence for these two industries, and potential synergies. While the development of OWFs in SN II has the potential to bring both positive and negative effects on the fisheries as well as the marine life in the area, the findings suggest that coexistence between the two industries is possible. Potential impacts, including noise, magnetic fields, turbidity, artificial reef and FAD effects, and no-fishing zones, have not been shown to adversely affect populations of commercially important fish at OWF developments in the North Sea. With the ongoing technology shift to larger turbines, the space between each turbine is increasing, which may reduce collision risk. Seafloor cables can also be sufficiently buried to reduce the risk of damage by demersal trawls. Furthermore, most types of passive fishing gear (except for drifting nets) and practices are less problematic to use in an OWF. Should, though, the construction of OWFs in SN II cause restrictions on the fishery activities in the area, it is likely to cause increased fishing in other areas, often referred to in the scientific literature as the displacement effect, indicating that the economic loss will be smaller than the estimated catch values. Notable knowledge gaps are regarding positive and negative long term cumulative impacts and regional effects, impact on primary production and carbon assimilation from changed upper ocean mixing and impact from floating wind farms (not relevant in SN II). We emphasise the importance of early and ongoing input from relevant stakeholders to address concerns and find optimal mitigation measures for minimising the OWF footprint in SN II during the different phases of OWF development.Wind and Fisheries: Desktop Study on the Coexistence Between Offshore Wind and Fisheries in Sothern North Sea IIpublishedVersio

Onsala Space Observatory – IVS Technology Development Center Activities during 2017–2018

We give a brief overview of the technical development related to geodetic VLBI done during 2017 and 2018 at the Onsala Space Observatory

Zinc Binding Catalytic Domain of Human Tankyrase 1

Tankyrases are recently discovered proteins implicated in many important functions in the cell including telomere homeostasis and mitosis. Tankyrase modulates the activity of target proteins through poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, and here we report the structure of the catalytic poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) domain of human tankyrase 1. This is the first structure of a PARP domain from the tankyrase subfamily. The present structure reveals that tankyrases contain a short zinc-binding motif, which has not been predicted. Tankyrase activity contributes to telomere elongation observed in various cancer cells and tankyrase inhibition has been suggested as a potential route for cancer therapy. In comparison with other PARPs, significant structural differences are observed in the regions lining the substratebinding site of tankyrase 1. These findings will be of great value to facilitate structure-based design of selective PARP inhibitors, in general, and tankyrase inhibitors, in particular