Enforcing International Law: Implications for an Effective Global Warming Regime

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka den antibakteriella effekten hos ett polyestertyg med tunna invävda koppartrådar. Frågeställningen som skulle besvaras var ifall koppartyget hade en baktericid eller bakteristatisk effekt. Koppartyget är ännu i prototypstadie och om det visar sig ha antibakteriella egenskaper är det tänkt att användas inom klinisk verksamhet för att förhindra bakterietillväxt i sår och andra känsliga lokaler. Koppar är ett essentiellt spårämne, men har också antimikrobiella egenskaper som utövas genom ett brett spektra av mekanismer där skador på cellmembranet är en av de viktigare. Metoderna som användes för att inokulera bakterier på tyget var absorptionsmetoden, där en näringsbuljong innehållande Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 pipetterades på tygproverna, och transfermetoden där tygproverna trycktes mot en agar som racklats med peptonsaltlösning innehållande S. aureus. Totalantalet viabla bakterier per tygprov beräknades efter kort kontakt (<1min) och inkubering (18-24 h vid 37±2°C) genom att räkna viable count. Resultaten efter inkubering visade signifikant skillnad i totalantal bakterier mellan koppartyget och negativ kontroll i tre av fyra försök. Kort kontakt visade tendens till viss antibakteriell effekt. Slutsatsen är att koppartyget skadade och dödade bakterier då de fick inkubera på tyget, medan fler försök behövs för att säkerställa effekten av kort kontakt med koppartyget. The purpose of this study was to test the antibacterial effect of thin copper treads woven into a polyester fabric. The investigation was done by inoculation of Staphylococcus aureus strain ATCC 6538 to the fabric and evaluation of the number of viable cells post exposure by viable count. The issue to be answered was whether the copper fabric had a bactericide or bacteriostatic effect? The fabric is still in prototype stage, and if proven to have antibacterial properties the aim is to use it to prevent bacterial growth in wounds and other vulnerable locations in clinical care. Copper is an essential trace element, but also has antimicrobial properties through a wide range of mechanisms where cell membrane damage is one of the more important. Methods used for inoculation was the absorption method, where a nutrient broth containing S. aureus was pipetted on to the fabric specimens, and the transfer method where the fabric specimens were pressed onto an agar plate that had previously been spread with peptone salt solution containing S. aureus. Total number of bacteria per fabric specimen after short contact (<1 min) and incubation (18-24 h at 37±2°C) was calculated. Incubation showed significant difference in total number of bacteria between the copper fabric and negative control in three of four tests. Short contact showed a tendency of antibacterial effect. The conclusion was that the copper fabric harmed and killed bacteria during incubation but that more records would be needed to be sure about the effects of short contact on bacteria

The repair of flood-damaged property: a critical review of the needs of homeowners

One of the primary reasons why firms fail to meet their customers' needs and expectations is due to their lack of awareness of exactly what those needs and expectations are, i.e. there is a gap between company perceptions of customer expectations and what customers actually expect. With five million people, in two million properties estimated to be living in flood risk areas in England and Wales, flooding and flood damage to property are somewhat inevitable. In fact, the increased frequency of flooding and the growing number of properties being constructed on floodplains suggest that these statistics are set to worsen in future. However, there is inadequate understanding of domestic property occupiers’ needs regarding flood damage reinstatement. Therefore, as part of a wider investigation, a review of those needs and concomitant issues is presented. The severity of the impact of a particular flood event on a household is influenced, in part, by factors that can be classified into two main categories: flood characteristics and the individual household characteristics. An initial assessment classifies homeowners’ needs as: time, utilitarian needs, relations and communication, health and safety, commitment and flexibility, economy and aesthetics. In order for insurers and repairers to offer services that will satisfy their clients, sound knowledge and consideration of the needs and expectations of homeowners is vital

Purification and properties of a HeLa cell enzyme able to remove the 5'- terminal protein from poliovirus RNA

Using a rapid phenol extraction assay, an enzyme was purified from uninfected HeLa cells that can cleave the 5'-terminal protein (VPg) from poliovirus RNA. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts had enzymes with similar behavior. A polypeptide of molecular weight 27,000 was the major one present in the purified preparation. Assuming that this protein is the enzyme, a very low turnover number was calculated for it. The purified enzyme would cleave the tyrosine-phosphate bond linking VPg to poliovirus RNA with minimal degradation of the RNA or of VPg. If the RNA was first treated with proteinase K to degrade VPg, leaving a small peptide on the RNA, this peptide could also be removed by the enzyme. If the RNA was degraded with T1 RNase, leaving VPg attached to a nonanucleotide, the enzyme still would cleave off VPg, although incompletely. If the RNA was degraded completely, leaving either pUp or pU attached to VPg, the enzyme would not remove the nucleotides from the protein. Thus, for the enzyme to be active requires some length of polynucleotide attached to the protein but only a short peptide need be present for the enzyme to act

Does Managerial Training have any impact on the performance of MSE Managers? Empirical evidence from Ghana

Received the best full paper award in the performance management trackAdopting the human capital theory as a lens, this study investigates the impact of managerial training on the performance of the managers of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Ghana. The study uses primary data collected from 506 MSEs who are clients of Financial Non- Governmental Organisations (FNGOs) in the Volta Region of Ghana. Managerial Training (MT) and Performance has been measured on a five-point Likert scale anchored by strongly disagree (1) and strongly agree (5). MT has been measured using 4 main constructs namely, training content, training efficiency, training frequency and training accessibility whilst performance was measured using 12 items. The study controlled for business age, industry category, manager’s educational level and gender. The study shows that managerial training content, efficiency, frequency, and accessibility are statistically significant in explaining performance among MSE managers in Ghana. Secondly, the study also shows that industry category, managers educational level, and business age influences the performance of managers. However, gender is statistically insignificant and does not have any impact on the performance of MSE managers in Ghana. The study, therefore, argues for the delivery of managerial training which is content-rich, efficient, frequent and accessible to MSE managers to develop their managerial capabilities (Fatoki, 2011; Newman et al., 2014)