An evaluation of the use of electronic monitoring as a condition of bail in Scotland

The aims of the evaluation were to assess the implementation of EM bail in replacing custodial remands, and to conduct a cost analysis of EM bail in contrast to those given custody. The study included the collection of qualitative and quantitative data, matched comparison data and cost analysis. Interviews were conducted with 10 Steering Group members and 45 professionals (comprising the police, social work, procurators fiscal, clerks of court, judges, sheriffs, defence agents, advocates, the electronic monitoring companies and victims' agencies). Interviews with 16 bailees and 15 household members were also undertaken. Quantitative data were collected from various sources, namely: court pro formas, Reliance/Serco databases, court files, social work files, police records, Scottish Criminal Record Office and data provided by the Scottish Executive Justice Statistics Branch, the Scottish Court Service and the Scottish Prison Service. Data from 3 comparison sheriff courts also provided a range of information on accused remanded in custody or bailed with or without conditions in areas outwith the pilot sites to ascertain whether EM bail is being used as a direct alternative to custodial remand and to explore differences in final sentences for the 2 groups

Liver Transcriptome Changes in Zebrafish during Acclimation to Transport-Associated Stress

Liver plays a key role during the stress acclimation, and liver transcriptome analysis of shipped zebrafish could reveal the molecular adjustments that occur in the organ. Transcriptional changes in liver were analyzed with a 44 K oligo array using total RNA from fish prior to transport and during a mock transport process--immediately after packing (0 h), at 48 and 72 h. Large numbers of genes related to a variety of biological processes and pathways were regulated, mainly during transport (at 48/72 h). Immediately after packing, transcripts of genes related to both gluconeogenesis and glycolysis were induced. During transport, induction of gluconeogenesis-linked genes and reduction of glycolysis-related genes may be supporting the increase in blood glucose levels. Inhibition of genes involved in fatty acid beta-oxidation may be pointing to the poor ability of fish to utilize energy from fatty acids, under transport conditions. Genes involved in some of the mechanisms that regulate body ammonia were also affected. Even though genes associated with certain transaminases were inhibited in liver, sustained glutamate deamination may have led to high ammonia accumulation in liver/body. Enhanced levels of gene transcripts in ubiquitination and MAPK signalling cascade and reduced levels of gene transcripts related to ROS generation via peroxisomal enzymes as well as xenobiotic metabolism may be signifying the importance of such cellular and tissue responses to maintain homeostasis. Furthermore, transcripts connected with stress and thyroid hormones were also regulated. Moreover, suppression of genes related to specific immune components may be denoting the deleterious impact of transport on fish health. Thus, this study has revealed the complex molecular adjustments that occur in zebrafish when they are transported

Unmasking microsatellite deceptiveness and debunking hybridization with SNPs in four marine copepod species of Calanus

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Changes in intestinal microbiota, immune- and stress-related transcript levels in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) fed plant ingredient diets intercropped with probiotics or immunostimulants

Author's accepted version (post-print).Available from 04/03/2018.Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a highly valued flatfish that grows well with diets containing plant ingredients but their effects on immune competence is still a matter of debate. The current study aimed to examine changes in innate immune parameters and gut microbiota in Senegalese sole fed with 35% or 72% of plant ingredients with or without probiotic or yeast supplementation. Overall, fish fed diets with 72% of plant ingredients showed lower transcript levels of key immune- and stress-related genes in distal intestine, rectum and head-kidney than the 35% diets. In particular, hsp90b mRNA levels in distal intestine were down-regulated by 70% and 60% with the use of high content of plant ingredients in the diet containing the multispecies probiotic and autolyzed yeast, respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed lower similarity values for distal intestine than rectum. Also fish fed high content of plant ingredients displayed lower similarity values, pointing to a difference in the microbial populations between fish fed different plant ingredients content on the diet. Our data revealed that inclusion of plant ingredients was associated with differences in gene expression and a more diverse microbiota profile but without a significant effect on growth performance. Moreover, probiotic supplementation resulted in up-regulation of hsp90b, gpx, cat and apoa1 transcript levels in distal intestine concomitantly with a growth rate reduction compared to non-supplemented fish

Effects of functional ingredients on gut inflammation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L)

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Towards population genomics in non-model species with large genomes : a case study of the marine zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus

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Genetics redraws pelagic biogeography of Calanus

Planktonic copepods of the genus Calanus play a central role in North Atlantic/Arctic marine food webs. Here, using molecular markers, we redrew the distributional ranges of Calanus species inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and revealed much wider and more broadly overlapping distributions than previously described. The Arctic shelf species, C. glacialis, dominated the zooplankton assemblage of many Norwegian fjords, where only C. finmarchicus has been reported previously. In these fjords, high occurrences of the Arctic species C. hyperboreus were also found. Molecular markers revealed that the most common method of species identification, prosome length, cannot reliably discriminate the species in Norwegian fjords. Differences in degree of genetic differentiation among fjord populations of the two species suggested that C. glacialis is a more permanent resident of the fjords than C. finmarchicus. We found no evidence of hybridization between the species. Our results indicate a critical need for the wider use of molecular markers to reliably identify and discriminate these morphologically similar copepod species, which serve as important indicators of climate responses.publishedVersionPaid Open Acces

Building a Healthcare Alliance for Resourceful Medicine Offensive Against Neoplasms in hematologY added value framework for hematologic malignancies: a comparative analysis of existing tools

OBJECTIVES: The Innovative Medicines Initiative-funded, multistakeholders project Healthcare Alliance for Resourceful Medicine Offensive Against Neoplasms in hematologY (HARMONY) created a task force involving patient organizations, medical associations, pharmaceutical companies, and health technology assessment/regulator agencies' representatives to evaluate the suitability of previously established value frameworks (VFs) for assessing the clinical and societal impact of new interventions for hematologic malignancies (HMs). METHODS: Since the HARMONY stakeholders identified the inclusion of patients' points of view on evaluating VFs as a priority, surveys were conducted with the patient organizations active in HMs and part of the HARMONY network, together with key opinion leaders, pharmaceutical companies, and regulators, to establish which outcomes were important for each HM. Next, to evaluate VFs against the sources of information taken into account (randomized clinical trials, registries, real-world data), structured questionnaires were created and filled by HARMONY health professionals to specify preferred data sources per malignancy. Finally, a framework evaluation module was built to analyze existing clinical VFs (American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society of Medical Oncology, Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale, Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, National Comprehensive Cancer Network Evidence Blocks, and patient-perspective VF). RESULTS: The comparative analysis describes challenges and opportunities for the use of each framework in the context of HMs and drafts possible lines of action for creating or integrating a more specific, patient-focused clinical VF for HMs. CONCLUSIONS: None of the frameworks meets the HARMONY goals for a tool that applies to HMs and assesses in a transparent, reproducible, and systematic way the therapeutic value of innovative health technologies versus available alternatives, taking a patient-centered approach and using real-world evidence