A PLANT TRAIT-BASED APPROACH TO EVALUATE THE ABILITY OF NATIVE C\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e AND C\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e GRASSES TO RESTORE FUNCTIONALITY TO A REMNANT BLUEGRASS SAVANNA-WOODLAND IN KENTUCKY, USA.

Temperate Midwestern oak savannas are considered imperiled ecosystems with \u3c 1 % remaining since the time of European settlement and are identified as critical areas for preservation. Restoration of Midwestern oak savannas is challenging due to the lack of accurate historical data, few intact remnants remaining to study, and lack of restoration ecology studies. A plant trait-based approach was used to evaluate the ability of six C3 and three C4 native bunchgrasses to restore functionality to a remnant savanna–woodland of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. The response and effect framework was used to assess the response of the nine native grasses according to the habitat filters of interannual precipitation, inter- vs. intra-specific competition, and simulated grazing. The effect traits associated with plant-soil nitrogen and carbon cycling were also assessed. The response traits of interannual competition and inter- vs. intra-specific competition along with the effect traits plant-soil nitrogen and carbon cycling were measured in a monoculture experiment conducted at Griffith Woods WMA. The simulated grazing or clipping experiment was conducted over three months in a heated greenhouse experiment. Four of the C3 species were of the genus Elymus which had significant differences in life history traits compared to the other species and made them particularly well adapted to the Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland. The Elymus species were not well adapted to the most intense clipping treatment. For the other two C3 species, C. latifolium would be a better competitor than D. clandestinum under normal conditions. D. clandestinum had the most number of plastic traits and was the only species to exhibit all three grazing strategies. Comparing the C4 species, T. flavus and P. anceps grew well in the monoculture but A. virginicus did not. The life history traits of A. virginicus does not make this species a good candidate for restoration at this site. The three C4 species were well adapted to clipping. The results of this study suggest that the C3 species, particularly the Elymus, are well adapted to the eutrophic mesic conditions of the Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland, and that the C4 species are better adapted to disturbance

Where Have All the Leaders Gone? A Holistic Leadership Model for these Uncertain Times

After seeking the wisdom of “sages” about what is needed to be a leader in the changing economy, the themes that emerged were developed into a holistic model that builds on creating an environment where people want to work. It is a process model that emphasizes attributes important for making a living and making a life in these uncertain times

Paranoid atmospheres: Psychiatric knowledge and delusional realities

In this paper I investigate the topic of paranoid atmospheres. This subject is especially of interest with respect to persons who are deluded, and also, I will demonstrate, sheds light upon the psychiatrist's "gaze" and knowledge of delusions. In my argument I will follow a path initially outlined by Karl Jaspers (1883-1969): modern psychiatric diagnosis of delusions is a diagnosis of form and not content. Jaspers' emphasis on the form of delusions enables psychiatrists to be self-critical about their professional knowledge and, consequently, prevent the development of dogmatic attitudes. In accord with Jaspers, my argument will focus on the basic structure of delusions and highlight the difference between delusional realities and non-delusional realities, a difference that follows from the possibility of self-criticism of one's own conscious and explicit convictions. I will demonstrate the importance of self-criticism with regard to paranoid atmospheres and also to psychiatric knowledge. In this manner, an understanding of delusions as lived experience will be developed, which argues that an escalation of the influence of delusional convictions, resulting in a profoundly paranoid atmosphere, is most problematic for the deluded person. To acknowledge this insight mirrors the need for a self-critique of psychiatric discourse, encourages an empathic and respectful relationship between professionals and deluded patients, and enables deluded persons to restrict their paranoid atmosphere. It is the main conclusion of my paper that a deluded person cannot do (with respect to his delusional convictions) what a psychiatrist must do (with respect to his psychiatric knowledge and his own existential convictions) in order to prevent a profoundly paranoid atmosphere in their relationship: be self-critical

Training and Learning Need Analysis Based on Soft and Hard Competences Gap (Case Study in PT. Bank X)

The study aim to analyze employee competency gaps at the branch level and then develop them through training and learning process. The analysis covers the soft and hard competence. The soft competence includes achievement motivation, communication skills, problem solving, teamwork, integrity, accountability and respect to others. The hard competence include marketing management/product selling, risk management, operational management, systematically thinking-cross function, product knowledge, product selling approval process, and working procedure related to his/her job, understanding financial statement of company / business unit and company vision, mission and strategy. To conduct mapping of competence gap it is used competency model through clearly defining for each competency level. The results of the gap analysis will be an input to run training and learning, based on the level of employee competence gaps. In order to implement the study, it is prepared a Training Program Outline (TPO) for each required competencies

Cell mediated immune response dominates in experimental mammary gland Candida krusei infection in immunocompetent and immuno - compromised (nu/nu) mice

Experimental local mammary gland Candida krusei infection in immuno-competent and in congenic athymie nude BALB/c mice over a period of 21 days demonstrated that the immunocompetent mice readily cleared the infection whereas the infection persisted in the athymic mice. The fungal burden, however, was similar in the nude mice and in the immuno-compctcnt mice until day 18 after infection. The ratio Ofinterferony/interleukin-4 (1FN-y/IL-4) concentrations in supernatants from (ZonA stimulated splenocytcs of the infected mice indicated a predominant Th1 response to the C. krusei infection. Stimulated splenocytes of the infected immuno-competent mice synthesised significantly higher concentrations of the two eytokines than did the  splenocytes from the infected nude mice. The present study indicates that local C. krusei infection is associated with a predominant IFN-y-Th1 response although a gradual activation of the Th2 -arm (IL-4) of the immune system may beindicated late in the course of infection

No departure to "Pandora"? Using critical phenomenology to differentiate "naive" from "reflective" experience in psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine (A comment on Schwartz and Wiggins, 2010)

The mind-body problem lies at the heart of the clinical practice of both psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. In their recent publication, Schwartz and Wiggins address the question of how to understand life as central to the mind-body problem. Drawing on their own use of the phenomenological method, we propose that the mind-body problem is not resolved by a general, evocative appeal to an all encompassing life-concept, but rather falters precisely at the insurmountable difference between "natural" and a "reflective" experience built into phenomenological method itself. Drawing on the works of phenomenologically oriented thinkers, we describe life as inherently "teleological" without collapsing life with our subjective perspective, or stepping over our epistemological limits. From the phenomenology it can be demonstrated that the hypothetical teleological qualities are a reflective reconstruction modelled on human behavioural structure

Efficacy of amphotericin B and fluconazole in the murine mycotie (Candida albicans) mastitis model

The majority of animal models in antifungal tests use systemic infection and mortality and survival of infected animals as the experimental end—point. We developed a murine model of localised eandidiasis (murine myeotic mastitis) and assessedits effectiveness through infection with Candida albicans followed by intraperitoneal administration of the antifungal drugs flunazole (FLU) and amphotericin B (AmB). Lactating BALB/cJ mice at day 5 post partum were inoculated (two glands) with a high dose of a human pathogenic C. albicans wild-type strain SC5314. Animals were treated immediately after infection with either FLU or AmB intraperitoneally for 4 days and euthanized by intracardiae exsanguination and cervical dislocation following anaesthesia with a mixture of Ketamine arid Xylazine. One infected gland was fixed in formalin and examined histopathologically and the other was homogenised for quantitative fungal cultures. There were severe changes in the untreated control animals (some animals had systemic candidiasis) compared to the treatment groups which had milder lesions. Fungal burden, determined as log [colony forming units (CFU)/g of mammary gland tissue], was similar in the untreated control group (n = 10) and FLU treated group (n = 6). However, there was significantly lower CFU/g in the mammary glands in AmB treated animals (n : 6) compared to both control and FLU treated animals (p < 0.05). The results indicate that AmB is more effective in prevention of murine mycotic mastitis than FLU and that the murine mycotic mastitis model may be an attractive animal model for antifungal chemotherapy studies

Eine Untersuchung der philosophischen Verständnisweisen der suizidalen Erfahrung in der europäischen Kulturgeschichte

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Orotracheal intubation in infants performed with a stylet versus without a stylet

Background: Neonatal endotracheal intubation is a common and potentially life-saving intervention. It is a mandatory skill for neonatal trainees, but one that is difficult to master and maintain. Intubation opportunities for trainees are decreasing and success rates are subsequently falling. Use of a stylet may aid intubation and improve success. However, the potential for associated harm must be considered. Objectives To compare the benefits and harms of neonatal orotracheal intubation with a stylet versus neonatal orotracheal intubation without a stylet. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE; Embase; the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and previous reviews. We also searched cross-references, contacted expert informants, handsearched journals, and looked at conference proceedings. We searched clinical trials registries for current and recently completed trials. We conducted our most recent search in April 2017. Selection criteria All randomised, quasi–randomised, and cluster-randomised controlled trials comparing use versus non-use of a stylet in neonatal orotracheal intubation. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently assessed results of searches against predetermined criteria for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. We used the standard methods of the Cochrane Collaboration, as documented in the Cochrane Handbook for Systemic Reviews of Interventions, and of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Main results: We included a single-centre non-blinded randomised controlled trial that reported a total of 302 intubation attempts in 232 infants. The median gestational age of enrolled infants was 29 weeks. Paediatric residents and fellows performed the intubations. We judged the study to be at low risk of bias overall. Investigators compared success rates of first-attempt intubation with and without use of a stylet and reported success rates as similar between stylet and no-stylet groups (57% and 53%) (P = 0.47). Success rates did not differ between groups in subgroup analyses by provider level of training and infant weight. Results showed no differences in secondary review outcomes, including duration of intubation, number of attempts, participant instability during the procedure, and local airway trauma. Only 25% of all intubations took less than 30 seconds to perform. Study authors did not report neonatal morbidity nor mortality. We considered the quality of evidence as low on GRADE analysis, given that we identified only one unblinded study. Authors' conclusions: Current available evidence suggests that use of a stylet during neonatal orotracheal intubation does not significantly improve the success rate among paediatric trainees. However, only one brand of stylet and one brand of endotracheal tube have been tested, and researchers performed all intubations on infants in a hospital setting. Therefore, our results cannot be generalised beyond these limitations