Ram Epididymitis

What is ram epididymitis? It simply means inflammation of the epididymis. The tail of the epididymis is located at the bottom of each testicle. It’s normally bulb-shaped and the size of a large marble. The main cause of epididymitis in mature rams is the organism Brucella ovis (B. ovis)

The Third wave in globalization theory

This essay examines a proposition made in the literature that there are three waves in globalization theory—the globalist, skeptical, and postskeptical or transformational waves—and argues that this division requires a new look. The essay is a critique of the third of these waves and its relationship with the second wave. Contributors to the third wave not only defend the idea of globalization from criticism by the skeptics but also try to construct a more complex and qualified theory of globalization than provided by first-wave accounts. The argument made here is that third-wave authors come to conclusions that try to defend globalization yet include qualifications that in practice reaffirm skeptical claims. This feature of the literature has been overlooked in debates and the aim of this essay is to revisit the literature and identify as well as discuss this problem. Such a presentation has political implications. Third wavers propose globalist cosmopolitan democracy when the substance of their arguments does more in practice to bolster the skeptical view of politics based on inequality and conflict, nation-states and regional blocs, and alliances of common interest or ideology rather than cosmopolitan global structures

Structural and kinetic basis for heightened immunogenicity of T cell vaccines

Analogue peptides with enhanced binding affinity to major histocompatibility class (MHC) I molecules are currently being used in cancer patients to elicit stronger T cell responses. However, it remains unclear as to how alterations of anchor residues may affect T cell receptor (TCR) recognition. We correlate functional, thermodynamic, and structural parameters of TCR–peptide–MHC binding and demonstrate the effect of anchor residue modifications of the human histocompatibility leukocyte antigens (HLA)–A2 tumor epitope NY–ESO-1157–165–SLLMWITQC on TCR recognition. The crystal structure of the wild-type peptide complexed with a specific TCR shows that TCR binding centers on two prominent, sequential, peptide sidechains, methionine–tryptophan. Cysteine-to-valine substitution at peptide position 9, while optimizing peptide binding to the MHC, repositions the peptide main chain and generates subtly enhanced interactions between the analogue peptide and the TCR. Binding analyses confirm tighter binding of the analogue peptide to HLA–A2 and improved soluble TCR binding. Recognition of analogue peptide stimulates faster polarization of lytic granules to the immunological synapse, reduces dependence on CD8 binding, and induces greater numbers of cross-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocyte to SLLMWITQC. These results provide important insights into heightened immunogenicity of analogue peptides and highlight the importance of incorporating structural data into the process of rational optimization of superagonist peptides for clinical trials

Ambient-pressure endstation of the Versatile Soft X-ray (VerSoX) beamline at Diamond Light Source

The ambient-pressure endstation and branchline of the Versatile Soft X-ray (VerSoX) beamline B07 at Diamond Light Source serves a very diverse user community studying heterogeneous catalysts, pharmaceuticals and biomaterials under realistic conditions, liquids and ices, and novel electronic, photonic and battery materials. The instrument facilitates studies of the near-surface chemical composition, electronic and geometric structure of a variety of samples using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in the photon energy range from 170 eV to 2800 eV. The beamline provides a resolving power hν/Δ(hν) > 5000 at a photon flux > 1010 photons s−1 over most of its energy range. By operating the optical elements in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere, carbon contamination can be almost completely eliminated, which makes the beamline particularly suitable for carbon K-edge NEXAFS. The endstation can be operated at pressures up to 100 mbar, whereby XPS can be routinely performed up to 30 mbar. A selection of typical data demonstrates the capability of the instrument to analyse details of the surface composition of solid samples under ambient-pressure conditions using XPS and NEXAFS. In addition, it offers a convenient way of analysing the gas phase through X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Short XPS spectra can be measured at a time scale of tens of seconds. The shortest data acquisition times for NEXAFS are around 0.5 s per data point

Risk factors for Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) death in a population cohort study from the Western Cape province, South Africa

Risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) death in sub-Saharan Africa and the effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis on COVID-19 outcomes are unknown. We conducted a population cohort study using linked data from adults attending public-sector health facilities in the Western Cape, South Africa. We used Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, sex, location, and comorbidities, to examine the associations between HIV, tuberculosis, and COVID-19 death from 1 March to 9 June 2020 among (1) public-sector “active patients” (≥1 visit in the 3 years before March 2020); (2) laboratory-diagnosed COVID-19 cases; and (3) hospitalized COVID-19 cases. We calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for COVID-19, comparing adults living with and without HIV using modeled population estimates.Among 3 460 932 patients (16% living with HIV), 22 308 were diagnosed with COVID-19, of whom 625 died. COVID19 death was associated with male sex, increasing age, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. HIV was associated with COVID-19 mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70–2.70), with similar risks across strata of viral loads and immunosuppression. Current and previous diagnoses of tuberculosis were associated with COVID-19 death (aHR, 2.70 [95% CI, 1.81–4.04] and 1.51 [95% CI, 1.18–1.93], respectively). The SMR for COVID-19 death associated with HIV was 2.39 (95% CI, 1.96–2.86); population attributable fraction 8.5% (95% CI, 6.1–11.1)

SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL NETWORK OF THE PREGNANT TEENAGER

Abstract not availabl

Docent in het mbo: een dynamisch en veelzijdig beroep

In het mbo zijn tal van rollen en taken die leiden tot een variëteit aan ontwikkelmogelijkheden voor docenten in het mbo. Een dergelijke variëteit is een belangrijke voorwaarde om met energie en passie betrokken te blijven bij de ontwikkeling van studenten. Toch wordt die variëteit nog maar weinig gezien door docenten en aangegrepen om richting te geven aan hun loopbaan. Ook wordt die variëteit nog maar weinig gebruikt voor concreet loopbaanbeleid binnen het HR-beleid van mbo-instellingen. Geïnspireerd door ontwikkelingen in het voortgezet onderwijs hebben de BVMBO en het Kennispunt Opleiden in de School van de MBO Raad gewerkt aan de ontwikkeling van een beroepsbeeld voor de docent mbo. In dat beroepsbeeld worden verschillende rollen en niveaus onderscheiden waarmee een landkaart wordt gecreëerd die gebruikt kan worden voor het maken van loopbaankeuzes door docenten en het ondersteunen hiervan

Beroepsbeeld mbo docent: ontwikkeling van starter tot expert: handvat voor professionele ontwikkeling

Eind maart 2019 lanceerden de beroepsvereniging van mbo-docenten BVMBO en het Platform Samen Opleiden & Professionaliseren van de MBO-Raad gezamenlijk een beroepsbeeld voor de mbo-docent. Het beroepsbeeld laat de verschillende facetten van het beroep zien en de ontwikkelmogelijkheden die daarbinnen te onderscheiden zijn. Het is et beschouwen als een landkaart die handvatten biedt voor loopbaanontwikkeling, loopbaankeuzes en loopbaanbeleid. Voortbouwend op het Beroepsbeeld van de leraar worden in het beroepsbeeld van de docent mbo vier domeinen onderscheiden: het verzorgen van onderwijs voor studenten, het vernieuwing van het beroepsonderwijs, het organiseren van onderwijs, en het leren met en van collega’s. Op elk van die domeinen kunnen leraren zich ontwikkelen van starter tot expert. Dit beroepsbeeld past beter bij de taal en realiteit van het mbo en geeft docenten en leidinggevenden een handvat om het gesprek aan te gaan over professionele ontwikkeling en loopbaanontwikkeling. Dat maakt het voor docenten mogelijk om gedurende langere tijd met passie hun docentschap te kunnen blijven uitoefenen. HvA-lector Marco Snoek heeft de ontwikkeling van dit beroepsbeeld begeleid