296 research outputs found
Small farming in Grenada: an investigation of its nature and structure
Throughout much of the developing world peasant agriculture represents a millstone around the neck of economic development. This study
considers the problem as it is represented by small farming on the
Caribbean island of Grenada and indicates some of the factors which
contribute to this situation. Consideration is first given to the hypothesis that different levels of social -economic development affect the
level of farming practice. To this end each of the island's six parishes
was considered as a distinct statistical unit having its own level of
development and farming practice. From preliminary analysis it was
evident that the social - economic environment was not the most important influence on small farming and that the social background of the
farmer had greater significance in this study. By classifying the farms
as non -commercial, semi -commercial, commercial or miniature estates,
and then by studying the nature and structure of these categories of
farms, it was possible to observe the human and physical characteristics associated with the growth of small farms. The findings showed
that most small farmers are old and poor, have a low social status
and employ traditional methods of cultivation which are inefficient
of space and time. Those who emerge as the more successful had
obtained a certain level of education, had often worked overseas in
order to save the capital necessary for purchasing land, and are the
more highly motivated members of the small farming community,
partly as a result of their religious beliefs and racial association.
It is by identifying some of the social factors which restrict and
retard the development of small farming in Grenada that this study
makes its main contribution to the understanding of peasant agriculture
The Co-existence of Legal Systems in Quebec: « Free and Common Socage » in Canada's « pays de droit civil »
Bien que le systĂšme français de tenure seigneuriale au QuĂ©bec ait mĂ©ritĂ© une attention toute particuliĂšre des historiens, l'histoire de la tenure anglaise de « franc et commun socage », introduite en 1774 et qui rĂšgne mĂȘme aujourd'hui dans la zone dite des Cantons de l'Est, n'est pas moins singuliĂšre. Est-ce que dans l'Acte de QuĂ©bec, aprĂšs avoir Ă©tabli Ă l'article 8 l'ancien droit français, on a voulu introduire tout le systĂšme anglais du droit des biens lorsqu'on a mentionnĂ©, Ă son article 9, que la concession des terres pourrait se faire selon la tenure anglaise ? Ou au contraire a-t-on voulu tout simplement exclure lapplication des incidents de la tenure française en faisant appel Ă l'Ă©quivalent anglais d'une tenure libre ? L'Acte constitutionnel de 1971 n'a pas rĂ©solu cette question, confiant cependant Ă la lĂ©gislature locale le soin d'adapter la tenure anglaise dans sa « nature » et dans ses « consĂ©quences » aux conditions locales. Les autoritĂ©s britanniques ont, semble-t-il, optĂ© pour la premiĂšre interprĂ©tation, puisqu'en 1825 une loi impĂ©riale Ă©dictait que le droit anglais des biens sâappliqueraient dans les cantons. La rĂ©action locale, sous la forme de lĂ©gislation, en 1829, rĂ©vĂšle l'Ă©quivoque ressentie par la population locale: aprĂšs avoir validĂ© pour le passĂ© les transactions accomplies selon les formes françaises, la loi de 1829 Ă©tablit pro futuro la validitĂ© des transactions immobiliĂšres selon les rĂšgles anglaises ou les formes françaises. Ce mĂ©lange de rĂšgles de fond et de forme anglaises et françaises â une vĂ©ritable coexistence de systĂšmes juridiques sur un mĂȘme territoire â semble avoir semĂ© la confusion chez les justiciables et les hommes de loi durant les 25 annĂ©es suivantes. MĂȘme dans le cas oĂč la loi anglaise de 1825 a Ă©tabli le droit anglais pour l'avenir, a-t-elle voulu dĂ©clarer aussi que le droit anglais existait dans le territoire quĂ©bĂ©cois depuis 1774 ? VoilĂ une thĂšse qui pourrait se dĂ©fendre d'aprĂšs le sens grammatical de cette loi ainsi que celle de 1829. On semblait indĂ©cis au QuĂ©bec sur cette question avant les dĂ©cisions cĂ©lĂšbres des annĂ©es 1850 dans les arrĂȘts Stuart v. Bowman et Wilcox v. Ce dernier a dĂ©cidĂ© enfin que le droit anglais des biens n'a pas pu ĂȘtre introduit dans les cantons avant 1825 et que toute interprĂ©tation contraire frise l'absurditĂ©. Le jugement du juge en chef Lafontaine, aussi acceptable qu'il soit sur le plan politique, ne semble pas toutefois s'accorder avec le sens littĂ©ral des lois en question. Mais enfin que pouvait-on faire ? Une loi de 1857 de l'AssemblĂ©e lĂ©gislative a finalement optĂ© pour l'application de lois canadiennes dans tout le territoire quĂ©bĂ©cois et cette solution, aprĂšs l'abolition de la tenure française en 1854, semble avoir Ă©tĂ© acceptĂ©e par ces mĂȘmes milieux qui, dans les annĂ©es prĂ©cĂ©dentes, ont Ă©tĂ© agitĂ©s par la question. L'uniformitĂ© de notre droit commun ayant Ă©tĂ© Ă©tablie sur le sol quĂ©bĂ©cois, la perspective d'une codification Ă la française s'ouvrait et devint rĂ©alitĂ©, comme on le sait, quelques annĂ©es plus tard
Understanding the Local Livelihood System in Resource Management: The Pelagic Longline Fishery in Gouyave, Grenada
There is a need to include social objectives in fisheries management, and this paper focuses on one set of social considerations, those regarding livelihood. We pay particular attention to sustainable livelihood strategies, the importance of commercial pelagic longline fishing for the entire community livelihood system, and implications for management. Field data were obtained between December 2002 and March 2004 in Gouyave, Grenada, using participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a quantitative survey. The economic base (fishing and agriculture) of the community is both unpredictable and seasonal, therefore individuals and households engage in diverse strategies to secure their livelihood. Three livelihood strategies were deemed important: 1) livelihood diversification, developing additional sources of income from agriculture, wage labor, and trade work, 2) fishing diversification, learning to switch to alternative gear and species, and 3) the availability of an informal social security net involving cash and in-kind assistance. These strategies help to spread the flow of income and food during lean times and across seasons. A major management implication is that fishery managers need to pay attention to the multi-species nature of fisheries and to the importance of livelihood diversification, including reliance on other economic sectors
Iron overload in paediatrics undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass
AbstractPathological changes in iron status are known to occur during bypass and will be superimposed upon physiological abnormalities in iron distribution, characteristic of the neonatal period. We have sought to define the severity of iron overload in these patients. Plasma samples from 65 paediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were analysed for non-haem iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin and bleomycin-detectable iron. Patients were divided into four age groups for analysis. Within each age group, patients who were in iron overload at any time point were statistically compared to those who were not. The most significant changes in iron chemistry were seen in the plasma of neonates, with 25% in a state of plasma iron overload. 18.5% of infants and 14.3% of children at 1â5 years were also in iron overload at some time point during CPB. No children over 5 years, however, went into iron overload. Increased iron saturation of transferrin eliminates its ability to bind reactive forms of iron and to act as an antioxidant. When transferrin is fully saturated with iron, reactive forms of iron are present in the plasma which can stimulate iron-driven oxidative reactions. Our data suggest that paediatric patients are at greater risk of iron overload during CPB, and that some form of iron chelation therapy may be advantageous to decrease oxidative stress
To what extent are patients involved in researching safety in acute mental healthcare?
BackgroundThere is a growing need to involve patients in the development of patient safety interventions. Mental health services, despite their strong history of patient involvement, have been slow to develop patient safety interventions, particularly in inpatient settings.MethodsA systematic search was undertaken of both academic and grey literature. Whilst no lay member of the team worked directly on the review, they were part of the project steering group which provided oversight throughout the review process. This included people with lived experience of mental health services. From a research perspective the main focus for lay members was in co-producing the digital technology, the key project output. Smits et al.âs (Res Involv Engagem 6:1â30, 2020) Involvement Matrix was used to taxonomise levels of patient involvement. Studies were included if they were set in any inpatient mental health care context regardless of design. The quality of all selected studies was appraised using Mixed Methods Appraisal Methodology (MMAT).ResultsFifty-two studies were classified, synthesised and their levels of patient involvement in the research and development of patient safety interventions were taxonomised. Almost two-thirds of studies (nâ=â33) researched reducing restrictive practices. Only four studies reported engaging patients in the research process as decision-makers, with the remaining studies divided almost equally between engaging patients in the research process as partners, advisors and co-thinkers. Just under half of all studies engaged patients in just one stage of the research process.ConclusionInvolvement of patients in researching patient safety and developing interventions in an inpatient mental health context seems diverse in its nature. Researchers need to both more fully consider and better describe their approaches to involving patients in safety research in inpatient mental health. Doing so will likely lead to the development of higher quality safety interventions
The human squamous oesophagus has widespread capacity for clonal expansion from cells at diverse stages of differentiation.
OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of the cellular mechanisms involved in homeostasis of human squamous oesophagus in the steady state and following chronic injury is limited. We aimed to better understand these mechanisms by using a functional 3D approach. DESIGN: Proliferation, mitosis and the expression of progenitor lineage markers were assessed in normal squamous oesophagus from 10 patients by immunofluorescence on 3D epithelial whole mounts. Cells expressing differential levels of epithelial and progenitor markers were isolated using flow cytometry sorting and characterised by qPCR and IF. Their self-renewing potential was investigated by colony forming cells assays and in vitro organotypic culture models. RESULTS: Proliferation and mitotic activity was highest in the interpapillary basal layer and decreased linearly towards the tip of the papilla (p<0.0001). The orientation of mitosis was random throughout the basal layer, and asymmetric divisions were not restricted to specific cell compartments. Cells sorted into distinct populations based on the expression of epithelial and progenitor cell markers (CD34 and EpCAM) showed no difference in self-renewal in 2D culture, either as whole populations or as single cells. In 3D organotypic cultures, all cell subtypes were able to recapitulate the architecture of the tissue of origin and the main factor determining the success of the 3D culture was the number of cells plated, rather than the cell type. CONCLUSIONS: Oesophageal epithelial cells demonstrate remarkable plasticity for self-renewal. This situation could be viewed as an ex vivo wounding response and is compatible with recent findings in murine models
The effect of dapagliflozin on glycaemic control and other cardiovascular disease risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus:a real-world observational study
Aims/hypothesis:
Dapagliflozin, a sodiumâglucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, is indicated for improving glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Whether its effects on HbA1c and other variables, including safety outcomes, in clinical trials are obtained in real-world practice needs to be established.
Methods:
We used data from the comprehensive national diabetes register, the Scottish Care Information-Diabetes (SCI-Diabetes) collaboration database, available from 2004 to mid-2016. Data within this database were linked to mortality data from the General Registrar, available from the Information Services Division (ISD) of the National Health Service in Scotland. We calculated crude within-person differences between pre- and post-drug-initiation values of HbA1c, BMI, body weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and eGFR. We used mixed-effects regression models to adjust for within-person time trajectories in these measures. For completeness, we evaluated safety outcomes, cardiovascular disease events, lower-limb amputation and diabetic ketoacidosis, focusing on cumulative exposure effects, using Cox proportional hazard models, though power to detect such effects was limited.
Results:
Among 8566 people exposed to dapagliflozin over a median of 210 days the crude within-person change in HbA1c was â10.41 mmol/mol (â0.95%) after 3 monthsâ exposure. The crude change after 12 months was â12.99 mmol/mol (â1.19%) but considering the expected rise over time in HbA1c gave a dapagliflozin-exposure-effect estimate of â15.14 mmol/mol (95% CI â15.87, â14.41) (â1.39% [95% CI â1.45, â1.32]) at 12 months that was maintained thereafter. A drop in SBP of â4.32 mmHg (95% CI â4.84, â3.79) on exposure within the first 3 months was also maintained thereafter. Reductions in BMI and body weight stabilised by 6 months at â0.82 kg/m2 (95% CI â0.87, â0.77) and â2.20 kg (95% CI â2.34, â2.06) and were maintained thereafter. eGFR declined initially by â1.81 ml minâ1 [1.73 m]â2 (95% CI â2.10, â1.52) at 3 months but varied thereafter. There were no significant effects of cumulative drug exposure on safety outcomes.
Conclusions/interpretation:
Dapagliflozin exposure was associated with reductions in HbA1c, SBP, body weight and BMI that were at least as large as in clinical trials. Dapagliflozin also prevented the expected rise in HbA1c and SBP over the period of study
A national registry to assess the value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging after primary percutaneous coronary intervention pathway activation:a feasibility cohort study
Background
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used in patients who activate the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) pathway to assess heart function. It is uncertain whether having CMR influences patient management or the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in these patients.
Objective
To determine whether or not it is feasible to set up a national registry, linking routinely collected data from hospital information systems (HISs), to investigate the role of CMR in patients who activate the PPCI pathway.
Design
A feasibility prospective cohort study.
Setting
Four 24/7 PPCI hospitals in England and Wales (two with and two without a dedicated CMR facility).
Participants
Patients who activated the PPCI pathway and underwent an emergency coronary angiogram.
Interventions
CMR either performed or not performed within 10 weeks of the index event.
Main outcome measures
A. Feasibility parameters â (1) patient consent implemented at all hospitals, (2) data extracted from more than one HIS and successfully linked for andgt;â90% of consented patients at all four hospitals, (3) HIS data successfully linked with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Patient Episode Database Wales (PEDW) for andgt;â90% of consented patients at all four hospitals and (4) CMR requested and carried out for â„â10% of patients activating the PPCI pathway in CMR hospitals. B. Key drivers of cost-effectiveness for CMR (identified from simple cost-effectiveness models) in patients with (1) multivessel disease and (2) unobstructed coronary arteries. C. A change in clinical management arising from having CMR (defined using formal consensus and identified using HES follow-up data in the 12 months after the index event).
Results
A. (1) Consent was implemented (for all hospitals, consent rates were 59â74%) and 1670 participants were recruited. (2) Data submission was variable â clinical data available for â„â82% of patients across all hospitals, biochemistry and echocardiography (ECHO) data available for â„â98%, 34% and 87% of patients in three hospitals and medications data available for 97% of patients in one hospital. (3) HIS data were linked with hospital episode data for 99% of all consented patients. (4) At the two CMR hospitals, 14% and 20% of patients received CMR. B. In both (1) multivessel disease and (2) unobstructed coronary arteries, the difference in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) between CMR and no CMR [âcurrentâ comparator, stress ECHO and standard ECHO, respectively] was very small [0.0012, 95% confidence interval (CI) â0.0076 to 0.0093 and 0.0005, 95% CI â0.0050 to 0.0077, respectively]. The diagnostic accuracy of the ischaemia tests was the key driver of cost-effectiveness in sensitivity analyses for both patient subgroups. C. There was consensus that CMR leads to clinically important changes in management in five patient subgroups. Some changes in management were successfully identified in hospital episode data (e.g. new diagnoses/procedures, frequency of outpatient episodes related to cardiac events), others were not (e.g. changes in medications, new diagnostic tests).
Conclusions
A national registry is not currently feasible. Patients were consented successfully but conventional consent could not be implemented nationally. Linking HIS and hospital episode data was feasible but HIS data were not uniformly available. It is feasible to identify some, but not all, changes in management in the five patient subgroups using hospital episode data. The delay in obtaining hospital episode data influenced the relevance of some of our study objectives.
Future work
To test the feasibility of conducting the study using national data sets (e.g. HES, British Cardiovascular Intervention Society audit database, Diagnostic Imaging Dataset, Clinical Practice Research Datalink).
Funding
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme. This study was designed and delivered in collaboration with the Clinical Trials and Evaluation Unit, a UK Clinical Research Collaboration-registered clinical trials unit that, as part of the Bristol Trials Centre, is in receipt of NIHR clinical trials unit support funding.
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Using predicted patterns of 3D prey distribution to map king penguin foraging habitat
FUNDING The at-sea data collection and 50% of CLGâs Ph.D. studentship was provided by the Swiss Polar Institute as a grant âUnlocking the Secrets of the False Bottomâ to ASB. The School of Biology, University of St Andrews, funded the other 50% of CLGâs studentship. Work at South Georgia was supported by the Natural Environment Research Councilâs Collaborative Antarctic Science Scheme (CASS-129), a grant from the TransAntarctic Association grant to RBS, and a British Antarctic Survey Collaborative Gearing Scheme grant to RBS and ASB. ASB and RP were supported in part by UKRI/NERC under grant NE/R012679/1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the staff at the British Antarctic Survey base at King Edward Point (South Georgia), Quark Expeditions and the crew and staff of the Ocean Endeavour and the FPV Pharos South Georgia for their help with the fieldwork logistics. We also thank the Swiss Polar Institute and the ACE foundation for funding our ACE project, and all our colleagues who assisted with acoustic data collection at sea: Matteo Bernasconi, Inigo Everson, and Joshua Lawrence. We thank Yves Cherel for fruitful discussion on the role of prey patches for king penguins in the Kerguelen region. We also thank C. Ribout and the Centre for Biological Studies of ChizĂ© for conducting the sexing analyses of the birdsPeer reviewedPublisher PD
Hyperspectral remote sensing of cyanobacterial pigments as indicators for cell populations and toxins in eutrophic lakes
The growth of mass populations of toxin-producing cyanobacteria is a serious concern for the ecological
status of inland waterbodies and for human and animal health. In this study we examined the performance
of four semi-analytical algorithms for the retrieval of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phycocyanin (C-PC) from data
acquired by the Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager-2 (CASI-2) and the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer
for Applications (AISA) Eagle sensor. The retrieval accuracies of the semi-analytical models were
compared to those returned by optimally calibrated empirical band-ratio algorithms. The best-performing
algorithm for the retrieval of Chl a was an empirical band-ratio model based on a quadratic function of the
ratio of re!ectance at 710 and 670 nm (R2=0.832; RMSE=29.8%). However, this model only provided a
marginally better retrieval than the best semi-analytical algorithm. The best-performing model for the
retrieval of C-PC was a semi-analytical nested band-ratio model (R2=0.984; RMSE=3.98 mg mâ3). The
concentrations of C-PC retrieved using the semi-analytical model were correlated with cyanobacterial cell
numbers (R2=0.380) and the particulate and total (particulate plus dissolved) pools of microcystins
(R2=0.858 and 0.896 respectively). Importantly, both the empirical and semi-analytical algorithms were
able to retrieve the concentration of C-PC at cyanobacterial cell concentrations below current warning
thresholds for cyanobacteria in waterbodies. This demonstrates the potential of remote sensing to contribute
to early-warning detection and monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms for human health protection at regional
and global scales
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