Management education in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This paper examines some issues relating to the development in Latin America and the Caribbean of the managerial expertise that underpins the modernisation of library and information services. It reports on part of a joint IFLA/FID project, principally funded by the UNESCO Participation Programme, and reviews results from two surveys: Schools of Librarianship and Information Sciences in the region provided data on the priorities they attach to elements of their management curriculum, and teaching methods; and employers commented on their awareness of modern management techniques, their management development needs and approaches, and their perceptions of the management education available. The results of the two surveys are compared and considered, and some proposals are made for addressing issues. Whilst the Schools appear to be meeting the employers key requirements, there is still some degree of mismatch between employers expectations and Schools priorities, but the Schools are open to change and a constructive dialogue is advocated. It is also suggested that more attention should be given to staff development and the provision of supporting continuing education programmes to raise the level of management knowledge and expertise. Iinternational organisations should consider encouraging the production and exchange of teaching materials. A major challenge for the Schools will be to overcome the traditionally rigid disciplinary boundaries within Universities to collaborate on new course developments

Somatic embryogenesis and efficient regeneration of Vitis vinifera L. 'Carménère' plants

Research Note

Virulence behavior of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains in the host model Caenorhabditis elegans

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in humans. Although a number of bacteria can cause UTIs, most cases are due to infection by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC are a genetically heterogeneous group that exhibit several virulence factors associated with colonization and persistence of bacteria in the urinary tract. Caenorhabditis elegans is a tiny, free-living nematode found worldwide. Because many biological pathways are conserved in C. elegans and humans, the nematode has been increasingly used as a model organism to study virulence mechanisms of microbial infections and innate immunity. The virulence of UPEC strains, characterized for antimicrobial resistance, pathogenicity-related genes associated with virulence and phylogenetic group belonging was evaluated by measuring the survival of C. elegans exposed to pure cultures of these strains. Our results showed that urinary strains can kill the nematode and that the clinical isolate ECP110 was able to efficiently colonize the gut and to inhibit the host oxidative response to infection. Our data support that C. elegans, a free-living nematode found worldwide, could serve as an in vivo model to distinguish, among uropathogenic E. coli, different virulence behavior

Dynamic Scaling Phenomena in Growth Processes

Inhomogeneities in deposition may lead to formation of rough surfaces, whose height fluctuations can be probed directly by scanning microscopy, or indirectly by scattering. Analytical or numerical treatments of simple growth models suggest that, quite generally, the height fluctuations have a self-similar character. The roughness and dynamic exponents are expected to be universal; depending only on the underlying mechanism that generates self-similar roughness. Despite its ubiquitous occurrence in theory and simulations, experimental confirmations of dynamic scaling have been rare. I shall briefly review the theoretical foundations of dynamic scaling, and suggest possible reasons for discrepancies with experimental results.Comment: Plain TEX, 10 pages, no figures. For the Proceedings of the "Fourth International Conference on Surface X-Ray and Neutron Scattering," Lake Geneva, June 1995. To be published in a special issue of Physica

Feasibility of a reconfigured domestic violence and abuse training and support intervention responding to affected women, men, children and young people through primary care

Background: Identification in UK general practice of women affected by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is increasing, but men and children/young people (CYP) are rarely identified and referred for specialist support. To address this gap, we collaborated with IRISi (UK social enterprise) to strengthen elements of the IRIS + intervention which included the identification of men, direct engagement with CYP, and improved guidance on responding to information received from other agencies. IRIS + was an adaptation of the national IRIS (Identification and Referral to Improve Safety) model focused on the needs of women victim-survivors of DVA. Without diminishing the responses to women, IRIS + also responded to the needs of men experiencing or perpetrating DVA, and CYP living with DVA and/or experiencing it in their own relationships. Our study tested the feasibility of the adapted IRIS + intervention in England and Wales between 2019–21. Methods: We used mixed method analysis to triangulate data from various sources (pre/post intervention questionnaires with primary care clinicians; data extracted from medical records and DVA agencies; semi-structured interviews with clinicians, service providers and referred adults and children) to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the IRIS + intervention. Results: The rate of referral for women doubled (21.6/year/practice) from the rate (9.29/year/practice) in the original IRIS trial. The intervention also enabled identification and direct referral of CYP (15% of total referrals) and men (mostly survivors, 10% of total referrals). Despite an increase in self-reported clinician preparedness to respond to all patient groups, the intervention generated a low number of men perpetrator referrals (2% of all referrals). GPs were the principal patient referrers. Over two-thirds of referred women and CYP and almost half of all referred men were directly supported by the service. Many CYP also received IRIS + support indirectly, via the referred parents. Men and CYP supported by IRIS + reported improved physical and mental health, wellbeing, and confidence. Conclusions: Although the study showed acceptability and feasibility, there remains uncertainty about the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of IRIS + . Building on the success of this feasibility study, the next step should be trialling the effectiveness of IRIS + implementation to inform service implementation decisions

Genetic and histological studies on the delayed systemic movement of Tobacco Mosaic Virus in Arabidopsis thaliana

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Viral infections and their spread throughout a plant require numerous interactions between the host and the virus. While new functions of viral proteins involved in these processes have been revealed, current knowledge of host factors involved in the spread of a viral infection is still insufficient. In <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it>, different ecotypes present varying susceptibilities to <it>Tobacco mosaic virus </it>strain U1 (TMV-U1). The rate of TMV-U1 systemic movement is delayed in ecotype Col-0 when compared with other 13 ecotypes.</p> <p>We followed viral movement through vascular tissue in Col-0 plants by electronic microscopy studies. In addition, the delay in systemic movement of TMV-U1 was genetically studied.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TMV-U1 reaches apical leaves only after 18 days post rosette inoculation (dpi) in Col-0, whereas it is detected at 9 dpi in the Uk-4 ecotype. Genetic crosses between Col-0 and Uk-4 ecotypes, followed by analysis of viral movement in F₁and F₂populations, revealed that this delayed movement correlates with a recessive, monogenic and nuclear locus. The use of selected polymorphic markers showed that this locus, denoted <it>DSTM1 </it>(Delayed Systemic Tobamovirus Movement 1), is positioned on the large arm of chromosome II. Electron microscopy studies following the virion's route in stems of Col-0 infected plants showed the presence of curved structures, instead of the typical rigid rods of TMV-U1. This was not observed in the case of TMV-U1 infection in Uk-4, where the observed virions have the typical rigid rod morphology.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The presence of defectively assembled virions observed by electron microscopy in vascular tissue of Col-0 infected plants correlates with a recessive delayed systemic movement trait of TMV-U1 in this ecotype.</p

Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis of Data Submitted to the Food and Drug Administration

Kirsch and colleagues show that, in antidepressant trials, there is a greater difference in efficacy between drug and placebo amongst more severely depressed patients. However, this difference seems to result from a poorer response to placebo amongst more depressed patients