Employer disability practice in Britain : assessing the impact of the positive about disabled people 'two ticks' symbol

This article assesses the extent to which employers displaying the Positive About Disabled People ‘Two Ticks’ symbol adhere to the five commitments they are expected to uphold and whether adherence to these commitments is greater in Two Ticks than non-Two Ticks workplaces. It also assesses levels of employer support for and dialogue with Disability Champions in Two Ticks workplaces. These issues are explored in the public and private sectors separately. The analysis finds only limited adherence to the five commitments in Two Ticks workplaces, no consistent evidence that adherence is higher in Two Ticks than non-Two Ticks workplaces and limited evidence of support for and dialogue with Disability Champions in Two Ticks workplaces. It also finds little evidence of variation between public and private sector workplaces

Seamless Dynamic Adaptive Streaming in LTE/Wi-Fi Integrated Network under Smartphone Resource Constraints

Exploiting both LTE and Wi-Fi links simultaneously enhances the performance of video streaming services in a smartphone. However, it is challenging to achieve seamless and high quality video while saving battery energy and LTE data usage to prolong the usage time of a smartphone. In this paper, we propose REQUEST, a video chunk request policy for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) in a smartphone, which can utilize both LTE and Wi-Fi. REQUEST enables seamless DASH video streaming with near optimal video quality under given budgets of battery energy and LTE data usage. Through extensive simulation and measurement in a real environment, we demonstrate that REQUEST significantly outperforms other existing schemes in terms of average video bitrate, rebuffering, and resource waste.Peer reviewe

Kinematic measurements of novel chaotic micromixers to enhance mixing performances at low reynolds numbers : Comparative study

Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2019R1A2C1007657). The authors gratefully acknowledge this support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Carbon trading thickness and market efficiency

This note tests for the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) in the market for CO2 emission allowances in Phase I and Phase II of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). As usually is the case in emerging and non-competitive markets such as the EU ETS, trading often not occurs on a frequent basis. This has adverse implications for both the gains from permit trade as well as biases the EMH tests. Variance ratio tests are employed to adjust for the thin trading effect. The results indicate that Phase I –the trial and learning period– was inefficient, whereas the first period under Phase II shows signs of restoring market efficiency

Characterization and optimization of the mechanical properties of electrospun gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds

Purpose: Electrospinning is a versatile technique for producing polymeric nanofibers by the application of electrostatic forces. The electrospinnability of polymeric solutions and the properties of electrospun nanofibers can be influenced and tuned by the process parameters. This paper aims to investigatethe influence of three key process parameters on the tensile strength of electrospun gelatin nanofibrous scaffold. Design/methodology/approach: The experiments were conducted with a custom-built electrospinning system. Design of experiments of the three operating variables, namely, gelatin concentration, applied potential and feed rate, with five levels were investigated. Optimization of the tensile strength of electrospun gelatin scaffold was achieved with the aid of response surface methodology. Findings: The resulting second-order mathematical models capable of demonstrating good correlation on the effects of the three identified process parameters with the experimental measured tensile strength, where the highest tensile strength was obtained on gelatin nanofibrous scaffold electrospun at 16per cent (w/v) gelatin concentration in acetic acid, 19 kV applied potential and 0.31 ml/h feed rate. Originality/value: The resulting second-order mathematical models capable of demonstrating good correlation on the effects of the three identified process parameters with the experimental measured tensile strength, where the highest tensile strength was obtained on gelatin nanofibrous scaffold electrospun at 16per cent (w/v) gelatin concentration in acetic acid, 19 kV applied potential and 0.31 ml/h feed rate

Tissue Effects in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Short-term Finasteride in Early Prostate Cancer.

BackgroundIn the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, finasteride selectively suppressed low-grade prostate cancer and significantly reduced the incidence of prostate cancer in men treated with finasteride compared with placebo. However, an apparent increase in high-grade disease was also observed among men randomized to finasteride. We aimed to determine why and hypothesized that there is a grade-dependent response to finasteride.MethodsFrom 2007 to 2012, we randomized dynamically by intranet-accessible software 183 men with localized prostate cancer to receive 5mg finasteride or placebo daily in a double-blind study during the 4-6weeks preceding prostatectomy. As the primary end point, the expression of a predefined molecular signature (ERβ, UBE2C, SRD5A2, and VEGF) differentiating high- and low-grade tumors in Gleason grade (GG) 3 areas of finasteride-exposed tumors from those in GG3 areas of placebo-exposed tumors, adjusted for Gleason score (GS) at prostatectomy, was compared. We also determined androgen receptor (AR) levels, Ki-67, and cleaved caspase 3 to evaluate the effects of finasteride on the expression of its downstream target, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, respectively. The expression of these markers was also compared across grades between and within treatment groups. Logistic regression was used to assess the expression of markers.FindingsWe found that the predetermined molecular signature did not distinguish GG3 from GG4 areas in the placebo group. However, AR expression was significantly lower in the GG4 areas of the finasteride group than in those of the placebo group. Within the finasteride group, AR expression was also lower in GG4 than in GG3 areas, but not significantly. Expression of cleaved caspase 3 was significantly increased in both GG3 and GG4 areas in the finasteride group compared to the placebo group, although it was lower in GG4 than in GG3 areas in both groups.InterpretationWe showed that finasteride's effect on apoptosis and AR expression is tumor grade dependent after short-term intervention. This may explain finasteride's selective suppression of low-grade tumors observed in the PCPT

Adaptation to an amoeba host drives selection of virulence-associated traits in Vibrio cholerae.

Predation by heterotrophic protists drives the emergence of adaptive traits in bacteria, and often these traits lead to altered interactions with hosts and persistence in the environment. Here we studied adaptation of the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae during long-term co-incubation with the protist host, Acanthamoeba castellanii. We determined phenotypic and genotypic changes associated with long-term intra-amoebal host adaptation and how this impacts pathogen survival and fitness. We showed that adaptation to the amoeba host leads to temporal changes in multiple phenotypic traits in V. cholerae that facilitate increased survival and competitive fitness in amoeba. Genome sequencing and mutational analysis revealed that these altered lifestyles were linked to non-synonymous mutations in conserved regions of the flagellar transcriptional regulator, flrA. Additionally, the mutations resulted in enhanced colonisation in zebrafish, establishing a link between adaptation of V. cholerae to amoeba predation and enhanced environmental persistence. Our results show that pressure imposed by amoeba on V. cholerae selects for flrA mutations that serves as a key driver for adaptation. Importantly, this study provides evidence that adaptive traits that evolve in pathogens in response to environmental predatory pressure impact the colonisation of eukaryotic organisms by these pathogens

ACCOUNTING FOR PRIVATISATION IN BANGLADESH: TESTING WORLD BANK CLAIMS

The World Bank and the IMF have encouraged many less developed countries (LDCs) to pursue privatisation policies. Development economists and World Bank reports claim this facilitates development by improving controls within enterprises and external regulation of financial markets acting on external accounting reports. This paper questions these beliefs. It compares the post-privatisation performance of companies in Bangladesh examined in a World Bank report with the authors' own research on the same companies. The World Bank report reported that the success of the privatisations established the case for more. In the research reported here, only one of the privatised companies was judged a commercial success, though the unavailability and dubious accuracy of accounting reports prevented any definitive assessment. Above all, the paper questions the narrow criteria adopted by the World Bank report - namely profitability - and the neglect of employment conditions, trade union and individual rights; social returns; and financial transparency and accountability to external constituents. Our evidence suggested that privatisation has not increased returns to society: privatised companies' contributions to state revenue declined in real terms and as a proportion of value added. Transparent external reports failed to materialise as required by law and there was evidence of untoward transactions affecting minority shareholders, creditors, and tax collecting institutions. Internal controls may have become more commercial but at the cost of declining employment, wages, quality of working life, and employee rights. The World Bank claims rest upon efficiency benefits trickling down to all but the effects of privatisation may have been a redistribution of power and wealth to the new owners. This paper argues that the IMF, the World Bank, and Western capitalist states have not provided the technical infrastructure and organisational capacity to execute their neo-liberal privatisation agenda, which rests on dubious socio-economic assumptions. Our unfavourable evaluation of privatisation in Bangladesh is not unique. It has been happening again and again around the world. © 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Preparation and characterization of CU-, FE-, AG-, ZN- and NI- doped gelatin nanofibers for possible applications in antibacterial nanomedicine

A facile and efficient approach to prepare metal nanoparticles doped electrospun gelatin from metal salts precursors was successfully developed. The incorporation of metal ions with antimicrobial activity into electrospun gelatin (Ge-espun) is an attractive approach to control the inflammatory reaction and prevent infection in wound. In this study, metal salts precursors AgNO3, Fe(NO3)3.9H2O, Cu(NO3)2.3H2O, Zn(NO3)2.6H2O and Ni(NO3)2.6H2O were reduced to metal nanoparticles with acetic acid as solvent and reducing agent. The agglomeration of nanoparticles was inhibited by the gelatin polymer matrix. Electrospinning of both neat Ge-espun and metal-nanoparticles/Ge-espun resulted in the formation of smooth fibres with average diameters of ~280nm and ~40nm-150nm, respectively. The efficacy of metal nanoparticles/Ge-espun against bacteria commonly found on wounds was tested with different metal loading by measuring the inhibition of colony forming units. The results indicated a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity showed by Ag/Ge-espun, followed by Fe/Ge-espun and Zn/Ge-espun. An interesting finding on the efficacy of Cu/Ge-espun and Fe/Ge-espun against the Gram’s positive bacteria is worth exploring to further investigate the potential application of metal-based antibiotics against the antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains

Loss of the ciliary protein Chibby1 in mice leads to exocrine pancreatic degeneration and pancreatitis

Primary cilia protrude from the apical surface of many cell types and act as a sensory organelle that regulates diverse biological processes ranging from chemo- and mechanosensation to signaling. Ciliary dysfunction is associated with a wide array of genetic disorders, known as ciliopathies. Polycystic lesions are commonly found in the kidney, liver, and pancreas of ciliopathy patients and mouse models. However, the pathogenesis of the pancreatic phenotype remains poorly understood. Chibby1 (Cby1), a small conserved coiled-coil protein, localizes to the ciliary base and plays a crucial role in ciliogenesis. Here, we report that Cby1-knockout (KO) mice develop severe exocrine pancreatic atrophy with dilated ducts during early postnatal development. A significant reduction in the number and length of cilia was observed in Cby1-KO pancreta. In the adult Cby1-KO pancreas, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis were noticeable. Intriguingly, Cby1-KO acinar cells showed an accumulation of zymogen granules (ZGs) with altered polarity. Moreover, isolated acini from Cby1-KO pancreas exhibited defective ZG secretion in vitro. Collectively, our results suggest that, upon loss of Cby1, concomitant with ciliary defects, acinar cells accumulate ZGs due to defective exocytosis, leading to cell death and progressive exocrine pancreatic degeneration after birth