Combined operations and the European theatre during the Nine Years' War, 1688-97

This is the author's PDF version of an article published in Historical research© 2005. The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.This article discusses the strategic and operational purpose of England's combined army-navy operations within the European theatre during the Nine Years' War, 1688-97. Specifically, the historical consensus that these operations were simply a compromise product of the contemporary political discourse, and consistently suffered from poor preparation and implementation, is reassessed. In so doing, the article considers the combined service descents planned and executed against the northern French coastline between 1691 and 1694, including in particular the renowned operation at Brest in June 1694, and also those operations undertaken by Admiral Russell's Mediterranean fleet in 1695.This article was submitted to the RAE2008 for the University of Chester - History

Blending academic and professional learning in a university course for future e-learning specialists: The perspective of company tutors

Blended learning usually refers to the combination of online/offline instructional methods. In this paper, we describe a university course in “E-learning Psychology” designed to blend not only modes of teaching, tools, and media, but also learning contexts; specifically, academic and professional contexts. To achieve an effective blend of learning contexts, students were monitored by academic and company tutors through an instant messaging app (WhatsApp). The unique contribution of the company tutor to the blending of academic and professional contexts is explored. By qualitatively analyzing (i) process data (four WhatsApp log chats) and (ii) self-report data (interviews with six company tutors), we found that the company tutor contributed to both the traditional blended dimension (mixing online and offline) and to the blend of the academic and professional contexts. When company tutors participated in the chat, students moved from an organizational dynamic, featuring chats monitored by only the academic tutor, toward a more collaborative and reflective dynamic. The company tutors considered the opportunity to blend academic and professional contexts as the best aspect of the course for both themselves as educators/company representatives, and for the students. This paper offers insights into the ongoing discussion about what blended is—or should be—and the role of company tutors in blending educational contexts

DVT Surveillance Program in the ICU: Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness

Background Venous Thrombo-embolism (VTE – Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) – in traumatized patients causes significant morbidity and mortality. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of DVT surveillance in reducing PE, and performs a cost-effectiveness analysis. Methods All traumatized patients admitted to the adult ICU underwent twice weekly DVT surveillance by bilateral lower extremity venous Duplex examination (48-month surveillance period – SP). The rates of DVT and PE were recorded and compared to the rates observed in the 36-month pre-surveillance period (PSP). All patients in both periods received mechanical and pharmacologic prophylaxis unless contraindicated. Total costs – diagnostic, therapeutic and surveillance – for both periods were recorded and the incremental cost for each Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained was calculated. Results 4234 patients were eligible (PSP – 1422 and SP – 2812). Rate of DVT in SP (2.8%) was significantly higher than in PSP (1.3%) – p Conclusions Surveillance of traumatized ICU patients increases DVT detection and reduces PE incidence. Costs in terms of QALY gained compares favorably with other interventions accepted by society

Genetic diversity of equine herpesvirus 1 isolated from neurological, abortigenic and respiratory disease outbreaks

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death and neurological disease in equines and is endemic in most countries. The viral factors that influence EHV-1 disease severity are poorly understood, and this has hampered vaccine development. However, the N752D substitution in the viral DNA polymerase catalytic subunit has been shown statistically to be associated with neurological disease. This has given rise to the term “neuropathic strain,” even though strains lacking the polymorphism have been recovered from cases of neurological disease. To broaden understanding of EHV-1 diversity in the field, 78 EHV-1 strains isolated over a period of 35 years were sequenced. The great majority of isolates originated from the United Kingdom and included in the collection were low passage isolates from respiratory, abortigenic and neurological outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis of regions spanning 80% of the genome showed that up to 13 viral clades have been circulating in the United Kingdom and that most of these are continuing to circulate. Abortion isolates grouped into nine clades, and neurological isolates grouped into five. Most neurological isolates had the N752D substitution, whereas most abortion isolates did not, although three of the neurological isolates from linked outbreaks had a different polymorphism. Finally, bioinformatic analysis suggested that recombination has occurred between EHV-1 clades, between EHV-1 and equine herpesvirus 4, and between EHV-1 and equine herpesvirus 8

Tri-locus sequence data reject a Gondwanan origin hypothesis for the African/South Pacific crab genus Hymenosoma

Crabs of the family Hymenosomatidae are common in coastal and shelf regions throughout much of the southern hemisphere. One of the genera in the family, Hymenosoma, is represented in Africa and the South Pacific (Australia and New Zealand). This distribution can be explained either by vicariance (presence of the genus on the Gondwanan supercontinent and divergence following its break-up) or more recent transoceanic dispersal from one region to the other. We tested these hypotheses by reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among the seven presently-accepted species in the genus, as well as examining their placement among other hymenosomatid crabs, using sequence data from two nuclear markers (Adenine Nucleotide Transporter [ANT] exon 2 and 18S rDNA) and three mitochondrial markers (COI, 12S and 16S rDNA). The five southern African representatives of the genus were recovered as a monophyletic lineage, and another southern African species, Neorhynchoplax bovis, was identified as their sister taxon. The two species of Hymenosoma from the South Pacific neither clustered with their African congeners, nor with each other, and should therefore both be placed into different genera. Molecular dating supports a post-Gondwanan origin of the Hymenosomatidae. While long-distance dispersal cannot be ruled out to explain the presence of the family Hymenosomatidae on the former Gondwanan land-masses and beyond, the evolutionary history of the African species of Hymenosoma indicates that a third means of speciation may be important in this group: gradual along-coast dispersal from tropical towards temperate regions, with range expansions into formerly inhospitable habitat during warm climatic phases, followed by adaptation and speciation during subsequent cooler phases

Sound production mechanism in the semiterrestrial crab Neohelice granulata (Brachyura, Varunidae)

Very few studies of sound production in the Brachyura have simultaneously identified the type of individuals (e.g. sex) producing acoustic signals, the structures involved in making sound and the social context. The emission and type of sound signals in Neohelice granulata were previously characterized, but the sex and the body structures involved in the sound production mechanism were not determined. In the present study, experiments conducted in the laboratory demonstrated that acoustic signals were produced by males through an up-down movement of the cheliped by rubbing the merus against the pterygostomial area of the carapace. The micromorphology of the merus showed that it has a ridge of tubercles which may act as a plectrum, while the pterygostomial area bears tubercles and might function as the pars stridens. Acoustic signals were displayed more frequently in the presence of receptive females. Agonistic encounters among males also occurred more often in the presence of receptive females. We propose that Neohelice granulata males use their chelipeds to produce sound signals in a mating context, probably to attract the receptive female and/or to repel other males when a receptive female is present. Thus, the display might have a reproductive function influencing mate choice.Fil: Sal Moyano, María Paz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Ceraulo, Maria. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Mazzola, Salvatore. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Buscaino, Giuseppa. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Gavio, Maria Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Cervical cancer screening: target age bracket, screening frequency and screening method: review of recent evidence and comparison with the Portuguese performance indicator

Esta revisão teve por objetivo avaliar a força de evidência do indicador de desempenho português relativo ao rastreio do Câncer do Colo do Útero (CCU): (1) limites etários das mulheres da população geral que o devem realizar, a (2) periodicidade com que deve ser realizado e (3) qual o melhor exame de rastreio. Foram pesquisados os seguintes termos MeSH: vaginal smears, age groups, periodicity, methods, uterine cervical cancer. Foram excluídos os artigos que não abordavam o objetivo da investigação ou que não fossem redigidos em Inglês, Português ou Espanhol. Para interpretar os artigos selecionados foi utilizada a classificação SORT. Foram encontrados 197 artigos, dos quais seleccionados 9: 1 revisão sistemática (RS), 1 estudo clínico controlado aleatorizado, 2 estudos observacionais retrospectivos e 5 normas de orientação clínica (NOC). Os autores optaram por incluir nesta revisão mais 4 NOCs e 2 RSs por considerarem ser relevantes para a população Portuguesa, apesar de não resultarem da pesquisa efectuada. Os estudos sugerem realização do rastreio entre os 21 e 25 até aos 65 anos, com uma periodicidade trienal usando a citologia convencional. Existe ainda controvérsia no que toca aos 3 objetivos deste artigo (limites etários, frequência e método).The scope of this review was to assess the strength of evidence of Portuguese performance indicators on Cervical Cancer screening: (1) age group of the women that should be screened for cervical cancer; (2) frequency of screening; and (3) the best method for screening. The following MeSH terms were searched: vaginal smears, age groups, periodicity, methods, uterine cervical cancer. Articles not reflecting the study objectives or not available in English, Portuguese or Spanish were excluded. The SORT classification was used to rate the articles selected.Of the 197 articles found, 9 that met all study criteria were selected for inclusion in this review. These included 1 systematic review, 1 randomized controlled clinical trial, 2 retrospective studies and 5 clinical guidelines. The authors also chose to include 4 clinical guidelines and two systematic reviews relevant to the Portuguese population even though they did not appear in the initial search of the literature. The studies suggest screening women between the ages of 21 to 25 years and 65 years of age, once every three years using conventional cytology. There is still controversy regarding the three objectives of this study (target age bracket, screening frequency and screening method)

Gas6 Downregulation Impaired Cytoplasmic Maturation and Pronuclear Formation Independent to the MPF Activity

Previously, we found that the growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6) is more highly expressed in germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes than in metaphase II (MII) oocytes using annealing control primer (ACP)-PCR technology. The current study was undertaken to investigate the role of Gas6 in oocyte maturation and fertilization using RNA interference (RNAi). Interestingly, despite the specific and marked decrease in Gas6 mRNA and protein expression in GVs after Gas6 RNAi, nuclear maturation including spindle structures and chromosome segregation was not affected. The only discernible effect induced by Gas6 RNAi was a change in maturation promoting factor (MPF) activity. After parthenogenetic activation, Gas6 RNAi-treated oocytes at the MII stage had not developed further and arrested at MII (90.0%). After stimulation with Sr2+, Gas6-silenced MII oocytes had markedly reduced Ca2+ oscillation and exhibited no exocytosis of cortical granules. In these oocytes, sperm penetration occurred during fertilization but not pronucleus (PN) formation. By roscovitine and colcemid treatment, we found that the Gas6 knockdown affected cytoplasmic maturation directly, independent to the changed MPF activity. These results strongly suggest that 1) the Gas6 signaling itself is important to the cytoplasmic maturation, but not nuclear maturation, and 2) the decreased Gas6 expression and decreased MPF activity separately or mutually influence sperm head decondensation and PN formation