Cultural Resources Preservation and Underwater Archaeology: Some Notes on the Current Legal Framework and a Model Underwater Antiquities Statute

This note examines the legal facets of underwater archaeology and the preservation of cultural resources on the seabed. The author begins by discussing the question of who has jurisdiction to regulate and preserve cultural resources on the seabed. The author then moves on to examine antiquities legislation presently in existence and the possibility of extending or modifying it to cover underwater archaeology. The author concludes that the basic principles of the model statute might be useful in creating new laws that will extend the historic preservation all the way to the seabed

Pulsed electromagnetic energy treatment offers no clinical benefit in reducing the pain of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Background The rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis often includes electrotherapeutic modalities as well as advice and exercise. One commonly used modality is pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF). PEMF uses electro magnetically generated fields to promote tissue repair and healing rates. Its equivocal benefit over placebo treatment has been previously suggested however recently a number of randomised controlled trials have been published that have allowed a systematic review to be conducted. Methods A systematic review of the literature from 1966 to 2005 was undertaken. Relevant computerised bibliographic databases were searched and papers reviewed independently by two reviewers for quality using validated criteria for assessment. The key outcomes of pain and functional disability were analysed with weighted and standardised mean differences being calculated. Results Five randomised controlled trials comparing PEMF with placebo were identified. The weighted mean differences of the five papers for improvement in pain and function, were small and their 95% confidence intervals included the null. Conclusion This systematic review provides further evidence that PEMF has little value in the management of knee osteoarthritis. There appears to be clear evidence for the recommendation that PEMF does not significantly reduce the pain of knee osteoarthritis

Domain Specific Self-Efficacy Mediates the Impact of Pain Catastrophizing on Pain and Disability in Overweight and Obese Osteoarthritis Patients

This study examined whether self-efficacy mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and pain and disability. Participants were 192 individuals diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees who were overweight or obese. Multiple mediator analyses were conducted to simultaneously test self-efficacy for pain control, physical function, and emotional symptoms as mediators while controlling for demographic and medical status variables. Higher pain catastrophizing was associated with lower self-efficacy in all three domains (ps< .05). Self-efficacy for pain control fully mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and pain (Beta=.08, Sobel test Z=1.97, p<.05). The relationship between pain catastrophizing and physical disability was fully mediated by self-efficacy for physical function (Beta=.06, Sobel test Z=1.95, p=.05). Self-efficacy for emotional symptoms partially mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and psychological disability (Beta=. 12, Sobel test Z=2.92, p<.05). These results indicate that higher pain catastrophizing contributed to greater pain and disability via lower domain-specific self-efficacy. Efforts to reduce pain and improve functioning in OA patients should consider addressing pain catastrophizing and domain specific selfefficacy. Pain catastrophizing may be addressed through cognitive therapy techniques and selfefficacy may be enhanced through practice of relevant skills and personal accomplishments. Perspective- This paper found that higher pain catastrophizing contributed to great pain and disability via domain specific self-efficacy. These results suggest that treatment efforts to reduce pain and improve functioning in OA patients who are overweight or obese should consider addressing both pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy. Originally published Journal of Pain, Vol. 9, No. 10, Oct 200

Staphylococcus aureus Keratinocyte Invasion Is Dependent upon Multiple High-Affinity Fibronectin-Binding Repeats within FnBPA

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal organism and a frequent cause of skin and soft tissue infections, which can progress to serious invasive disease. This bacterium uses its fibronectin binding proteins (FnBPs) to invade host cells and it has been hypothesised that this provides a protected niche from host antimicrobial defences, allows access to deeper tissues and provides a reservoir for persistent or recurring infections. FnBPs contain multiple tandem fibronectin-binding repeats (FnBRs) which bind fibronectin with varying affinity but it is unclear what selects for this configuration. Since both colonisation and skin infection are dependent upon the interaction of S. aureus with keratinocytes we hypothesised that this might select for FnBP function and thus composition of the FnBR region. Initial experiments revealed that S. aureus attachment to keratinocytes is rapid but does not require FnBRs. By contrast, invasion of keratinocytes was dependent upon the FnBR region and occurred via similar cellular processes to those described for endothelial cells. Despite this, keratinocyte invasion was relatively inefficient and appeared to include a lag phase, most likely due to very weak expression of α5β1 integrins. Molecular dissection of the role of the FnBR region revealed that efficient invasion of keratinocytes was dependent on the presence of at least three high-affinity (but not low-affinity) FnBRs. Over-expression of a single high-affinity or three low-affinity repeats promoted invasion but not to the same levels as S. aureus expressing an FnBPA variant containing three high-affinity repeats. In summary, invasion of keratinocytes by S. aureus requires multiple high-affinity FnBRs within FnBPA, and given the importance of the interaction between these cell types and S. aureus for both colonisation and infection, may have provided the selective pressure for the multiple binding repeats within FnBPA

Marine oil supplements for rheumatoid arthritis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To determine the benefits and harms of marine oil supplements for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

The Multifunctional LigB Adhesin Binds Homeostatic Proteins with Potential Roles in Cutaneous Infection by Pathogenic Leptospira interrogans

Leptospirosis is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease in humans and animals caused by pathogenic spirochetes, such as Leptospira interrogans. The mode of transmission is commonly limited to the exposure of mucous membrane or damaged skin to water contaminated by leptospires shed in the urine of carriers, such as rats. Infection occurs during seasonal flooding of impoverished tropical urban habitats with large rat populations, but also during recreational activity in open water, suggesting it is very efficient. LigA and LigB are surface localized proteins in pathogenic Leptospira strains with properties that could facilitate the infection of damaged skin. Their expression is rapidly induced by the increase in osmolarity encountered by leptospires upon transition from water to host. In addition, the immunoglobulin-like repeats of the Lig proteins bind proteins that mediate attachment to host tissue, such as fibronectin, fibrinogen, collagens, laminin, and elastin, some of which are important in cutaneous wound healing and repair. Hemostasis is critical in a fresh injury, where fibrinogen from damaged vasculature mediates coagulation. We show that fibrinogen binding by recombinant LigB inhibits fibrin formation, which could aid leptospiral entry into the circulation, dissemination, and further infection by impairing healing. LigB also binds fibroblast fibronectin and type III collagen, two proteins prevalent in wound repair, thus potentially enhancing leptospiral adhesion to skin openings. LigA or LigB expression by transformation of a nonpathogenic saprophyte, L. biflexa, enhances bacterial adhesion to fibrinogen. Our results suggest that by binding homeostatic proteins found in cutaneous wounds, LigB could facilitate leptospirosis transmission. Both fibronectin and fibrinogen binding have been mapped to an overlapping domain in LigB comprising repeats 9–11, with repeat 11 possibly enhancing binding by a conformational effect. Leptospirosis patient antibodies react with the LigB domain, suggesting applications in diagnosis and vaccines that are currently limited by the strain-specific leptospiral lipopolysaccharide coats

Some aspects of the Italian corporative organisation

In other countries in which the tradition of personal liberty still survives, the study of the Italian corporative organisation has become of the greatest interest, and it has been asked how far society can be organised upon corporative principles and whether the adoption of these principles necessarily entails the acceptance of dictatorship and the abolition of the historic liberties of the subject. The present paper will make no attempt to answer this question, which, indeed, is rather one belonging to the science, and perhaps nowadays the practice, of politics. It is rather a description of the organisation of which the corporate state is composed and by which it is governed. Its scope being limited by considerations of time it may be found lacking on several points of interest and superficial upon others. It may be possible to refer to some of these in discussion, but the whole concept of the Corporate State is so revolutionary in itself and its implications that its study would occupy many a meeting. An attempt will be made to survey the organisation set up by the corporative legislation of the last eight years, and to answer some of the questions inevitably provoked by even so cursory a glance

President\u27s address

This Society was founded in 1847, twelve years after the British Association for the Advancement of Science had first met in Dublin. Its foundation reflected the contemporary interest in Political Economy; while its early proceedings testify to the confidence which its members felt in the science, and in themselves. Our first President was Archbishop Whately, who had been Nassau Senior\u27s successor in the chair of Political Economy at Oxford. Addressing the Society at the end of its first session, he declared that ?next to sound religion, Political Economy is most essential to the well-being of society?

Barrington Lecture 1939/1940

The European war has given rise to many speculations, generally vague but almost always gloomy, upon its probable effects on Irish economic life. It is certain that the war has already brought about changes in our trade; but with the discontinuance of the publication of many statistics it is now impossible to estimate exactly their degree or trend. A far greater degree of speculation is introduced by the uncertainty of the future course of the war. Obviously it must affect our position greatly if the more powerful neutrals are drawn into it. It must affect us also if it becomes impossible to transport raw materials; or if the demands of belligerents become so great that even our modest needs cannot be granted. It will affect us even more greatly if the internal transport of our only market were to be dislocated. The trend of our taxation, our unemployment policy, our housing policy, of our production and standard of living both during and after the war must depend upon the determination of these issues