Uniformity or Unilateralism in the Law of Carriage of Goods by Sea?

The ideal of international uniformity has always been regarded as particularly important to maritime law. However, over the past decade or so, the uniformity of the law of international carriage of goods by sea has increasingly been undermined by the unilateral adoption by maritime jurisdictions of "hybrid carriage regimes" which depart from the established international uniform rules.In this article Paul Myburgh argues that this trend towards adoption of divergent carriage regimes is highly problematic, not merely because of their detrimental effects on international uniformity and the coherence of maritime law and international transport law in general, but also because of more fundamental concerns about the validity of these regimes at international law, the practical conflict of laws problems that that they will generate, and their distorting effects on multimodal transport. The article concludes with some suggestions for future reform in this area

Selective Solid-Phase Extraction Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Analysis of Target Pesticides in Cannabis Bud

A molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure was developed for the GC-MS analysis of four high priority pesticides (atrazine,  terbuthylazine, acetochlor and alachlor) in a cannabis bud sample matrix. The study demonstrated that the synthesised polymer had a high affinity and  good selectivity for either chloroacetamide or triazine classes of pesticide used as a template molecule during the molecularly imprinted polymerisation  reaction. The MISPE procedure was optimised in terms of loading, washing and elution fractions utilising a range of aqueous methanol solutions for  optimal recovery and minimal matrix interferences. The optimal wash fraction was 20% (v/v) methanol in an aqueous solution, whilst 70% (v/v) was used  for the elution fraction. The selectivity, accuracy and recovery of the MISPEs were verified using a synthesised non-imprinted polymer and a commercial  C18 cartridge as reference sorbents in comparative experiments. Approximately 3 g of the cannabis bud sample was spiked at a 0.05 mg/kg maximum  residue limit (MRL) concentration. The recovery of the four selected pesticides extracted from the spiked samples ranged between 76.4–85.0% when  utilising the optimised MISPE methods, compared to 91.6–96.9% for the C18 SPE. However, the use of the MISPE resulted in enhanced selectivity, as  evidenced by GC-MS analysis, due to the extraction of less matrix interferences. Therefore, it can be concluded that the MISPE is a viable pre-treatment  method for selective pesticide analysis in cannabis flowers using GC-MS when selectivity is valued for the extraction of target pesticides from a complex  sample matrix.&nbsp

Referral and collaboration between South African psychiatrists and religious or spiritual advisers: Views from some psychiatrists

Background. Referral between psychiatrists and spiritual workers (e.g. Christian pastoral care workers, traditional healers, imams, rabbis and others) in the heterogeneous South African (SA) society is complicated and requires investigation to establish appropriate norms.  Objective. To capture the views of some local psychiatrists on referral and collaboration between SA psychiatrists and religious or spiritual advisers.  Methods. This explorative qualitative study involved indepth, semistructured interviews with 13 local academic psychiatrists selected through purposive sampling. Each participant had a single interview with the aim of exploring themes related to the referral and collabora­tion process between psychiatrists and spiritual advisers. Theme content analysis of interview transcripts was done. Results for one of the six identified themes are reported; other results are reported elsewhere.  Results. Within the theme ‘referral and collaboration between psychiatrists and spiritual professionals’, three subthemes were identified: facilitating appropriate referral and intervention for individual users; information sharing and mutual awareness between disciplines; and addressing stigmatisation of users with psychiatric conditions. Conclusion. Dialogue between psychiatrists and religious or spiritual advisers should be developed on an individual practitioner and facility basis, as well as on an organised basis between representative societies. The process of formalising a relationship between local psychiatrists and different spiritual workers may, however, still have some way to go

Selective solid-phase ex traction using molecularly imprinted polymers for the analysis of target pesticides in cannabis bud

A molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure was developed for the GC-MS analysis of four high priority pesticides (atrazine, terbuthylazine, acetochlor and alachlor) in a cannabis bud sample matrix. The study demonstrated that the synthesised polymer had a high affinity and good selectivity for either chloroacetamide or triazine classes of pesticide used as a template molecule during the molecularly imprinted polymerisation reaction. The MISPE procedure was optimised in terms of loading, washing and elution fractions utilising a range of aqueous methanol solutions for optimal recovery and minimal matrix interferences. The optimal wash fraction was 20% (v/v) methanol in an aqueous solution, whilst 70% (v/v) was used for the elution fraction. The selectivity, accuracy and recovery of the MISPEs were verified using a synthesised non-imprinted polymer and a commercial C18 cartridge as reference sorbents in comparative experiments. Approximately 3 g of the cannabis bud sample was spiked at a 0.05 mg/kg maximum residue limit (MRL) concentration. The recovery of the four selected pesticides extracted from the spiked samples ranged between 76.4-85.0% when utilising the optimised MISPE methods, compared to 91.6-96.9% for the C18 SPE. However, the use of the MISPE resulted in enhanced selectivity, as evidenced by GC-MS analysis, due to the extraction of less matrix interferences. Therefore, it can be concluded that the MISPE is a viable pre-treatment method for selective pesticide analysis in cannabis flowers using GC-MS when selectivity is valued for the extraction of target pesticides from a complex sample matrix.https://journals.co.za/journal/chemChemistr

Equidade de acesso à atenção básica em saúde bucal

The objective of this study was to demonstrate face validity with a novel resource allocation framework designed to maximize equity into dental booking systems. The study was carried out in 2014. Eleven experts in primary dental care practice in Southern Brazil participated, using a three-round consensus group technique. First, the experts reached consensus on the items to be included in a 5-level diagnostic scale. They identified 21 clinical conditions and categorized them according to the oral health intervention required. Then, they described workload and activity standards for dental staff to carry out health promotion, oral disease prevention, dental treatment, dental rehabilitation, and urgent dental care. Finally, they agreed upon a set of wait times for primary dental care, establishing maximum waits from 2 to 365 days, according to the diagnostic classification. The framework demonstrated potential ability to promote more equitable access to primary dental services, since equal diagnostic classifications share the same waiting times for the dental care they require.O objetivo do estudo foi demonstrar validade de face com uma nova matriz destinada a maximizar a equidade nos sistemas de agendamento odontológico. O estudo foi realizado em 2014, no qual participaram 11 dentistas com experiência de trabalho na rede básica de saúde da região sul do Brasil, utilizando a técnica de grupo de consenso em três rodadas de discussão. Primeiro, os participantes chegaram ao consenso quanto aos itens que deveriam estar presentes em uma escala de classificação diagnóstica de 5 níveis. Identificaram 21 condições clínicas de saúde bucal e as categorizaram conforme a intervenção necessária. A seguir, os participantes descreveram as cargas de trabalho e os padrões de atividade recomendados para a equipe odontológica realizar promoção da saúde, prevenção de doenças bucais, tratamento odontológico, reabilitação dentária, e atendimento odontológico de urgência. Por último, os dentistas chegaram ao consenso sobre tempos máximos de espera para atendimento odontológico na rede básica, estabelecendo prazos de 2 até 365 dias conforme a classificação diagnóstica atribuída. Este estudo demonstrou o potencial da matriz de alocação de recursos para promover acesso mais equitativo aos serviços odontológicos da rede básica, uma vez que classificações diagnósticas iguais compartilham os mesmos prazos de espera para o atendimento odontológico requerido

Occurrence of dental emergency events in primary health care services

The aim of this study was to describe the occurrence of dental emergency and its association with individual factors and primary health care services. A follow-up study was conducted with data extracted from an exploratory study about the classification of dental care needs over time according to a care framework. There were included 1831 patients of five services. The outcome was the occurrence of dental emergency analyzed according to sex, age, skin color, service and maximum waiting time for dental care. A multivariate analysis with Poisson regression was used to estimate weighted prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) and survival analysis was conducted. The prevalence of dental emergency was 12.6%, varying according to age (13–19: PRa =1.79 (95%CI: 1.0–3.21); 20–65: PRa = 2.71 (95%CI: 1.73–4.26); Over 65: PRa = 2.51 (95%CI: 1.41–4.46)) and Primary Health Care service (FHS 2: PRa = 2.20 (95%CI: 1.37–3.53), FHS 3: PRa = 1.43 (95%CI: 0.90–2.27); FHS 4: PRa = 3.25 (95%CI: 2.15–4.92), FHS 5: PRa = 2.49 (95%CI: 1.56–3.97)) For 231 cases classified as emergency, the failure rate was 7.4%. For 214 cases of emergency, the non-continuity after appointment rate was 53.7%. The incidence of dental emergency was 8.3% and recurrence was 7.2%. Considering all 262 emergency cases attended, the resolution rate was 93.5% and most cases (n = 252, 96.1%) received care within one day. The results point to high effectiveness in emergency dental care within Primary Health Care services. There are indications of the need for improvements in retention and continuity of care

Where are we? : The anatomy of the murine cortical meninges revisited for intravital imaging, immunology, and clearance of waste from the brain

Rapid progress is being made in understanding the roles of the cerebral meninges in the maintenance of normal brain function, in immune surveillance, and as a site of disease. Most basic research on the meninges and the neural brain is now done on mice, major attractions being the availability of reporter mice with fluorescent cells, and of a huge range of antibodies useful for immunocytochemistry and the characterization of isolated cells. In addition, two-photon microscopy through the unperforated calvaria allows intravital imaging of the undisturbed meninges with sub-micron resolution. The anatomy of the dorsal meninges of the mouse (and, indeed, of all mammals) differs considerably from that shown in many published diagrams: over cortical convexities, the outer layer, the dura, is usually thicker than the inner layer, the leptomeninx, and both layers are richly vascularized and innervated, and communicate with the lymphatic system. A membrane barrier separates them and, in disease, inflammation can be localized to one layer or the other, so experimentalists must be able to identify the compartment they are studying. Here, we present current knowledge of the functional anatomy of the meninges, particularly as it appears in intravital imaging, and review their role as a gateway between the brain, blood, and lymphatics, drawing on information that is scattered among works on different pathologies

Impact of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis on migrants on the move in Southern Africa:Implications for policy and practice

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) knows no borders and no single approach may produce a successful impact in controlling the pandemic in any country. In Southern Africa, where migration between countries is high mainly from countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to South Africa, there is limited understanding of how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the social and economic life of migrants and migrant communities. In this article, we share reflections on the impact of COVID-19 on people on the move within Southern Africa land border communities, examine policy, practice, and challenges affecting both the cross-border migrants and host communities. This calls for the need to assess whether the current response has been inclusive enough and does not perpetuate discriminatory responses. The lockdown and travel restrictions imposed during the various waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in SADC countries, more so in South Africa where the migrant population is high, denote that most migrants living with other comorbidities especially HIV/TB and who were enrolled in chronic care in their countries of origin were exposed to challenges of access to continued care. Further, migrants as vulnerable groups have low access to COVID-19 vaccines. This made them more vulnerable to deterioration of preexisting comorbidities and increased the risk of migrants becoming infected with COVID-19. It is unfortunate that certain disease outbreaks have been racialized, creating potential xenophobic environments and fear among migrant populations as well as gender inequalities in access to health care and livelihood. Therefore, a successful COVID-19 response and any future pandemics require a "whole system" approach as well as a regional coordinated humanitarian response approach if the devastating impacts on people on the move are to be lessened and effective control of the pandemic ensured

In vitro induction of quiescence in isolated primary human myoblasts

CITATION: Gudagudi, K. B. et al. 2020. In vitro induction of quiescence in isolated primary human myoblasts. Cytotechnology, 72:189–202. doi:10.1007/s10616-019-00365-8The original publication is available at https://www.springer.com/journal/10616/Adult skeletal muscle stem cells, satellite cells, remain in an inactive or quiescent state in vivo under physiological conditions. Progression through the cell cycle, including activation of quiescent cells, is a tightly regulated process. Studies employing in vitro culture of satellite cells, primary human myoblasts (PHMs), necessitate isolation myoblasts from muscle biopsies. Further studies utilizing these cells should endeavour to represent their native in vivo characteristics as closely as possible, also considering variability between individual donors. This study demonstrates the approach of utilizing KnockOut™ Serum Replacement (KOSR)-supplemented culture media as a quiescence-induction media for 10 days in PHMs isolated and expanded from three different donors. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that treatment resulted in an increase in G1 phase and decreased S phase proportions in all donors (p 98% over time from day 0 to day 10. In contrast activation (CD56), proliferation (Ki67) and myogenic marker MyoD decreased, indicated de-differentiation. Induction of quiescence was accompanied in all three clones by fold change in p21 mRNA greater than 3.5 and up to tenfold. After induction of quiescence, differentiation into myotubes was not affected. In conclusion, we describe a method to induce quiescence in PHMs from different donors.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10616-019-00365-8Publishers versio

Effects of vegetable oil pollution on aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblage in a freshwater wetland and its use as a remediation tool

The occurrence, as well as the environmental fate and impact, of vegetable oil spills in freshwater wetlands have until now been unreported. Thus, the largest global vegetable oil spillage in a freshwater wetland, which occurred at the Con Joubert Bird Sanctuary wetland in 2007, presented an ideal opportunity to evaluate these impacts. Five post-spill sampling sites were selected within the wetland from which a variety of abiotic and biotic samples were collected bimonthly over a period of 12 months. Abiotic variables included the sediment and water column oil concentrations, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), silica, chlorophyll a, as well as in situ measurements of pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were chosen as biotic indicators in the study field due to their wide applicability as water quality indicators and were thus collected at each site. Spatial and temporal changes in total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and chlorophyll a concentrations as well as changes in pH were observed. The oil spillage also resulted in an increase in tolerant macroinvertebrate taxa, mainly Chironomidae and Psychodidae, at the sites closest to the source of the spillage. These two taxa, and to a lesser extent, Syrphidae, were identified as potentially useful indicators to determine the extent of vegetable oil contamination within a freshwater wetland. Furthermore, monitoring of these indicator taxa can be a useful management tool to determine the recovery of freshwater wetlands after vegetable oil spills. In the study, a static battery of bioassays of different biotic trophic levels was also employed to determine the adverse effects of the spilled vegetable oil on the biotic environment. It was evident from the result of the static battery of bioassay that adverse effects of the sunflower oil differ between trophic levels. The latter was in relationship with the data obtained from the field macroinvertebrate study, indicating that certain macroinvertebrate families were more tolerant to the adverse effects of sunflower oil than other families.http://link.springer.com/journal/11270hb2014mn201