What disability? I am a leader! Understanding leadership in HE from a disability perspective

This article is based on the findings of an externally funded, mixed-methods research project conducted at one English university. This small-scale project aimed to examine leadership, barriers to becoming a leader and the support needed to overcome them, from the perspectives of disabled staff. An online questionnaire was sent to all 66 members of staff who had disclosed their disabled status to the university and 22 responses were received. Twelve participants were then interviewed as two focus groups to discuss their views on leadership and its relation to their role. Six more respondents opted for individual face-to-face/telephone interviews. The findings indicated that over half of the respondents were already engaged in ‘formal’ leadership and even more exercised ‘informal’ leadership. This key finding seems to contradict the under-representation of disabled academics in leadership reported in the literature. Despite their engagement in leadership, disabled staff faced several institutional and personal barriers. The findings suggest that having an impairment per se might not necessarily deter disabled staff from exercising leadership. A number of support strategies are recommended to facilitate their participation in (formal) leadership

Comparison of the adhesion ability of Candida albicans strains to biotic and abiotic surfaces

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the ability of oral Candida albicans strains to adhere to Caco-2 and Hep-2 epithelial cells, to produce slime using Congo red and Safranin methods and to form a biofilm on polymethylmethacrylate. A total of 20 C. albicans strains were tested in the present work. The biofilm formed by C. albicans isolates on acrylic denture was measured in vitro using the colorimetric method based on the reduction of the tetrazolium salt (XTT) and dry weight measurement. Our results showed that oral C. albicans strains were able to adhere to epithelial cell lines and biomaterials with different degree. In fact, more than 61% of the tested strains were adhesive to Hep-2 and 83% to Caco-2 cells. Strong slime production after safranin stain was found in 40% of strains. Slime producer C. albicans strains (16 strains) tested by safranin staining method were highly adhesive to Hep-2 (62.5%) and Caco-2 (87.5%) monolayers and biofilm formed on polystyrene and poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces (100%, respectively).Key words: Candida albicans, biofilm, polymethylmethacrylate, Hep-2, Caco-2 cells, slime production

Discriminant Analysis of Deaf Persons Communication Systems

Deaf persons, in their communications, use verbal and non-verbal communication systems, as well as bilingual communication. The aim of this article is to determine which communication system the deaf people prefer, and to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the sub-samples of the respondents in the preference of the communication systems using discriminant analysis. Study findings have shown that deaf people prefer a non-verbal communication system and a bilingual manner of communicating, and do not reject the verbal communication system because it is essential to communicating with hearers but, they do not prefer it. Discriminant analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between the sub-groups of the respondents at a statistical significance level of 0.01

Discriminant Analysis of Deaf Persons Communication Systems

Deaf persons, in their communications, use verbal and non-verbal communication systems, as well as bilingual communication. The aim of this article is to determine which communication system the deaf people prefer, and to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the sub-samples of the respondents in the preference of the communication systems using discriminant analysis. Study findings have shown that deaf people prefer a non-verbal communication system and a bilingual manner of communicating, and do not reject the verbal communication system because it is essential to communicating with hearers but, they do not prefer it. Discriminant analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between the sub-groups of the respondents at a statistical significance level of 0.01

Skeletal muscle MRI differentiates SBMA and ALS and correlates with disease severity

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of muscle MRI for the differential diagnosis and as a disease progression biomarker for 2 major forms of motor neuron disorders: spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). // METHODS: We applied quantitative 3-point Dixon and semiquantitative T1-weighted and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) imaging to bulbar and lower limb muscles and performed clinical and functional assessments in ALS (n = 21) and SBMA (n = 21), alongside healthy controls (n = 16). Acquired images were analyzed for the presence of fat infiltration or edema as well as specific patterns of muscle involvement. Quantitative MRI measurements were correlated with clinical measures of disease severity in ALS and SBMA. // RESULTS: Quantitative imaging revealed significant fat infiltration in bulbar (p < 0.001) and limb muscles in SBMA compared to controls (thigh: p < 0.001; calf: p = 0.001), identifying a characteristic pattern of muscle involvement. In ALS, semiquantitative STIR imaging detected marked hyperintensities in lower limb muscles, distinguishing ALS from SBMA and controls. Finally, MRI measurements correlated significantly with clinical scales of disease severity in both ALS and SBMA. // CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that muscle MRI differentiates between SBMA and ALS and correlates with disease severity, supporting its use as a diagnostic tool and biomarker for disease progression. This highlights the clinical utility of muscle MRI in motor neuron disorders and contributes to establish objective outcome measures, which is crucial for the development of new drugs

World Addiction Medicine Reports : formation of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Global Expert Network (ISAM-GEN) and Its global surveys

Funding: All the infrastructure funding of this initiative is supported by the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM). We will be open to fundraising for specific projects within the platform and future collaboration with external partners.Addiction medicine is a dynamic field that encompasses clinical practice and research in the context of societal, economic, and cultural factors at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This field has evolved profoundly during the past decades in terms of scopes and activities with the contribution of addiction medicine scientists and professionals globally. The dynamic nature of drug addiction at the global level has resulted in a crucial need for developing an international collaborative network of addiction societies, treatment programs and experts to monitor emerging national, regional, and global concerns. This protocol paper presents methodological details of running longitudinal surveys at national, regional, and global levels through the Global Expert Network of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM-GEN). The initial formation of the network with a recruitment phase and a round of snowball sampling provided 354 experts from 78 countries across the globe. In addition, 43 national/regional addiction societies/associations are also included in the database. The surveys will be developed by global experts in addiction medicine on treatment services, service coverage, co-occurring disorders, treatment standards and barriers, emerging addictions and/or dynamic changes in treatment needs worldwide. Survey participants in categories of (1) addiction societies/associations, (2) addiction treatment programs, (3) addiction experts/clinicians and (4) related stakeholders will respond to these global longitudinal surveys. The results will be analyzed and cross-examined with available data and peer-reviewed for publication.Peer reviewe

Recognition and Naming of the Sentence Content in Deaf Children Through Verbal and Non-verbal Approach

The aim of the research is to determine the effects on the recognition and naming of certain sentence structures through a verbal and non-verbal approach, or through the use of a verbal and non-verbal communication channel. The study was conducted on a sample of 30 deaf pupils at age from 11 to 14 years. As a measurement instrument, a modified image description test was used. The test consisted of six complexes, illustrated sentences, in which the actions and subjects performing certain actions are shown in the picture sequence in a way that deaf children understand. The descriptive analysis method was used for data processing. Measures of central tendencies and variations have been made. Testing the difference between verbal and non-verbal approach was performed by t-test. The correlation between the chronological age and the recognition and naming of the spoken structures were verified through the non-verbal approach. The results of the research have shown that respondents have achieved better results in recognizing and naming spoken content using the non-verbal communication channel, that there is a statistically significant difference in the use of verbal and non-verbal communication approaches in recognizing and naming spoken content, and that there is a high correlation between the chronological age of respondents and recognizing and naming of spoken content through a non-verbal approach

Factor Analysis of Deaf Persons Communication Systems

Deaf persons, in relation to their psychophysical abilities and their mindset, uses a non-verbal communication system spontaneously in which they are trained through their education, verbal communication system in which they are systematically educated through the process of education and re/habilitation, and a bilingual system of communication that implies simultaneous use of both verbal and non-verbal communication system. The aim of the study was to determine the latent space between the communication systems of the deaf and to define the factors indicating preference for the particular communication system. By the method of the main components, using the slanting latent solution (Ortoblique rotation), we evaluated the latent structure of sample patterns according to preference of certain forms of communication systems and PB criteria extracted five factors that define the latent space of preferred communication systems bdquoFactor preferring nonverbal communication systemldquo, bdquoFactor of bilingvistic orientation as preferred communication systemldquo, bdquoFactor of segregation approach as approach to communicationldquo, bdquoBilingual communication factorldquo, and bdquoFactor of positive relations to all modes of communicationldquo

Extracellular enzymes and adhesive properties of medically important Candida spp. strains from landfill leachate.

The virulence properties of Candida spp. presents in landfill leachate still unknown until today and they constitutes a serious source of potential danger for humans. We investigate the antifungal susceptibility, production of hydrolytic enzymes and biofilm formation on polystyrene as well as glass in Candida spp. strains isolated from a landfill leachate treatment station in Borj Chakir (Tunisia). 37 yeast strains were isolated belonging to the following species: C. robusta, C. lusitaniae, C. tropicalis, C. krusei. Most isolated yeast strains were resistant to Amphotericin B, produced several hydrolytic enzymes (67.56% produced phospholipase, 86.04% protease, 64.86% esterase) and most of them are able to degrade hemoglobin. All assayed Candida strains have been able to form biofilm on polystyrene depending on the species and strain of Candida. Landfills receiving clinical waste are a potential source of Candida ssp. strains with several virulence properties which allow them to survive in different aquatic biotopes