Reasons for Prosecutorial Decisions

In terms of the prosecuting policy of the National Prosecuting Authority reasons for the exercise of prosecutorial discretions should be furnished on request of persons with a legitimate interest in the decisions. In general only the broad reasons should be provided and not the specific particulars of the decision. This approach is based on two important policy considerations. The first is that the decisions of the prosecuting authority should be transparent since it is a requirement for upholding the legality principle. The second is that the furnishing of specific particulars could result in a violation of the rights of individuals, for example it could create doubt about the innocence of a person without him or her ever having been subjected to a criminal trial. This contribution investigates issues such as the nature of the duty to provide reasons for prosecutorial decisions, the identification of the parties that are entitled to the reasons for a particular prosecutorial decision, and the furnishing of reasons in order to enhance the judicial review of prosecutorial decisions.   &nbsp

Short-term stability in refractive status despite large fluctuations in glucose levels in diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2

Purpose: This work investigates how short-term changes in blood glucose concentration affect the refractive components of the diabetic eye in patients with long-term Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Methods: Blood glucose concentration, refractive error components (mean spherical equivalent MSE, J0, J45), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), crystalline lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL) and ocular aberrations were monitored at two-hourly intervals over a 12-hour period in: 20 T1DM patients (mean age ± SD) 38±14 years, baseline HbA1c 8.6±1.9%; 21 T2DM patients (mean age ± SD) 56±11 years, HbA1c 7.5±1.8%; and in 20 control subjects (mean age ± SD) 49±23 years, HbA1c 5.5±0.5%. The refractive and biometric results were compared with the corresponding changes in blood glucose concentration. Results: Blood glucose concentration at different times was found to vary significantly within (p0.05). Minor changes of marginal statistical or optical significance were observed in some biometric parameters. Similarly there were some marginally significant differences between the baseline biometric parameters of well-controlled and poorly-controlled diabetic subjects. Conclusion: This work suggests that normal, short-term fluctuations (of up to about 6 mM/l on a timescale of a few hours) in the blood glucose levels of diabetics are not usually associated with acute changes in refractive error or ocular wavefront aberrations. It is therefore possible that factors other than refractive error fluctuations are sometimes responsible for the transient visual problems often reported by diabetic patients

Landscape history, time lags and drivers of change : urban natural grassland remnants in Potchefstroom, South Africa

The history of the landscape directly affects biotic assemblages, resulting in time lags in species response to disturbances. In highly fragmented environments, this phenomenon often causes extinction debts. However, few studies have been carried out in urban settings. To determine if there are time lags in the response of temperate natural grasslands to urbanization. Does it differ for indigenous species and for species indicative of disturbance and between woody and open grasslands? Do these time lags change over time? What are the potential landscape factors driving these changes? What are the corresponding vegetation changes? In 1995 and 2012 vegetation sampling was carried out in 43 urban grassland sites. We calculated six urbanization and landscape measures in a 500 m buffer area surrounding each site for 1938, 1961, 1970, 1994, 1999, 2006, and 2010. We used generalized linear models and model selection to determine which time period best predicted the contemporary species richness patterns. Woody grasslands showed time lags of 20-40 years. Contemporary open grassland communities were, generally, associated with more contemporary landscapes. Altitude and road network density of natural areas were the most frequent predictors of species richness. The importance of the predictors changed between the different models. Species richness, specifically, indigenous herbaceous species, declined from 1995 to 2012. The history of urbanization affects contemporary urban vegetation assemblages. This indicates potential extinction debts, which have important consequences for biodiversity conservation planning and sustainable future scenarios.Peer reviewe

Clinical practice: Breastfeeding and the prevention of allergy

The increase in allergic disease prevalence has led to heightened interest in the factors determining allergy risk, fuelled by the hope that by influencing these factors one could reduce the prevalence of allergic conditions. The most important modifiable risk factors for allergy are maternal smoking behaviour and the type of feeding. A smoke-free environment for the child (to be), exclusive breastfeeding for 4–6 months and the postponement of supplementary feeding (solids) until 4 months of age are the main measures considered effective. There is no place for restricted diets during pregnancy or lactation. Although meta-analyses suggest that hypoallergenic formula after weaning from breastfeeding grants protection against the development of allergic disease, the evidence is limited and weak. Moreover, all current feeding measures aiming at allergy prevention fail to show effects on allergic manifestations later in life, such as asthma. In conclusion, the allergy preventive effect of dietary interventions in infancy is limited. Counselling of future parents on allergy prevention should pay attention to these limitations

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

The effect of compensatory growth on feed intake, growth rate, body composition and efficiency of feed utilization in Dorper sheep

Forty-eight Dorper lambs, comprising 24 ram and 24 ewe lambs, were divided into four groups of six ram and six ewe lambs each and were allocated to one of the following feeding levels: ad libitum, 80%, 65% or 50% of ad libitum intake. The ad libitum diet had a metabolizable energy content of 10,15 MJ /kg and a crude protein content of 15,44%. The lambs were weaned at 120 days (mean weaning mass = 24,3 = 4,3 kg). After the nine-week restriction phase, all lambs were given ad libitum feeding until the ewe lambs reached a body mass of 45 kg and ram lambs a mass of 55 kg. Daily feed intake, growth rate and efficiency of feed utilization werecalculated during the restriction and realimentation phases. During the restriction phase, digestibility of the diet increased whereas growth rate and efficiency of feed utilization decreased with increasing restriction. With the onset of the realimentation phase, the ME intake of ewe and ram lambs increased with decreasing ad libitum intake. The growth rates of ewe lambs increased at the same point by 8,9%, 45,8% and 251,4%, and those of ram lambs by 104,5%,104,6% and 174,2% at the 80%, 65% and 50% intake levels respectively. In spite of the increase in growth rate during the realimentation phase, the growth rate of the restricted ewe lambs could not better or equal the growth rate of the ad libitum group at a specific live mass, while the growth rate of the restricted ram lambs bettered the rate of the ad libitum group. No differences in the total amount of protein in the body could be detected between sexes on the respective feeding levels. The deposition rate of protein decreased progressively as the restriction during the restriction phase increased. During the realimentation phase, protein deposition of all the previously restricted groups increased, while that of the ad libitum group declined slightly. No differences within sex groups in the proportion of fat at different body masses could be detectedbetween different feeding levels. The deposition rate of fat declined progressively as the restriction during the restriction phase increased. Feeding levels did not affect the fat: protein ratio of ewe and ram lambs. According to data collected during the trial, the efficiency of feed utilization in ewe lambs decreased with an increase in restriction in feed intake, while that of ram lambs increased.'n Totaal van 48 Dorperskape, bestaande uit 24 ram- en 24 ooilammers, is in vier grocpe van ses ram- en ses ooilammers elk verdeel en is aan een van die volgende vier behandclings toegeken: ad libitum, 80%, 65% of 50% van ad libitum-inname. Die ad libitumrantsoen het 'n metaboliseerbare energie-inhoud van 10,15 MJ /kg en 'n totale ruprote'ieninhoud van 15,44% gehad. Lammers is op 12D-dae-ouderdom gespeen (gemiddelde speenmassa = 24,3 = 4,3 kg). Na die beperkingsfase van nege weke het die diere ad libitumvoeding ontvang totdat die ooie 'n liggaamsmassa van 45 kg, en ramme 55 kg, bereik het. Daaglikse voerinnames, groeitempo's en doeltreffendheid van voerverbruik gedurende die beperkings- en realimentasiefases is beraam. Gedurende die beperkingsfase het die verteerbaarheid van die dieet verhoog maar die grocitempo's en doeltreffendheid van voerverbruik het afgeneem. Met die aanvang van die rcalimentasiefase het die innames van ooilammers met 1,5%, 28,3% en 92,1 % onderskeidelik op die 80%, 65% en die 50% adlibitum-innames gestyg, en die van ramlammers met 16,5%, 34,6% en 48,7% onderskeidelik. By dieselfde punt het die groeitempo's van ooilammers met 8,9%,45,8% en 251,4% en die van ramlammers met 104,5%, 104,6% en 174,2% op die 80%, 65% en die 50% ad libitum-innames gestyg. Ten spyte van die  verhoogde grocitempo gedurende hierdie fase kon die grocitempo's van die beperkteooie nie die tempo's van die ad libitum-grocp ewenaar of verbeter nie. Die  groeitempo's van die beperkte ramlammers was deurgaans beter as die van die ad libitum-groep. Geen verskille in die totale hoeveelheid proteien in die liggame van ooie en ramme op die onderskeie vocdingspeile, kon gevind word nie. Die tempo van prote'ienneerlegging het gedurende die beperkingsfase progressief metdie graad van beperking afgencem. Gedurende die realimentasiefase het 'n verhoging in prote'ienncerlegging by alle beperkingsgrocpe voorgekom. Geen verskille in die totale hoe\'eelheid vet in die liggame van ooie en ramme kon tussen die onderskeie voedingspeile gevind word nie. Die vetneerleggingstempo het met 'n toename in graad van beperking gedurende die beperkingsfase afgeneem. Voedingspeile het nie 'n invloed op die vet: prote'ienverhouding van ooie en ramlammers gehad nie. Vol gens die totale doeltreffendheid van vocrverbruik gedurende die hele procfperiode het die doeltreffendheid van ooilammers afgeneem met 'n toename in vocdingsbeperking, terwyl die van ramlammers verbeter het.

Exogenous ethylene shortens the prerequisite cold storage period for normal ripening of 'Forelle' pears.

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