Effects of the Clean Water Act on Water Availability and Development

12 pages

Effects of the Clean Water Act on Water Availability and Development

12 pages

Identifying systems barriers that may prevent bereavement service access to bereaved carers: A report from an Australian specialist palliative care service

Background: Bereavement follow up is an integral element of palliative care. However, little is known about the systems that link bereavement services with bereaved carers. Aim: To map how effectively a specialist palliative care service linked bereavement service to bereaved carers. Methodology: A retrospective medical audit, using process mapping was undertaken within one Australian specialist palliative care service to identify the systems that linked bereavement services to a consecutive cohort of palliative care decedents (n=60) next of kin. Results: Bereavement records were located for 80% of decedents. Nearly all (98%) had a nominated next of kin, with just over half (54%) of those nominated contacted by bereavement services. Incomplete or missing contact details was the main reason (75%) that the bereavement service was unable to contact the decedents’ next of kin. Conclusion: Having access to a designated bereavement service can ensure that bereaved next of kin are contract routinely and in a timely way. However the effectiveness of this type of service is dependent upon the bereavement service having access to all relevant contact information. There are numerous opportunities to refine and strengthen the recording of palliative care next of kin details to optimize follow up

Towards zero solid waste: utilising tannery waste as a protein source for poultry feed

Zero waste is now a strongly emerging issue for sustainable industrial development where minimisation and utilisation of waste are a priority in the leather industry. In a tannery hides and skins converted in to leather through various processes. Approximately 20% (w/w) of the chrome containing tannery solid waste (TSW) is generated from one tonne of raw hides and skins. However, tannery solid waste may also be a resource if it is managed expertly as we move towards zero waste. This research illustrates the potential of tannery solid waste as a poultry feed additive. An oxidation method was used to achieve 95% of dechroming rate of chrome tanned waste followed with thermal and enzymatic treatment to produce gelatin solution and collagen concentrates. The thermal stability and fibre structure of samples were analysed by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Protein content and fourteen amino acid concentrations were determined using amino acid analysis. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to compare the amino acid composition with wheat and soya bean meal that is conventionally used in poultry feed. The nutrient requirements for poultry feed vary according to the purpose for which they have been developed. The high content of arginine, leucine, threonine, serine and methionine in the extract were of a sufficient level for poultry feed. Hexavalent chromium test was performed and showed that levels of the metal were low enough to be used in feed additives. In addition, the extracted product showed 75% digestibility (in vitro) and appears that treated TSW may be utilised in poultry feed, this demonstrates a clear example of waste utilisation. In Bangladesh plans are being formed to use the extract in poultry feed production

Comparison of the antibacterial activity of essential oils and extracts of medicinal and culinary herbs to investigate potential new treatments for irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND:Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, which may result from alteration of the gastrointestinal microbiota following gastrointestinal infection, or with intestinal dysbiosis or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This may be treated with antibiotics, but there is concern that widespread antibiotic use might lead to antibiotic resistance. Some herbal medicines have been shown to be beneficial, but their mechanism(s) of action remain incompletely understood. To try to understand whether antibacterial properties might be involved in the efficacy of these herbal medicines, and to investigate potential new treatments for IBS, we have conducted a preliminary study in vitro to compare the antibacterial activity of the essential oils of culinary and medicinal herbs against the bacterium, Esherichia coli.METHODS:Essential oils were tested for their ability to inhibit E. coli growth in disc diffusion assays and in liquid culture, and to kill E. coli in a zone of clearance assay. Extracts of coriander, lemon balm and spearmint leaves were tested for their antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion assay. Disc diffusion and zone of clearance assays were analysed by two-tailed t tests whereas ANOVA was performed for the turbidometric assays.RESULTS:Most of the oils exhibited antibacterial activity in all three assays, however peppermint, lemon balm and coriander seed oils were most potent, with peppermint and coriander seed oils being more potent than the antibiotic rifaximin in the disc diffusion assay. The compounds present in these oils were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Finally, extracts were made of spearmint, lemon balm and coriander leaves with various solvents and these were tested for their antibacterial activity against E. coli in the disc diffusion assay. In each case, extracts made with ethanol and methanol exhibited potent antibacterial activity.CONCLUSIONS:Many of the essential oils had antibacterial activity in the three assays, suggesting that they would be good candidates for testing in clinical trials. The observed antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of coriander, lemon balm and spearmint leaves suggests a mechanistic explanation for the efficacy of a mixture of coriander, lemon balm and mint extracts against IBS in a published clinical trial

Tumbled Identities: Negotiating Invisible Disabilities and Sexual Orientation

Produced by The Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, The Frank Sawyer School of Management, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, and The School of Social Sciences, The University of of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas for The Society for Disability Studies

Quality Enhancement Through Goal-Setting: Examining the Effects of Goal Attributes and Feedback on Performance.

A laboratory experiment, using 165 students, was conducted to assess the effects of goal type (quantity vs quality), goal difficulty (difficult vs easy), goal specificity (specific vs nonspecific), and feedback type (goal-discrepant vs strategic) on performance. Subjects were asked to perform a heuristic task, appropriate for the assessment of both quantity and quality performance. Results indicated: (a) the provision of quality feedback will increase effort and will improve quality performance; (b) individuals value quality feedback more than they value quantity feedback; (c) individuals are more accurate in their prediction of quantity performance than they are in their prediction of quality performance; (d) the provision of strategic feedback results in better quality performance than the provision of only goal-discrepant feedback. However, strategic feedback does not encourage any more planning than goal-discrepant feedback; (e) quality goal specificity does not reduce inter-individual quality performance variability, but does reduce intra-individual quality performance variability; (f) providing a quality goal will improve quality performance, even before feedback is provided, (g) before feedback, individuals with difficult quality goals will not perform any better qualitatively than individuals with easy quality goals. However, after feedback, quality goal difficulty does make a difference; (h) feedback can help individuals accurately direct attention to areas of performance deficiency; and (i) multiple goals which are easy evoke more positive affective reactions (higher goal commitment and performance satisfaction, less goal conflict, and lower perceptions of goal difficulty) than multiple goals which are difficult. The results of this study not only contribute to the theoretical refinement of the goal-setting paradigm, but also suggest directions for including quality goal-setting within a total quality management paradigm

WORKING IN SECURE CHILDREN’S HOMES WITH JUSTICE-INVOLVED CHILDREN: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF CHILDREN AND THEIR OFFENCES

The youth justice system oversees the management of justice-involved children. It allows for detention in young offender institutions, secure training centres and secure children’s homes. The youngest and most vulnerable children are placed in secure children’s homes. The literature identifies that most children in custody have traumatic histories but are generally perceived negatively. There is a large body of literature on this subject but less on how the staff that work in the children’s secure estate perceive the children and their offences. This research focuses on this gap in knowledge. It asks: What are staff perceptions about the children they work with? What influences staff perceptions about the children they work with? A qualitative method, underpinned by a social constructivist position, yielded a co-constructed ‘reality’ between the researcher and the participants. This revealed that perceptions of justice-involved children are context reliant, related to staff personal histories and their work settings. Overall, staff perceived children as ‘child first, offender second’ with histories as ‘victims’ and with complex needs. Such accounts were, however, qualified, with the characteristics of the child, the offence type and current behaviour all having an impact, as did the setting. The recommendations highlight the need for further research exploring the factors behind perception of ‘child first, offender second’ approaches. There is also a need for research that foregrounds the voices of children, particularly girls. Practice recommendations include promotion of culture change through critical enquiry and challenge; the need to develop service/staffing structure and roles; and recruitment processes. Support systems such as supervision are recommended as is staff development in specific areas, for example for those working with young people who self-harm or who have learning difficulties