Peg Penetration in Three Commercially Important Tasmanian Eucalypt Species

Commercially important species of Tasmanian hardwood timber were immersed in 30% (v/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG) of molecular weights 400, 600, and 1000 and incubated up to seven days at three temperatures (30°C, 45°C, 60°C). Slices obtained from the incubated timber samples were stained with cobalt thiocyanate to indicate the depth of penetration by PEG 400, 600, or 1000 after incubation from two to seven days at the various temperatures. Analysis of the data showed that there was an observable difference in the rate of penetration between each species of eucalypt used in the trial. Incubation time, temperature, and PEG molecular weight were all factors affecting the rate of PEG penetration in a linear fashion and basic density (BD) was the physical property that best supported the trends in this study. This paper is a baseline study that provides the foundation for the quantification and prediction of the movement of PEG into three species of Tasmanian eucalypt timber

Better arthritis care: what training do community-based health professionals need to improve their care of people with arthritis? a Delphi study

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify the competencies that non-specialist community-based nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs) need to enable them to assess, care for and manage arthritis appropriately. Methods A Delphi survey with an expert panel of 43 rheumatology specialists and expert patients was used to identify the competencies needed by community-based nurses and AHPs to enable them to improve their care of people with arthritis. The process was informed by feedback from focus groups with arthritis patients, community-based nurses and AHPs. Results The core competencies in arthritis care needed by non-specialist community-based nurses and AHPs were identified. The key goals identified were to increase the understanding of arthritis and its impact on patients’ lives, and to increase the ability to help patients to self-manage their condition and access support. Competencies included an understanding of the pathology underlying inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthritis, the ability to distinguish between the two and the ability to recognize early warning signs, with an emphasis on osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis, gout and septic arthritis. Essential competencies included the ability to engage in shared decision making, goal setting and signposting, to provide patients with education and information and to make appropriate referrals. Conclusions Health professionals working in the community commonly encounter arthritis as a presenting problem or as a co-morbidity. The quality of care provided to people with inflammatory arthritis and OA in the community is currently variable. The present study identified the core competencies that all community-based nurses and AHPs should have in relation to OA and inflammatory arthritis

A lack of confirmation with alternative assays questions the validity of IL-17A expression in human neutrophils using immunohistochemistry

We identified IL-17A-positive neutrophils in Wolbachia-positive Onchocerca volvulus nodules using an antibody that has previously reported IL-17A-positive neutrophils in several inflammatory conditions. However, we could not detect IL-17A using a range of alternative assays. Our data question the IL-17A antibody specificity and the ability of human neutrophils to express IL-17A

A spatial investigation of the environmental controls over cryoconite aggregation on Longyearbreen glacier, Svalbard.

A cryoconite granule is a near-spherical aggregation of biota and abiotic particles found upon glacier surfaces. Recently, microstructural studies have revealed that photosynthetic microorganisms and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are omnipresent within cryoconite granules and have suggested their importance as biological "forming factors". To assess these forming factors, and their biological control over aggregate size and stability, across a typical Arctic valley glacier surface, a suite of rapid, spectrophotometric, microplate methods were utilised. Subsequent spatial mapping of these data revealed distinct patterns. Labile carbohydrates were found to increase up-glacier, suggestive of EPS production for cryoprotection and nutrient assimilation. Conversely, pigment concentrations were found to increase towards the glacier terminus and valley sides, suggestive of allochthonous input, a general reduction in physical disturbance and of the build-up of photosynthetic pigments and less labile cyanobacterial sheath material. Aggregate size was found to increase towards the glacier edges, linked to the input of particulate matter from the valley sides, and to broadly increase down-glacier, in the same way as pigment concentrations. Statistical analyses of transect data revealed that the photoautotrophic count and carbohydrate–chlorophyll ratio of the cryoconite sampled could explain 83% of the measured variation in aggregate size and stability. Considering solely aggregate size, the number and length of photoautotrophic filaments could explain 92% of the variation in this parameter. These findings demonstrate the two-dimensional distribution of key biological controls upon cryoconite aggregation for the first time, and highlight the importance of filamentous cyanobacteria and EPS production to the development of stable cryoconite granules

The Government Contracts Reference Book: A Comprehensive Guide to the Language of Procurement

This book - first published in 1992 and now in its fifth edition - is intended to offer concise, comprehensive information to the practitioner of the art of government contracting. Looking up a key term, the reader can find a definition, followed by a summary of where the term is used in the statutes or regulations dealing with the procurement process. The book also includes references to literature where the term is more fully discussed. The book is not designed as a standalone encyclopedia: it is a first reference, pointing the user to additional sources as needed. The book makes it clear that government contracting is complex, and the rules cannot be gleaned from a single source such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation. They can only be learned from constant reading of reference materials and textbooks—not to mention decisions of the courts, boards of contract appeals, and the Government Accountability Office. Navigating the waters of government procurement is an arduous task, and this book is intended as an aid in that journey. The authors fully understand that it is impossible to make the book fully comprehensive. While this edition is (again) expanded, we know additional terms could be added. We welcome readers to let us know of terms that should be included in the next edition