London Borough of Wandsworth report on lake monitoring programme April 1999-January 2000

This is the second annual report commissioned by Wandsworth Borough Council to assess the progress of the London Lakes Project. The first report, produced in April 1999, made an assessment of the success of the Lakes Project following the major lake management programme carried out in 1994. It examined monitoring data collected by SGS Environment Ltd. between 1994 and 1996 in addition to the monitoring data collected by ENSIS Ltd. since October 1997. This second annual report follows a second year of standardised monitoring (April 1999-January 2000) that enables a clearer comparison with the previously monitored year (April 1998-January 1999). In particular the report focuses on whether the lake improvements are progressing, levelling out, or declining. This question is examined on a site-by-site basis for all seven monitored sites (Battersea Park Main Lake, Battersea Park Ladies Pool, King George's Park Lake, Tooting Common Lake, Graveney Common Pond and Wandsworth Common Lake and Stock Pond), followed by a general summary

Psychological distress, burnout and personality traits in Dutch anaesthesiologists

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stressors in anaesthesiology: development and validation of a new questionnaire: A cross-sectional study of Portuguese anaesthesiologists

BACKGROUND: Stress in anaesthesiologists is a common and multifactorial problem related to patients, colleagues and organisations. The consequences of stress include depression, work-home conflicts and burnout. Reduction in stress can be achieved by reducing the number and magnitude of stressors or by increasing resilience strategies. OBJECTIVES: We have created the self-reporting 'Stress Questionnaire in Anaesthesiologists' (SQA), to qualify the sources of stress in anaesthesiologists' professional lives, and measure the level of associated stress. Our study aimed to develop and validate the SQA using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Construct validity was assessed through correlations between SQA and negative psychological outcomes as well as by comparing perception of stress among different known groups. DESIGN: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional, correlational, observational study. SETTINGS: The study was conducted between January 2014 and December 2014, throughout different anaesthesia departments in Portuguese hospitals. Data collection was from a representative subset at one specific time point. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 710 anaesthesia specialists and residents from Portugal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was to identify specific stressors in anaesthesiologists. Secondary outcome was the association between stressors and burnout, depression symptoms, anxiety, stress, rumination, satisfaction with life and functional impairment. RESULTS: The exploratory analysis showed the SQA is a tri-dimensional instrument and confirmatory analysis showed the tri-dimensional structure presented good model fit. The three dimensions of SQA correlated positively with other stress measures and burnout, but negatively with satisfaction with life. CONCLUSION: SQA is a well adjusted measure for assessing stressors in anaesthesia physicians and includes clinical, organisational and team stress factors. Results showed that the SQA is a robust and reliable instrument.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The SIMPLE Phase II Dark Matter Search

Phase II of SIMPLE (Superheated Instrument for Massive ParticLe Experiments) searched for astroparticle dark matter using superheated liquid C$_{2}$ClF$_{5}$ droplet detectors. Each droplet generally requires an energy deposition with linear energy transfer (LET) $\gtrsim$ 150 keV/$\mu$m for a liquid-to-gas phase transition, providing an intrinsic rejection against minimum ionizing particles of order 10$^{-10}$, and reducing the backgrounds to primarily $\alpha$ and neutron-induced recoil events. The droplet phase transition generates a millimetric-sized gas bubble which is recorded by acoustic means. We describe the SIMPLE detectors, their acoustic instrumentation, and the characterizations, signal analysis and data selection which yield a particle-induced, "true nucleation" event detection efficiency of better than 97% at a 95% C.L. The recoil-$\alpha$ event discrimination, determined using detectors first irradiated with neutrons and then doped with alpha emitters, provides a recoil identification of better than 99%; it differs from those of COUPP and PICASSO primarily as a result of their different liquids with lower critical LETs. The science measurements, comprising two shielded arrays of fifteen detectors each and a total exposure of 27.77 kgd, are detailed. Removal of the 1.94 kgd Stage 1 installation period data, which had previously been mistakenly included in the data, reduces the science exposure from 20.18 to 18.24 kgd and provides new contour minima of $\sigma_{p}$ = 4.3 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ pb at 35 GeV/c$^{2}$ in the spin-dependent sector of WIMP-proton interactions and $\sigma_{N}$ = 3.6 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ pb at 35 GeV/c$^{2}$ in the spin-independent sector. These results are examined with respect to the fluorine spin and halo parameters used in the previous data analysis.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures; accepted Physical Review

Factors involved in ubiquitination and deubiquitination of PEX5, the peroxisomal shuttling receptor

Peroxisomal matrix proteins are synthesized on cytosolic ribosomes and post-translationally targeted to the organelle by the soluble factor PEX5. Besides a role as a receptor, and probably as a chaperone, PEX5 also holds the key to the matrix of the organelle. Indeed, the available data suggest that PEX5 itself pushes these proteins across the peroxisomal membrane using as driving force the strong protein-protein interactions that it establishes with components of the peroxisomal membrane docking/translocation module (DTM). In recent years, much has been learned on how this transport system is reset and kept fine-tuned. Notably, this involves covalent modification of PEX5 with ubiquitin. Two types of PEX5 ubiquitination have been characterized: monoubiquitination at a conserved cysteine, a mandatory event for the extraction of PEX5 from the DTM; and polyubiquitination, probably the result of a quality control mechanism aiming at clearing the DTM from entangled PEX5 molecules. Monoubiquitination of PEX5 is transient in nature and the factors that reverse this modification have recently been identified.This work was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Programme — COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-019731 (PTDC/BIA-BCM/118577/2010). T. A. R., T. F., M. P. P. and C. P. G. are supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Programa Operacional Potencial Humano do QREN, and Fundo Social Europeu. A. F. C. is supported by Programa Ciência, funded by Programa Operacional Potencial Humano do QREN, Tipologia 4.2, Promoção do Emprego Científico, by Fundo Social Europeu and by national funds from Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior

Ubiquitin in the peroxisomal protein import pathway

PEX5 is the shuttling receptor for newly synthesized peroxisomal matrix proteins. Alone, or with the help of an adaptor protein, this receptor binds peroxisomal matrix proteins in the cytosol and transports them to the peroxisomal membrane docking/translocation module (DTM). The interaction between cargo-loaded PEX5 and the DTM ultimately results in its insertion into the DTM with the concomitant translocation of the cargo protein across the organelle membrane. PEX5 is not consumed in this event; rather it is dislocated back into the cytosol so that it can promote additional rounds of protein transportation. Remarkably, the data collected in recent years indicate that dislocation is preceded by monoubiquitination of PEX5 at a conserved cysteine residue. This mandatory modification is not the only type of ubiquitination occurring at the DTM. Indeed, several findings suggest that defective receptors jamming the DTM are polyubiquitinated and targeted to the proteasome for degradation.This work was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Programme e COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT e Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-019731 (PTDC/BIA-BCM/118577/2010). T.F., T.A.R., M.P.P. and C.P.G. are supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Programa Operacional Potencial Humano do QREN, and Fundo Social Europeu. A.F.C. is supported by Programa Ciência, funded by Programa Operacional Potencial Humano do QREN, Tipologia 4.2, Promoção do Emprego Científico, by Fundo Social Europeu and by National Funds from Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior

Cooling interventions for athletes: An overview of effectiveness, physiological mechanisms, and practical considerations.

Exercise-induced increases in core body temperature could negative impact performance and may lead to development of heat-related illnesses. The use of cooling techniques prior (pre-cooling), during (per-cooling) or directly after (post-cooling) exercise may limit the increase in core body temperature and therefore improve exercise performance. The aim of the present review is to provide a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge in the field of pre-cooling, per-cooling and post-cooling. Based on existing studies, we will discuss 1) the effectiveness of cooling interventions, 2) the underlying physiological mechanisms and 3) practical considerations regarding the use of different cooling techniques. Furthermore, we tried to identify the optimal cooling technique and compared whether cooling-induced performance benefits are different between cool, moderate and hot ambient conditions. This article provides researchers, physicians, athletes and coaches with important information regarding the implementation of cooling techniques to maintain exercise performance and to successfully compete in thermally stressful conditions

Prior Mating Experience Modulates the Dispersal of Drosophila in Males More Than in Females

Cues from both an animal’s internal physiological state and its local environment may influence its decision to disperse. However, identifying and quantifying the causative factors underlying the initiation of dispersal is difficult in uncontrolled natural settings. In this study, we automatically monitored the movement of fruit flies and examined the influence of food availability, sex, and reproductive status on their dispersal between laboratory environments. In general, flies with mating experience behave as if they are hungrier than virgin flies, leaving at a greater rate when food is unavailable and staying longer when it is available. Males dispersed at a higher rate and were more active than females when food was unavailable, but tended to stay longer in environments containing food than did females. We found no significant relationship between weight and activity, suggesting the behavioral differences between males and females are caused by an intrinsic factor relating to the sex of a fly and not simply its body size. Finally, we observed a significant difference between the dispersal of the natural isolate used throughout this study and the widely-used laboratory strain, Canton-S, and show that the difference cannot be explained by allelic differences in the foraging gene

Outcomes of TB Treatment by HIV Status in National Recording Systems in Brazil, 2003–2008

BACKGROUND: Although the Brazilian national reporting system for tuberculosis cases (SINAN) has enormous potential to generate data for policy makers, formal assessments of treatment outcomes and other aspects of TB morbidity and mortality are not produced with enough depth and rigor. In particular, the effect of HIV status on these outcomes has not been fully explored, partly due to incomplete recording in the national database. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a retrospective cohort study, we assessed TB treatment outcomes, including rates of cure, default, mortality, transfer and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) among a purposively chosen sample of 161,481 new cases reported in SINAN between 2003 and 2008. The study population included all new cases reported in the six States with the highest level of completeness of the HIV status field in the system. These cases were mostly male (67%), white (62%), had pulmonary TB (79%) and a suspect chest X ray (83%). Treatment outcomes were best for those HIV negative cases and worst for those known HIV positive patients (cure rate of 85.7% and 55.7% respectively). In multivariate modeling, the risk of having an unfavorable outcome (all outcomes except cure) was 3.09 times higher for those HIV positive compared with those HIV negative (95% CI 3.02-3.16). The risk of death and default also increased with HIV positivity. The group without a known HIV status showed intermediate outcomes between the groups above, suggesting that this group includes some with HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS: HIV status played an important role in TB treatment outcomes in the study period. The outcomes observed in those with known HIV were poor and need to be improved. Those in the group with unknown HIV status indicate the need for wider HIV testing among new TB cases