Women\u27s Center serves students and community

The Women\u27s Center at UMO primarily serves the student population as well as the community at large as an edition center focusing on women\u27s issues. The center is open to all students at UMO who have an active interest in women\u27s issues, Christine Dahlin, a member of the center said

Tension Between the Cartagena Protocol and the WTO: The Significance of Recent WTO Developments in an Ongoing Debate

Disputes recently decided and pending before the WTO will significantly affect prior analyses of the conflict between treaties. A recent WTO Appellate Body decision against Japan concerning import restrictions on apples ( Apples ) sheds light on how the SPS Agreement interacts with trade restrictions based on environmental concerns. Also, a pending panel dispute addressing trade restrictions on LMOs ( Biotech Products ) will provide significant guidance as to how the WTO will resolve the conflict between the two treaties. This Development does not examine all potential conflicts between the treaties, but instead focuses on what these two WTO disputes mean for those conflicts. Part I of this Development provides background on the Protocol, the SPS Agreement, and their potential for conflict. Part II analyzes the Apples decision and its significance for the conflict between the two treaties. Part III examines the pending dispute before the WTO concerning a European Community ( EC ) trade moratorium on LMOs and the implications of the dispute for the Cartagena Protocol. Finally, Part IV considers the significance of these disputes in understanding the relationship between the two treaties

Women's knowledge of maternal danger signs during pregnancy: Findings from a cross-sectional survey in Papua New Guinea

© 2019 Objective: To explore knowledge of pregnancy related danger signs among women attending antenatal clinics in Papua New Guinea. Design: Cross-sectional survey undertaken as part of a wider integrated health and demographic survey. Setting: Three sites in Papua New Guinea: Hiri District (Central Province), Karkar (Madang Province) and Asaro (Eastern Highlands Province). Participants: 482 women aged 15–44 years. Findings: Almost all (95.2%; 459/482) women attended for antenatal care at least once; 68.2% attended four or more times. Among women who attended the antenatal clinic, 53.6% (246/459) reported receiving information about danger signs in pregnancy from a health worker. Of these 60.2% (148/246) could recall at least one danger sign. In addition, 16.4% (35/213) of women who did not receive information from the antenatal clinic reported pregnancy related danger signs. Among the 183 women who reported danger signs, 47.5% (87/183) reported fever; 39.3% (72/183) reported vaginal bleeding and 36.6% (67/183) reported swelling of the face, legs and arms. Women who reported receiving information at the antenatal clinic were significantly more likely know any danger signs, compared with women who did not receive information at the antenatal clinic (OR 7.68 (95%CI: 4.93, 11.96); p = <0.001). Knowledge of danger signs was significantly associated with secondary school education, compared with none or only primary education (OR 3.08 (95% CI: 2.06, 4.61); p = <0.001). Conclusions and implications for practice: Every antenatal clinic visit should be used opportunistically to provide women with information about key danger signs during pregnancy and childbirth. Recognising maternal danger signs, together with the importance of seeking early transfer to the health facility and the importance of attending for a health facility birth are critical to improving outcomes for mothers and babies especially in low income settings such as Papua New Guinea

Adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes associated with Mycoplasma genitalium: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To examine associations between Mycoplasma genitalium infection during pregnancy and adverse outcomes. METHODS We did a systematic review of observational studies. We searched Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL up to 11 August 2021. Studies were included if they compared preterm birth, spontaneous abortion, premature rupture of membranes, low birth weight or perinatal death between women with and without M. genitalium. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion and extracted data. We used random-effects meta-analysis to estimate summary ORs and adjusted ORs, with 95% CIs, where appropriate. Risk of bias was assessed using established checklists. RESULTS We identified 116 records and included 10 studies. Women with M. genitalium were more likely to experience preterm birth in univariable analyses (summary unadjusted OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.81, I2=0%, 7 studies). The combined adjusted OR was 2.34 (95% CI 1.17 to 4.71, I2=0%, 2 studies). For spontaneous abortion, the summary unadjusted OR was 1.00 (95% CI 0.53 to 1.89, I2=0%, 6 studies). The adjusted OR in one case-control study was 0.9 (95% CI 0.2 to 3.8). Unadjusted ORs for premature rupture of membranes were 7.62 (95% CI 0.40 to 145.86, 1 study) and for low birth weight 1.07 (95% CI 0.02 to 10.39, 1 study). For perinatal death, the unadjusted OR was 1.07 (95% CI 0.49 to 2.36) in one case-control and 38.42 (95% CI 1.45 to 1021.43) in one cohort study. These two ORs were not combined, owing to heterogeneity. The greatest risk of bias was the failure in most studies to control for confounding. CONCLUSION M. genitalium might be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Further prospective studies, with adequate control for confounding, are needed to understand the role of M. genitalium in adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is insufficient evidence to indicate routine testing and treatment of asymptomatic M. genitalium in pregnancy. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42016050962

Introduction

Publisher PD

A holistic approach to remote condition monitoring for the accurate evaluation of railway infrastructure and rolling stock

The rail industry needs to address a number of important operational challenges in the foreseeable future. First of all, the safety of rail transport needs to be maintained at an absolute maximum matching the achievements of the European airline industry of zero fatalities. Secondly, promote sustainable growth to support increasing demand for both passenger and freight rail transport. Thirdly, support the implementation of measurable innovations and improvements that help increase capacity of current infrastructure through enhanced availability. Finally, maximise the environmentally benign character of railway transport through exploitation of novel technologies such as hydrogen trains and advanced electrification employing renewable energy sources. This project, primarily focused on the UK Rail infrastructure, investigated the benefits arising from a holistic approach in the application of Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM) as a critical means for the accurate, efficient, reliable and cost-effective evaluation of key railway infrastructure assets and rolling stock. This work involved the use of several techniques and innovative methodologies based primarily on Acoustic Emission (AE) and vibration analysis in order to address the evaluation requirements for different components of interest. The results obtained have been very promising and present rail infrastructure managers and rolling stock operators with new opportunities for improved and more reliable operations. This work has led to the instrumentation of multiple sites across the UK rail network enabling measurements to be carried out on various assets under actual operational conditions. At Cropredy an integrated high-frequency vibro-acoustic RCM system has successfully been installed on the Chiltern railway line on the way from London to Birmingham. This customised system has been fully operational since 2015 measuring more than 200 passenger and freight trains every day moving at speeds up to 100 miles per hour (MPH). Prior to the installation of the system at Cropredy a Certificate (PA05/06524) of Acceptance was issued by Network Rail which after being renewed recently is now valid until September 2021. The system is due for an upgrade in the following stage of development, employing wireless sensors and advanced energy harvesting devices which are being developed under a collaborative Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) project between Exeter and Birmingham Universities, Network Rail, Swiss Approval UK and Quatrro. The widespread implementation of the techniques and methodologies researched will give rise to significant potential impact with respect to the effectiveness of maintenance strategies, particularly in terms of cost efficiency, improved availability of railway assets and better planning of available resources. As modern rail transport moves towards 24-hour railway, the inspection, maintenance and track renewal and upgrade regime will need to be re-thought at a fundamental level. Effective RCM will be a key factor in realistically enabling true round the clock operations. The results presented in this thesis have been part of a six-year research effort with a clear focus on addressing the true industrial need. The findings of this work have led to a re-think within Network Rail regarding the new possibilities arising from the effective use of RCM in designing and implementing more efficient and cost-effective railway operations whilst helping reduce the cost. The use of autonomous sensing systems in the future will change the inspection and maintenance strategies currently used shifting towards a truly prognostic operational strategy

Pressure ulcer risk: the effect of anatomical features on interface pressure and tissue deformation in people with spinal cord injury

Pressure ulcers are one of the most common secondary complications for people with spinal cord injury, and add $10 billion annually to healthcare costs in the US. They are the most frequently seen preventable hospital acquired condition. Recent pressure ulcer research has added examination of anatomical risk factors, mainly fat and muscle characteristics, to the many previously identified risk factors. Translation of the new anatomical-based risk assessment theories is contingent on development of clinical techniques for measurement and better understanding of relationships with known factors, which has slowed the integration of this research into clinical settings. This study was designed to help bridge this gap between lab and clinic, by examining how anatomical features affect both tissue deformation and interface pressure. Six participants – two control and four with spinal cord injury – underwent MRI imaging while seated on a variety of seat cushions and in an unloaded condition, as well as pressure mapping. Three dimensional models of the tissue were created from the images. Significant anatomical differences were observed between the two groups. People with SCI lack muscle under the ischial tuberosity when sitting. The results suggest that tissue thickness was the anatomical feature most indicative of pressure ulcer risk. Greater unloaded thickness was associated with lower interface pressure and less change in tissue volume under seated loads, signifying a decrease in pressure ulcer risk. Higher deformation asymmetry – an imbalance between the change in tissue volume from one side of the buttocks to the other – also suggested increased pressure ulcer risk. Deformation asymmetry is particularly important because it can be partially corrected by adjusting sitting posture. These important characteristics should be used to direct further efforts to implement a more personalized risk model based upon the anatomy of the tissues at risk of breaking down

Beyond the tune: new Irish music

The Irish musician is in an interesting position in relation to other post-colonial world cultures. As a colonised nation we have much in common with other colonised or formerly colonised peoples but we are also a first world country firmly ensconced as part of the “Western World”. As an Irish traditional musician first and foremost, I often feel a close affinity, both musically and politically, with other traditional musics from around the world, but I have also had a long relationship with Western Art Music. While I haven’t always felt “at home” socially with classical music, I have ended up composing music which draws to a great extent on my classical music education along with elements of Irish traditional music and other traditional musics. This synthesis of elements is at the crux of the music that I compose and it is this aspect that I intend to explore most in this thesis. I am going to begin with an auto-ethnographic discussion of my background as a musician and the various strands that have come to have importance for me as a composer. This will be followed by a look at the idea of cross-cultural composition and its particular influences on my own work. The final section of the dissertation is a series of commentaries on eight of my compositions, discussing how they relate to this paradigm