Beyond Topologies, Part I

Arguments on the need, and usefulness, of going beyond the usual Hausdorff-Kuratowski-Bourbaki, or in short, HKB concept of topology are presented. The motivation comes, among others, from well known {\it topological type processes}, or in short TTP-s, in the theories of Measure, Integration and Ordered Spaces. These TTP-s, as shown by the classical characterization given by the {\it four Moore-Smith conditions}, can {\it no longer} be incorporated within the usual HKB topologies. One of the most successful recent ways to go beyond HKB topologies is that developed in Beattie & Butzmann. It is shown in this work how that extended concept of topology is a {\it particular} case of the earlier one suggested and used by the first author in the study of generalized solutions of large classes of nonlinear partial differential equations

Views of general practitioners and pharmacists on the role of the pharmacist in HIV/Aids management

Background Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 25.8 million people living with HIV/Aids. In November 2003, the South African government approved The Operational Plan for Comprehensive Treatment and Care for HIV and Aids, which aimed to provide antiretroviral treatment to 500 000 patients by the end of 2007. The successful implementation of this operational plan requires many healthcare providers trained in aspects of HIV. This study aimed to establish and compare the views of general practitioners and pharmacists on the role of the pharmacist in HIV/Aids management and to elucidate an appropriate role for pharmacists. Ethical approval was obtained from the MEDUNSA Research Ethics and Publications Committee.MethodsThe study population consisted of general practitioners in the province of Gauteng and community pharmacists in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Two hundred medical practitioners were selected at random from the 7 157 registered in Gauteng. Pharmacist respondents (293 from 879 community pharmacies in Gauteng and 200 from 493 in the Western Cape respectively) were selected randomly. The respondents were contacted individually by telephone and asked to complete a pilot-tested 10-statement questionnaire on their views of aspects relating to a role for pharmacists in HIV/Aids management.ResultsMean values for positive responses were calculated and analysed (two-sided t test). The response rates for general practitioners and pharmacists were 44.5% and 38.1% respectively. The responses were grouped into two categories, dispensing and advice and testing and treatment. Both groups agreed about the dispensing and advice category. Of the general practitioners surveyed, 95.5% agreed that pharmacists should counsel patients on the correct use of medications and 100% agreed that the pharmacist should be aware of all related side effects and drug interactions of HIV medications, i.e. the general practitioners were comfortable with pharmacists providing a dispensing and advisory role. The groups differed significantly about the testing and treatment category.ConclusionGPs were generally not in favour of pharmacists being involved in the testing and treatment of HIV/Aids. The pharmacists surveyed, on the other hand, indicated their willingness to assume an expanded role in HIV/Aids management. A potential role for pharmacists was elucidated. It complements the role of the pharmacist in HIV/Aids management described in the South African Pharmacy Council Position Paper. The differences in views identified in the survey hold serious implications as South Africa struggles to contend with the HIV/Aids epidemic.For full text, click here:SA Fam Pract 2006;(7):14-14

Urban planning law in Liberia: the case for a transformational approach

This article discusses the need for a fundamental rethinking of urban planning in Liberia with special reference to Monrovia, the capital. Liberia is a post-conflict country and is facing a multitude of problems. One is the very rapid urbanisation of the country. Well over 50% of the population live in urban areas, and over one million people—one third of the population—live in Monrovia, for the most part in informal ‘illegal’ settlements with few facilities. Despite land issues being acknowledged as in need of being tackled as a matter of urgency, little has been done by the Johnson-Sirleaf government since it came to power in 2006. What is needed and what this article argues for is a plan for the development of Monrovia based on the Right to the City with residents given clear rights to land and to participate in the governance of their city. The approach is denominated as a transformational one, taking its inspiration from van der Walt’s approach set out in his Property in the Margins. The need for and the outline of an Urban Transformation Act are set out in the article which concludes with a warning that it cannot be supposed that the residents of Monrovia will continue indefinitely to put up with their very poor living conditions

Disease patterns in Transkei and Ciskei

In 1972 disease patterns in selected representative areas of Transkei and Ciskei were surveyed. Some of the findings are presented

Triethyl­ammonium O-3β-cholest-5-en-3-yl (4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)dithio­phospho­nate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C6H16N+·C34H52O2PS2 − or [(CH3CH2)3NH]+·[C34H52O2PS2]−, the cation and anion are paired via weak, inter­molecular, bifurcated N—H⋯(S,S) hydrogen bonds. The cholesteryl units form an alternating (herringbone) motif as well as an infinitely stacked layered structure along the b axis. The P—S bond lengths [1.975 (2) and 1.981 (2) Å compared with ca 1.92 Å for a formal P=S double bond and with ca 2.01 Å for a P—S single bond] suggest delocalization of the negative charge between the P—S bonds. A distorted tetra­hedral geometry around the P atom is revealed by non-ideal O—P—C and S—P—S bond angles of 96.7 (2) and 115.52 (11)°, respectively

A CASE STUDY OF RAPID SAND CASTING DEFECTS

ArticleRapid sand casting is quickly transforming as an established method for the production of sand moulds and cores for metal casting applications by additive manufacturing processes. The case study investigated possible sand casting defects resulting from a local implementation of rapid sand casting referred to as Rapid Casting for Tooling (RCT). Poor workmanship of the RCT process chain was found to be the root cause of sand casting defects including cold lap, gas porosity and alignment faults

(Ferrocenyl­thio­phospho­nato-κS)(triphenyl­phosphane-κP)gold(I) dichloro­methane monosolvate

In the title compound, [AuFe(C5H5)(C5H5O2PS)(C18H15P)]·CH2Cl2, the two-coordinate gold(I) atom shows a slightly distorted linear arrangement, with a P—Au—S bond angle of 176.81 (6)°. The difference in P=O and P—O(H) bond lengths, which are 1.503 (6) and 1.541 (5) Å, respectively, implies there is apparently no delocalization between the P—O bonds, and the proton appears to be localized on one O atom only. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link dinuclear mol­ecules into chains propagated in the [010] direction. The dichloro­methane solvent mol­ecule was disordered between two positions in a 0.63 (3):0.37 (3) ratio

Prolactin, cortisol and thyroxine levels and the premature infant

The relationship of prolactin, cortisol and thyroxine values in cord and maternal plasma to fetal age and weight and to the incidence of hyaline membrane disease (HMD) was investigated in 80 neonates of whom 40 were born at more than 37 weeks' gestation. Of the 40 born at less than 36 weeks 11 developed HMD. Serum cortisol has been shown to be a differentiating factor for HMD, but cord thyroxine and prolactin levels seem to be related more to age and weight than to the occurrence of HMD

Viable chimaeric viruses confirm the biological importance of sequence specific maize streak virus movement protein and coat protein interactions

Background. A variety of interactions between up to three different movement proteins (MPs), the coat protein (CP) and genomic DNA mediate the inter- and intra-cellular movement of geminiviruses in the genus Begomovirus. Although movement of viruses in the genus Mastrevirus is less well characterized, direct interactions between a single MP and the CP of these viruses is also clearly involved in both intra- and intercellular trafficking of virus genomic DNA. However, it is currently unknown how specific these MP-CP interactions are, nor how disruption of these interactions might impact on virus viability. Results. Using chimaeric genomes of two strains of Maize streak virus (MSV) we adopted a genetic approach to investigate the gross biological effects of interfering with interactions between virus MP and CP homologues derived from genetically distinct MSV isolates. MP and CP genes were reciprocally exchanged, individually and in pairs, between maize (MSV-Kom)- and Setaria sp. (MSV-Set)-adapted isolates sharing 78% genome-wide sequence identity. All chimaeras were infectious in Zea mays c.v. Jubilee and were characterized in terms of symptomatology and infection efficiency. Compared with their parental viruses, all the chimaeras were attenuated in symptom severity, infection efficiency, and the rate at which symptoms appeared. The exchange of individual MP and CP genes resulted in lower infection efficiency and reduced symptom severity in comparison with exchanges of matched MP-CP pairs. Conclusion. Specific interactions between the mastrevirus MP and CP genes themselves and/or their expression products are important determinants of infection efficiency, rate of symptom development and symptom severity. © 2008 van der Walt et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd