Biofumigation zur Bekämpfung von Verticillium dahliae

Cruciferous plants with high contents of glucosinolates can be used to control soilborne diseases. During the degradation of such plants, the glucosinolates are transformed into isothio- and thiocyanates. These molecules are volatile and toxic, therefore, this method is called biofumigation. In this context, the efficacy of two brown mustard (Brassica juncea) and one canola (Brassica napus) cultivars to reduce the number of Verticillium dahliae microsclerotia was tested in pot trials. Verticillium dahliae is the causal agent of verticillium wilt of a large number of important crops. Microsclerotia are the surviving structures of V. dahliae in the soil. A strong decrease of the number of microsclerotia was observed using the high glucosinolate-containing brown mustard cultivar ISCI-99 and an intermediate effect was observed with a low glucosinolate-containing canola cultivar in a silty soil. However, when ISCI-99 was incorporated in a sandy soil, no such effect on the microsclerotia was measured. The efficacy of biofumigation with glucosinolates depends not only on the plant species but also on the soil type

Civil-Military Relations and the Not-Quite Wars of the Present and Future

Three papers presented at the Patterson School-Strategic Studies Institute Symposium focused on civil-military relations at various levels. West Point professor Don M. Snider maintains that continued pressures on the armed forces—especially the Army—to put aside war-fighting missions in favor of other missions will further strain civil-military relations. In the second essay, retired Admiral Stanley R. Arthur examines the broader aspects of civil-military relations where he sees a growing estrangement between all levels of the armed forces on the one hand, and the larger civilian society on the other. Finally, George Washington University professor Deborah D. Avant argues that the post-Vietnam war reluctance of senior military officers to take their forces into low-level threat interventions does not constitute defiance of established civilian political authority. In fact, she holds that this is precisely the way the American system of constitutionally-divided government is supposed to work, and that the real problem is the inability of top civilian politicians to form and achieve a consensus in their vision. Together these papers address a spectrum of issues attendant to the current debate over civil-military relationshttps://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1870/thumbnail.jp

Open-Hearted Flesh: Burn Injuries and Interpretation

This paper aims to describe the interpretive nature of burn care nursing using an example from the first author’s practice. It asserts how burn injuries are uniquely situated from a hermeneutic perspective as an embodied change that alters the way a burn injured person lives in the world. This paper was written for an assignment in a hermeneutic methodology class, focused on the role of the burns nurse, and further expanded in relation to the hermeneutic significance of burn injuries. It demonstrates the fit of hermeneutics as a way of understanding nursing practice and burn injuries, and serves as a support to the use of hermeneutics in the authors' Master of Nursing thesis project exploring the experiences of burn survivors.             Keywords: nursing, burns, hermeneutics, embodimen

CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS OF SELF-EFFICACY AND JOB SATISFACTION OF LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Job satisfaction of employee is crucial in any organization, particularly in the public university libraries. However, the general opinion was that job satisfaction of librarians in public universities in South-West Nigeria has been on the decline. This is because there appears to be total neglect of librarians in the aspect of job security, recognition for a job well done, career development opportunities, conducive work environment, promotion and improved salary package. These occurrences may have contributed adversely to the level of job satisfaction of librarians. The study, therefore, investigated self-efficacy and job satisfaction of librarians in public universities in South-West Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of the study was 240 librarians working in public universities across South-West Nigeria. Total enumeration was used to include all librarians. The questionnaire was used for data collection and it was validated subject to scrutiny of experts in the areas of the studied variables. It gave reliability coefficients of 0.85 for Self-efficacy and 0.94 for Job satisfaction. The response rate was 78.8%. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) statistics. The findings revealed that self-efficacy had a significant relationship with job satisfaction of librarians in public universities in South-West, Nigeria (r =.484, p \u3c 0.05). The study recommends that for enhancement of job satisfaction, the library management and the university administration should collaborate and ensure appropriate policies on the issues of self-efficacy of librarians

The safe insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters : a mixed methods descriptive study of the availability of the equipment needed

Background: Intravenous cannulation is undertaken in a high proportion of hospitalised patients. Much international attention has been given to the use of care bundles to reduce the incidence of infection in these patients. However, less attention has been given to the systems required to ensure availability of the equipment needed to support these care bundles. Our objectives were to assess how reliably the equipment recommended for a peripheral intravenous care bundle was available for use, and to explore factors which contributed to its non-availability. Methods: We studied 350 peripheral cannula insertions in three NHS hospital organisations across the UK. Staff inserting cannulae were asked to report details of all equipment problems. Key staff were then interviewed to identify the causes of problems with equipment availability, using semi-structured qualitative interviews and a standard coding frame. Results: 47 equipment problems were recorded during 46 of 350 cannulations, corresponding to a reliability of 87%, or 94% if problems with sharps disposal were excluded. Overall reliability was similar in all three organisations, but the types of problem varied. Interviews revealed a variety of causes including issues associated with purchasing policies, storage facilities, and lack of teamwork and communication in relation to reordering. The many human factors related to the supply chain were highlighted. Often staff had adopted work-arounds to deal with these problems. Conclusions: Overall, 87% of cannulations had the correct and functional equipment available. Different problems were identified in different organisations, suggesting that each had resolved some issues. Supply chain management principles may be useful to support best practice in care bundle delivery. Keywords: Cannulation, Patient safety, Equipment, Care bundles, Hospital acquired bacteraemia, Systems reliabilit

Cyber Infrastructure Protection: Vol. II

View the Executive SummaryIncreased reliance on the Internet and other networked systems raise the risks of cyber attacks that could harm our nation’s cyber infrastructure. The cyber infrastructure encompasses a number of sectors including: the nation’s mass transit and other transportation systems; banking and financial systems; factories; energy systems and the electric power grid; and telecommunications, which increasingly rely on a complex array of computer networks, including the public Internet. However, many of these systems and networks were not built and designed with security in mind. Therefore, our cyber infrastructure contains many holes, risks, and vulnerabilities that may enable an attacker to cause damage or disrupt cyber infrastructure operations. Threats to cyber infrastructure safety and security come from hackers, terrorists, criminal groups, and sophisticated organized crime groups; even nation-states and foreign intelligence services conduct cyber warfare. Cyber attackers can introduce new viruses, worms, and bots capable of defeating many of our efforts. Costs to the economy from these threats are huge and increasing. Government, business, and academia must therefore work together to understand the threat and develop various modes of fighting cyber attacks, and to establish and enhance a framework to assess the vulnerability of our cyber infrastructure and provide strategic policy directions for the protection of such an infrastructure. This book addresses such questions as: How serious is the cyber threat? What technical and policy-based approaches are best suited to securing telecommunications networks and information systems infrastructure security? What role will government and the private sector play in homeland defense against cyber attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, financial, and logistical systems? What legal impediments exist concerning efforts to defend the nation against cyber attacks, especially in preventive, preemptive, and retaliatory actions?https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1527/thumbnail.jp

Student compliance with taught indications for intravenous cannulation during clinical learning

Abstract: One of the guiding principles behind the teaching and performance of a medical intervention is to “firstly do no harm”. Gaining access to a patient’s circulatory system for the purposes of administering fluid and / or medications is commonly achieved through a procedure that involves piercing the skin with a needle and inserting a cannula into a vein. Whilst intravenous (IV) cannulation remains a relatively common procedure, routinely performed by a number of health care professionals, it has the potential to create unintended adverse effects. Subjecting patients to medical procedures in the absence of a clearly established need may be considered an unethical form of “overtreatment”. Conversely, failing to perform an intervention when it is clearly indicated is equally undesirable. For this reason, it is important that medical professionals and educators ensure a real need or indication for IV cannulation exists prior to the performance of the procedure by students. The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is one of four higher education institutions in South Africa that currently offer a four-year professional bachelor degree in emergency medical care. Intravenous cannulation is a clinical procedure that is taught in the second year of study. The didactic approach followed at the UJ is to firstly teach and assess theoretical knowledge and understanding relating to the procedure with regard to the technique, indications, risks and benefits. The procedure is then demonstrated, practiced and assessed in a simulated environment making use of an intravenous trainer (medium fidelity manikin). Thereafter students are required to demonstrate performance of the procedure a set number of times on real patients. Whilst this naturally creates a desire in students to perform IV cannulation when the opportunity presents itself, as mentioned above, seeking clear indications for the performance of the procedure is essential to prevent unnecessary exposure of patients to potential adverse effects. The Department of Emergency Medical Care at the UJ currently teaches four indications for intravenous cannulation in the pre-hospital setting which are well supported by literature. These include: a) the administration of intravenous fluid in an effort to reverse hypovolaemic and associated dehydrated states, b) administration of intravenous medications, c) securing intravenous access in the case of acutely-ill, high-acuity “priority 1” or “code red” patients and d) obtaining blood samples/specimens for further laboratory testing. The authors aimed to assess the extent to which emergency medical care students may have been establishing IV access on patients during the course of their clinical learning without a clear indication

Library Services and Users’ Satisfaction: The Physically Challenged Students in Federal Universities in South-West, Nigeria

This study examined the Use of library services and User satisfaction of the physically challenged students in Federal Universities in South-West Nigeria. A survey research was done. A total of 302 copies of self-structured and validated questionnaires were administered but 252 copies were retrieved making a total response rate of 82.8%. Based on the study, it was revealed that the physically challenged students are aware of various services rendered in the university library. Advisory service and Consultancy service is the most used services. Photocopying and lending of library materials is also used by the physically challenged students, followed by the use of joystick. The major problems facing the physically challenged students in the use of library services are current awareness service, inadequacy of relevant materials, problem of entering the library because of stair cases, lack of current books and journals. The study recommended that there is need for Federal University Libraries to lay more emphasis on current awareness services. Adequate survey of user’s satisfaction should be carried out frequently to determine the value of services and the area that needs improvement. The library management should frequently organize library programmes that will be creating awareness to users on various services being rendered in the library. This will assist in promoting the image of the library thereby users (especially the physically challenged users) will be aware of various benefits they can derive from using the library services

Ciliaten (Protozoa, Ciliophora) des Reisfeldbodens

Reisfeldböden sind die Bodenökosysteme, die während der letzten Dekade am intensivsten studiert wurden. Dabei haben sich Reisfeldböden in den letzten Jahren als geeignetes Modellökosystem zur Untersuchung von mikrobiellen Populationen und biogeochemischen Prozessen im Boden bewährt. Der Einfluß anderer wichtiger Bodenorganismen, wie der Protozoen, wurde bisher nicht studiert. Um den Einfluß dieser Organismen auf die mikrobielle Gemeinschaft (Bakteria und Archaea) und Biogeochemie von anoxischen Reisfeldböden abschätzen zu können, wurde stellvertretend das Taxon Ciliophora Doflein, 1904 als repräsentative und häufige Gruppe der Protozoa untersucht. In dem untersuchten italienischen Reisfeldboden wurden insgesamt 52 Taxa gefunden. Zusätzlich wurde Reisfeldboden anoxisch mit Wasser gesättigt (aber nicht geflutet), für ca. 160 Tage inkubiert. In diesen anoxischen Inkubationen wurden 23 Taxa entdeckt, wovon bisher nur 7 als obligat anaerob bekannt waren. Die anderen 16 Taxa sind als fakultativ anaerobe Taxa anzusehen. Dies zeigte, daß die Toleranz gegen anoxische Verhältnisse unter den Ciliaten des Bodens weiter verbreitet ist als bisher angenommen. Die Zellzahlen in den anoxischen Inkubationen lagen zwischen 34 und 190 Zellen gTG-1 Boden. Bezogen auf Zellzahlen und Biovolumenanteil dominierten in den anoxischen Inkubationen kontinuierlich Arten der obligat anaeroben Gattung Metopus. Weiterhin wurde der Einfluß der Ciliatenfauna auf die mikrobielle Gemeinschaft untersucht. Dabei unterschieden sich die Verteilungen der mikrobiellen Biovolumina an zwei Meßzeitpunkten (Tag 4 und Tag 80) deutlich voneinander. An Tag 4 wurden auch größte und kleinste Zellvolumina (Volumen von 0,25 – 2,25 µm3) gefunden. Eine solche Verteilung der Zellgrößen ist typisch für durch Protozoen beweidete Mikroorganismen. Nach 80 Tagen wurden nur mittlere Volumina gefunden (Volumen von 0,75 – 1,5 µm3). Bestätigt wird dieses Ergebnis durch einen in den ersten 4 Tagen beobachteten negativen Quotient der mikrobiellen und der Ciliatenvolumina. Mit Fluoreszenz in-situ Hybridisierung wurde eine bevorzugte Ingestion von Bakteria nachgewiesen. In einigen Fällen wurden jedoch auch Archaea in den Nahrungsvakuolen detektiert. Zusätzlich zu methanogenen Endosymbionten wurde in einigen Arten der Gattung Metopus ein weiterer den ?–Proteobacteria zugeordneter Endobiont identifiziert. Nähere Informationen zur Physiologie des Endobionten wurden bisher nicht gefunden. Die Bildung von Methan wurde in anoxischen Inkubationen bereits nach 24 h gemessen. Einige Details der frühen Methanogenese sind zur Zeit noch unklar. Eine mögliche Erklärung für die frühe Methanogenese sind methanogene Endosymbionten, wie sie in Ciliaten der Gattung Metopus gefunden wurden. Anhand von eigenen Zellzahlbestimmungen und Werten aus der Literatur (Fenchel T. und Finlay B.J. 1995: Ecology and evolution in anoxic worlds. Oxford University Press) wurden zwei Modelle zur potentiellen CH4-Produktion der methanogenen Endosymbionten berechnet. Diese Modelle erklärten 2 bzw. 59% des in den ersten zwei Wochen gebildeten CH4. Das erste Modell (2%) berücksichtigte am detailliertesten das untersuchte Habitat und wurde demnach bevorzugt. Eine Hemmung von Eukaryonten mit spezifischen Inhibitoren bewirkte in anoxischen Inkubationen eine deutliche Erhöhung der CH4-Produktion. Die Summe des zusätzlich gebildeten CH4 war weder über den vom Inhibitor eingebrachten Kohlenstoff noch über einen Abbau lysierter Ciliatenbiomasse zu erklären. Es wurde daher eine -durch Beweidung von Ciliaten induzierte- Unterdrückung der aktiven, freilebenden Methanogenen postuliert. Anhand der in dieser Arbeit gewonnenen Daten wurde gezeigt, daß Protozoen auch in Inkubationen anoxischen Reisfeldbodens einen deutlichen, aber zeitlich begrenzten Einfluß auf die mikrobielle Gemeinschaft und die Methanogenese haben. Berücksichtigt man, daß die Ciliaten nur eine der vier häufigsten Protozoengruppen darstellen, lassen diese Ergebnisse einen noch deutlicheren Einfluß der gesamten Protozoenfauna erwarten. Um die relative Abundanz und Diversität der gesamten Protozoenfauna abschätzen zu können, soll in einem kommenden Projekt eine molekulare Charakterisierung der Gemeinschaft auf Basis der 18S rDNS erfolgen