Assessment of selected soil parameters in a long-term Western Canadian organic field experiment

A long-term field study was used to compare soil nitrogen and phosphorous status, and soil aggregate stability in organic and conventional cropping systems. Two rotations were tested: a grain only and a grain-alfalfa hay rotation. The organic systems had a lower nitrate leaching potential than the same rotations under conventional management. After 13 years, one organic system (the grain-alfalfa; no manure return) is suffering serious soil P depletion. However, the grain only and the grain-alfalfa with manure return to land systems had soil P levels similar to the prairie grass control treatment and showed no signs of P deficiency. Despite having lower levels of organic carbon, the organic soils had higher levels of wet aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils

Polls and the political process: the use of opinion polls by political parties and mass media organizations in European post‐communist societies (1990–95)

Opinion polling occupies a significant role within the political process of most liberal-capitalist societies, where it is used by governments, parties and the mass media alike. This paper examines the extent to which polls are used for the same purposes in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and in particular, for bringing political elites and citizens together. It argues that these political elites are more concerned with using opinion polls for gaining competitive advantage over their rivals and for reaffirming their political power, than for devolving political power to citizens and improving the general processes of democratization

Angiostatin generating capacity and anti-tumour effects of D-penicillamine and plasminogen activators

BACKGROUND: Upregulation of endogenous angiostatin levels may constitute a novel anti-angiogenic, and therefore anti-tumor therapy. In vitro, angiostatin generation is a two-step process, starting with the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by plasminogen activators (PAs). Next, plasmin excises angiostatin from other plasmin molecules, a process requiring a donor of a free sulfhydryl group. In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that administration of PA in combination with the free sulfhydryl donor (FSD) agents captopril or N-acetyl cysteine, resulted in angiostatin generation, and anti-angiogenic and anti-tumour activity in murine models. METHODS: In this study we have investigated the angiostatin generating capacities of several FSDs. D-penicillamine proved to be most efficient in supporting the conversion of plasminogen to angiostatin in vitro. Next, from the optimal concentrations of tPA and D-penicillamine in vitro, equivalent dosages were administered to healthy Balb/c mice to explore upregulation of circulating angiostatin levels. Finally, anti-tumor effects of treatment with tPA and D-penicillamine were determined in a human melanoma xenograft model. RESULTS: Surprisingly, we found that despite the superior angiostatin generating capacity of D-penicillamine in vitro, both in vivo angiostatin generation and anti-tumour effects of tPA/D-penicillamine treatment were impaired compared to our previous studies with tPA and captopril. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that selecting the most appropriate free sulfhydryl donor for anti-angiogenic therapy in a (pre)clinical setting should be performed by in vivo rather than by in vitro studies. We conclude that D-penicillamine is not suitable for this type of therapy

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Teaching Change Agency through Entrepreneurship Education

Social Entrepreneurship has proven to be a powerful attraction to college students who are attempting to weave together life’s purpose, education, and professional aspirations. The addition of academic service-learning or community-based learning to an existing cross-disciplinary program in entrepreneurship education has proven to provide students with direct experience as “changemakers” with community partners. The premise of this workshop is that one goal of higher education is to help students develop as effective and empowered changemakers, investigating concepts of social impact, systems-change, and sustainability. Social Entrepreneurship, regardless of one’s definition of that term, demands innovative thinking and entrepreneurial action. At UNCG, we’ve approached entrepreneurial education as a cross-disciplinary enterprise, one in which service-learning pedagogy and engaged scholarship is ideally suited. In this session, we will highlight courses from multiple disciplines in which students are immersed in social innovation education. Additionally, specific methods and class activities will be shared. Examples by discipline will be given as to how service-learning has contributed to effective community-university collaborations for both shared learning and community capacity building. As an example one class, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Community Leadership, students discover the role of innovative thinking to successful entrepreneurial enterprises, and the connections to eight competencies selected from leadership theory and research. The experiential piece of the course was based on the research that indicates that entrepreneurship has greatly impacted upward mobility of underserved populations and women. Greensboro is a federally mandated refugee resettlement site, so we have a large population of immigrants and refugees. Students are required to work with business startups in the community that are owned by an immigrant or refugee. They must recognizing an existing innovation and develop an innovation with the community partner that moves the social enterprise incrementally towards a community identified goal. The presentation will share ideas about how one might work with under-served partners within our communities. During the session, participants will be introduced to the Human Centered Design (IDEO) methodology that allows for participatory action research, or engaged scholarship, appropriate even for beginner researchers. Human Centered Design is a process that helps students “hear” the needs of constituents in new ways, “create” innovative solutions to meet these needs, and “deliver” solutions with financial sustainability in mind. ( p. 3 Human Centered Design Toolkit. www.ideo.org). Human Centered Design can be used across any discipline with any community identified concern

Functional limitations and life satisfaction dynamics among Asian-born migrants and Australian-born participants in the HILDA study

Objective: To investigate functional limitations and life satisfaction among Asian-born migrants and Australian-born participants in the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study. Methods: Information on 10 167 Australian-born participants and 650 Asian-born migrants from Waves 6 to 16 (2006-2016) of HILDA was analysed using multivariate linear regressions, adjusting for baseline covariates. Results: Middle-aged and older Asian-born migrants had a lower decline in functional limitations compared to the Australian-born participants (−1.74 vs −4.47 during the 5-year period and −5.66 vs −8.50 during the 10-year period). Decline in life satisfaction scores was relatively stable among older Australian-born participants, but there was a steeper decline among Asian-born migrants in the 5-year period. Notably, relative change was not statistically significant for both outcomes. Conclusion: This study reveals that middle-aged and older Asian-born migrants had less decline in physical health but not in life satisfaction. Monitoring health and well-being of migrants as they age could help to minimise health disparities in Australia

ACT Asbestos Health Study

The ACT Asbestos Health Study examined the health effects of living in a house with loose-fill asbestos insulation in the ACT. The study provided information on domestic exposure to loose-fill asbestos in the ACT and on the health concerns of current and recent residents of Mr Fluffy houses. It also reported on mesothelioma incidence in the ACT, and if data allowed it, provide estimates of the risk of mesothelioma and other cancers associated with living in an affected residence. The study was in response to multiple health forums held in 2014 with concerned residents of Mr Fluffy houses. There are 1,022 known residential properties affected by loose fill ‘Mr Fluffy’ amosite asbestos insulation in the ACT. While the mesothelioma rate is low in the ACT, at around 10 cases per year, concerns were raised by residents about the potential health impacts associated with living and in some cases, renovating, loose-fill asbestos homes.ACT Government. ACT Health and the ACT Asbestos Health Study Steering Committee.Protocols / Martyn Kirk, Rosemary Korda, Cathy Banwell, Phil Batterham, Mark Clements & Bruce Armstrong -- Vol. 1. Descriptive Study of Mesothelioma in the Australian Capital Territory / Rosemary J. Korda, Mark S. Clements, Bruce K. Armstrong,Susan M. Trevenar & Martyn D. Kirk-- Vol. 2. Focus Group Discussions / Cathy Banwell, Ginny Sargent, Susan M. Trevenar & Martyn D. Kirk -- Vol. 3. Cross Sectional Survey Report / Martyn D. Kirk, Philip J. Batterham, Mark S. Clements, Bruce K. Armstrong, Susan M. Trevenar, Jennifer A. Welsh & Rosemary J. Korda-- Vol. 4.1. Data Linkage Study on the Risk of Mesothelioma and Other Cancers in Residents of Affected Properties in the ACT / Rosemary J. Korda1, Mark S. Clements, Bruce K. Armstrong, Hsei Di Law, Tenniel Guiver, Philip R. Anderson, Susan M. Trevenar & Martyn D. Kirk -- Vol 4.2 Q &