Urban-rural income transfers in Kenya: an estimated remittances function

This paper examines the phenomenon of urban-rural income transfers. The data was collected as part of the Nairobi Urban Study, which included questions on basic socio-economic variables as well as on income remittances. The sample was confined to African low and middle income areas. The data is analysed by regression analysis using variables of income remitted, income earned, wives and children both in and out of Nairobi and indices of the workers attachment to the urban versus his rural area. The results show that the amount that an individual transfers is systematically related to income and other socio-economic variables, and that the total transfer represents about a fifth of the urban wage bill. The final section discusses some of the implications of the findings, particularly the extent to which the welfare of urban and rural residents is interlinked; the importance of the number and closeness of relatives in the high wage sector, and the implications of the decline of the proportion of income remitted as wages rise

Interaction of computers : some aspects of the implementation of a conversational language in a multi-processor environment.

A closer association between man and machine enables a programmer to produce a program more rapidly. Instant turnaround rather than daily turnaround for batch jobs either reduces the total elapsed time taken to produce a given program, as shown by Sackman, Erikson and Grant (1968), or allows the programmer to attempt larger programs as noted by Brown, Calderbank and Poole (1968)

Smoking cessation interventions for patients with coronary heart disease and comorbidities:an observational cross-sectional study in primary care

Background: Little is known about how smoking cessation practices in primary care differ for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who have different comorbidities. Aim: To determine the association between different patterns of comorbidity and smoking rates and smoking cessation interventions in primary care for patients with CHD. Design: and setting Cross-sectional study of 81 456 adults with CHD in primary care in Scotland. Method: Details of eight concordant physical comorbidities, 23 discordant physical comorbidities, and eight mental health comorbidities were extracted from electronic health records between April 2006 and March 2007. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were constructed to determine the association between these patterns of comorbidity and smoking status, smoking cessation advice, and smoking cessation medication (nicotine replacement therapy) prescribed. Results: The most deprived quintile had nearly three times higher odds of being current smokers than the least deprived (odds ratio [OR] 2.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.49 to 3.05). People with CHD and two or more mental health comorbidities had more than twice the odds of being current smokers than those with no mental health conditions (OR 2.11; 95% CI = 1.99 to 2.24). Despite this, those with two or more mental health comorbidities (OR 0.77; 95% CI = 0.61 to 0.98) were less likely to receive smoking cessation advice, but absolute differences were small. Conclusion: Patterns of comorbidity are associated with variation in smoking status and the delivery of smoking cessation advice among people with CHD in primary care. Those from the most deprived areas and those with mental health problems are considerably more likely to be current smokers and require additional smoking cessation support

The Paluxy River Footprints Revisited

Field research by the authors at various times between 1982 and 1989 helped expose some of the elongate impressions imbedded in alleged 108 million year old Cretaceous ledges along the Paluxy River near Glen Rose, Texas. These human-like footprints were exposed in the same horizon with theropod dinosaur ichnites, as have prints in river itself over the decades, as reported by the local residents (I, 2). In order to thoroughly document such significant discoveries, several excavations were initiated since the 1986 ICC proceedings in the search for pristine ichnites. The results of these excavations plus the observable results of many previous excavations and the aspect ratio studies of many of the footprints strongly support the hypothesis that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. Furthermore, when radiocarbon dating results are combined with the paleoanthropological studies, the most logical conclusions are that: dinosaur extinction 65 million years ago is a myth; the long ages for sedimentary rock strata formation are non-existent; dinosaur extinction could have been caused by a major worldwide catastrophe happening perhaps only thousands of years ago

Parasites lacking the micronemal protein MIC2 are deficient in surface attachment and host cell egress, but remain virulent in vivo

Background: Micronemal proteins of the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family are believed to play essential roles during gliding motility and host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites, and currently represent major vaccine candidates against Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. However, recent evidence suggests that they play multiple and different roles than previously assumed. Here, we analyse a null mutant for MIC2, the TRAP homolog in Toxoplasma gondii. Methods: We performed a careful analysis of parasite motility in a 3D-environment, attachment under shear stress conditions, host cell invasion and in vivo virulence. Results: We verified the role of MIC2 in efficient surface attachment, but were unable to identify any direct function of MIC2 in sustaining gliding motility or host cell invasion once initiated. Furthermore, we find that deletion of mic2 causes a slightly delayed infection in vivo, leading only to mild attenuation of virulence; like with wildtype parasites, inoculation with even low numbers of mic2 KO parasites causes lethal disease in mice. However, deletion of mic2 causes delayed host cell egress in vitro, possibly via disrupted signal transduction pathways. Conclusions: We confirm a critical role of MIC2 in parasite attachment to the surface, leading to reduced parasite motility and host cell invasion. However, MIC2 appears to not be critical for gliding motility or host cell invasion, since parasite speed during these processes is unaffected. Furthermore, deletion of MIC2 leads only to slight attenuation of the parasite

Industrial work placement in higher education: a study of civil engineering student engagement

For civil engineering undergraduates, the opportunity to spend a period of time in formal industrial work placement provides an invaluable learning experience. This paper reviews student engagement with short-term industrial placement and provides analysis of questionnaires (n=174) returned by undergraduates studying civil engineering at four Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s) in the West of Scotland. The data captures industrial placement statistics, employability skill-sets and presents brief testimonies from students. Whilst the journey to becoming a professional civil engineer is undoubtedly enhanced by short-term placement clear opportunities exist for HEI’s to affect and change existing pedagogical discourse. Commentary is likely to resonate beyond civil engineering and serve as a timely reminder of the need to re-invigorate academia / industry curriculum partnerships

Soaking grapevine cuttings in water: a potential source of cross contamination by micro-organisms

Grapevine nurseries soak cuttings in water during propagation to compensate for dehydration and promote root initiation. However, trunk disease pathogens have been isolated from soaking water, indicating cross contamination. Cuttings of Vitis vinifera cv. Sunmuscat and V. berlandieri x V. rupestris rootstock cv. 140 Ruggeri were immersed in sterilized, deionised water for 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 h. The soaking water was cultured (25°C for 3 days) on non-specific and specific media for fungi and bacteria. The base of each cutting was debarked and trimmed and three 3 mm thick, contiguous, transverse slices of wood cultured at 25°C for 3 days. The soaking water for both cultivars became contaminated with microorganisms within the first hour. Numbers of fungi iso-lated from the wood slices soaked for one hour were significantly greater than those from non-soaked cuttings. The number of bacterial colonies growing from the wood slices increased after soaking for 2‒4 h in Sunmuscat. In a second experiment Shiraz cuttings were soaked for 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h. The soaking water became contaminated within the first hour but only the bacterial count increased significantly over time. Microorganisms also established on the container surfaces within the first hour although there were no significant increases over 24 h. These results confirm that soaking cuttings is a potential cause of cross contamination and demonstrate contamination of cuttings occurs after relatively short periods of soaking. Avoiding exposing cuttings to water will reduce the transmission of trunk diseases in propagation

Male obesity associated gonadal dysfunction and the role of bariatric surgery

Obesity is an ever growing pandemic and a prevalent problem among men of reproductive age that can both cause and exacerbate male-factor infertility by means of endocrine abnormalities, associated comorbidities, and direct effects on the precision and throughput of spermatogenesis. Robust epidemiologic, clinical, genetic, epigenetic, and preclinical data support these findings. Clinical studies on the impact of medically induced weight loss on serum testosterone concentrations and spermatogenesis is promising but may show differential and unsustainable results. In contrast, literature has demonstrated that weight loss after bariatric surgery is correlated with an increase in serum testosterone concentrations that is superior than that obtained with only lifestyle modifications, supporting a further metabolic benefit from surgery that may be specific to the male reproductive system. The data on sperm and semen parameters is controversial to date. Emerging evidence in the burgeoning field of genetics and epigenetics has demonstrated that paternal obesity can affect offspring metabolic and reproductive phenotypes by means of epigenetic reprogramming of spermatogonial stem cells. Understanding the impact of this reprogramming is critical to a comprehensive view of the impact of obesity on subsequent generations. Furthermore, conveying the potential impact of these lifestyle changes on future progeny can serve as a powerful tool for obese men to modify their behavior. Healthcare professionals treating male infertility and obesity need to adapt their practice to assimilate these new findings to better counsel men about the importance of paternal preconception health and the impact of novel non-medical therapeutic interventions. Herein, we summarize the pathophysiology of obesity on the male reproductive system and emerging evidence regarding the potential role of bariatric surgery as treatment of male obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction

USP18 restricts PRRSV growth through alteration of nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and p50 in MARC-145 cells

AbstractAlthough the functions of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) proteins are increasingly understood, the roles of host factors in modifying infection are less well understood. Growing evidence places deubiquitination at the core of a multitude of regulatory processes, ranging from cell growth to innate immune response and health, such as cancer, degenerative and infectious diseases. This report provides further information on the functional role of the porcine ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 (USP18) during innate immune responses to PRRSV. We have shown that constitutive overexpression of the porcine USP18 in MARC-145 cells restricts PRRSV growth, at least in part via early activation of NF-κB. Viral growth of PRRSV may be perturbed by increasing and decreasing nuclear translocation of p65 and p50, respectively. Our data highlight USP18 as a host restriction factor during innate immune response to PRRSV