Inhibition by calcium of adenine nucleotide translocation in mitochondria isolated from ehrlich ascites tumour cells

Digitalitzat per Artypla

Reporting Suicide Worldwide: Media Responsibilities

Guidelines, training and ethical issues raised by the latest review of research about the impact of media coverage on suicidal behaviour

A structural study of BiFeO3 - PbTiO3 thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition

In recent years ferroelectric thin films have received an enormous amount of attention due to their potential use in electronic device applications. Bismuth ferrite lead titanate (xBiFeO3 � (1-x)PbTiO3) thin films are of special interest due to their multiferroic nature, exceptionally high tetragonality and high switchable polarization close to the morphotropic phase boundary. This work encompasses an initial structural investigation into xBiFeO3 � (1-x)PbTiO3 thin films deposited onto Pt/TiOx/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The effect of substrate orientation, film composition and film thickness are described as well as the growth mechanisms and interactions at the substrate � film interface. The pulsed laser deposition conditions were optimized to produce crystalline stoichiometric films of tetragonal and mixed phase tetragonal �rhombohedral phases. The films structure and growth mechanisms were studied using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the substrate orientation, film composition and film thickness determine the structural properties of the deposited film. A critical film thickness of 290 nm was identified as the minimum for a piezoelectric response to be observed. The piezoelectric nature of the films was confirmed by piezoforce microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the occurrence of interdiffusion at the substrate � film interface between the platinum bottom electrode and bismuth from within the deposited film. A strontium ruthanate buffer layer was deposited by pulsed laser deposition which prevented the interdiffusion, however local diffusion with the xBiFeO3 � (1-x)PbTiO3 deposited film was still present

Learning about Professionalism within Practice-based Education: what are we looking for?

Health and social care professions are being held to account concerning their professionalism in ways that would have been unprecedented in the recent past. Students of the School of Health Sciences (HSC) within the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom have professionalism taught and assessed in a number of ways and have overt opportunities to develop their professional performance during practice education. In order to augment this further, a UEA Professionalism Charter has been developed, which helps students to define, learn and apply professionalism in a particular way. Since professionalism is being scrutinised by a number of bodies it is important that there is agreement about its nature. Without an overt definition of professionalism from the Health and Care Professions Council (the regulatory body for occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy) this study set out to explore what could be learned about this body’s perspective through analysis of its Fitness to Practice hearings. The outcome revealed that a definition could be identified and that this bears a close resemblance to that used within the UEA Professionalism Charter. The study therefore supports the continued use of the Charte

The importance of informal investing to New Zealand\u27s new and growing firms

As part of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor project, we asked 2,000 adult New Zealanders if they have made a personal investment in a new firm in the past three years as well as the magnitude of their supPort, the nature of the businesses they sponsored, and their relationship withthe recipient. We compared these data on informal investment to data on venture capital obtained from national sources. We are thus able to compare New Zealand\u27s performance to cross-national measures. We also surveyed 20 key informants/experts on questions on financing.In New Zealand, venture capital accounts for only 0.80/o of total investment in new and growing start-ups. Yet New Zealand is world-ranked in terms of informal investment. In New Zealand, informal investment activity is 3.5olo of the national GDP amount. New Zealand is also a world leader in the prevalence of informal investors (percentage in the adult population). Seventy-three percent of informal investors put their money into a relative\u27s or a friend\u27s business. Fifty-eight Percent of New Zealand\u27s informal investors are female, quite the reverse of the world pattern.When we compare Australia and New Zealandlo the rest of the GEM world, Australia ranks favourably with the GEM globat measures in terms of venture capital as a percentage of GDp, while New Zealand does poorly. Australia also does about 40olo better than New Zealand in termsof the amount of VC invested in individual companies. But New Zealand is clearly higher in the measures of informal investment. We conclude with implications for entrepreneurs, policy makers, educators, researchers, and journalists. In a nutshell, they should pay more attention to the critical role of the four F\u27s - family friends, founders, and &quot;foolish&quot; investors - in start-up ventures. Informal investment is a critical component of New Zealand\u27s entrepreneurial process and thus to its economic growth. Perhaps fifty superstars with extraordinary opportunities will receive financing from the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund to launch their businesses. Meanwhile, the vast majority of firms rely on the 4Fs - friends, family founders, and &quot;foolish&quot; lnvestors.<br /

Vaccination of Cattle with the N Terminus of LppQ of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Results in Type III Immune Complex Disease upon Experimental Infection

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a serious respiratory disease of cattle caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides. Current vaccines against CBPP induce short-lived immunity and can cause severe postvaccine reactions. Previous studies have identified the N terminus of the transmembrane lipoprotein Q (LppQ-N') of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides as the major antigen and a possible virulence factor. We therefore immunized cattle with purified recombinant LppQ-N' formulated in Freund's adjuvant and challenged them with M. mycoides subsp. mycoides. Vaccinated animals showed a strong seroconversion to LppQ, but they exhibited significantly enhanced postchallenge glomerulonephritis compared to the placebo group (P = 0.021). Glomerulonephritis was characterized by features that suggested the development of antigen-antibody immune complexes. Clinical signs and gross pathological scores did not significantly differ between vaccinated and placebo groups. These findings reveal for the first time the pathogenesis of enhanced disease as a result of antibodies against LppQ during challenge and also argue against inclusion of LppQ-N' in a future subunit vaccine for CBPP

What Does Finance Have to Say to the Entrepreneur?

There has developed within the past decade an increased interest among academicians and policy makers in the small companies and entrepreneurs of the world. Domestically, small business is viewed by the “true believers” as the engine that drives the machinery, citing innovation and job creation as two areas where the small firm has outdistanced its larger counterpart

THE EFFECT OF TIGHTNESS OF FIT OF A BACKPACK ON ENERGY COST, LUNG FUNCTION AND POST-JUMP BALANCE

INTRODUCTION: The carriage of heavy loads by military personnel is associated with increased energy consumption, fatigue and discomfort. Together these may reduce performance. In extreme cases, injuries can occur. Since movements of the body are a consequence of bipedal gait, any load carried on the body also moves. As walking speed increases, the displacement of the body, particularly in the vertical axis, increases. Previous studies (Legg & Mahanty, 1985, Legg et al, 1992, Soule et al, 1978) found increases in walking speed had a greater impact on energy consumption than increases in load. Studies into different modes of carrying loads have shown no significant effect on cardiorespiratory and metabolic costs. One way to minimise the energy consumption of load carriage might be to provide a suspension system that minimises the excursion of the load being carried. However, there are insufficient data to indicate whether such a system, even if it could be built, would significantly reduce energy consumption and thus maintain desired performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether changing the tightness with which a backpack was fitted to the torso had any consequence on the energy consumption and biomechanics of gait

The impact of interventions addressing socioeconomic inequalities in cancer-related outcomes in high-income countries: A systematic review

Background: High cancer mortality is a major source of burden. Population-wide programs have been developed to improve cancer outcomes, and although effective in improving outcomes overall, the socioeconomically disadvantaged population have disproportionately benefited.&nbsp;This systematic review evaluated interventions aimed at addressing inequalities in cancer-related outcomes between low and high socioeconomic groups within high-income countries.Materials and Methods: The Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and PubMed searches were completed in October 2018. Data extraction and quality appraisal were guided by established mechanisms. Impact of interventions, using odds ratios, with respective 95% confidence intervals were presented, where available.Results: Sixteen studies reporting on 19 interventions were included. Seven interventions (37%) reduced socioeconomic inequalities in cancer-related outcomes, focusing on participation in cancer screening. Interventions included pre-formulated implementation intentions; GP-endorsed screening invitations; enhanced reminder letters; text message reminders; and implementation of an organised screening program.Conclusions: This systematic review found limited evidence on the efficacy of existing interventions that aimed to reduce inequalities in cancer-related outcomes between people living in low and high socioeconomic areas among high-income countries. Future interventions should consider the specific needs of people living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas to improve the efficacy of an intervention