Badger Social Biology and its Effects on Bovine TB Control

It is now widely regarded that in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that the European Badger (Meles meles) plays a role in the maintenance and transmission of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), in populations of wild and domestic animals, particularly cattle. The complicated nature of badgers’ social behaviour and social structure has been shown to have implications for disease transmission and therefore in attempts to manage the disease. As a result of this, the effect badger social biology has on attempts to control bTB warrants further research. This dissertation investigates some of the gaps in our knowledge relating to how badger social biology influences two different management strategies that aim to target bTB incidence in badger populations. Firstly I investigate how culling, in a badger’s social group, changes individual movement (Chapter 2). To do this I employ two novel measures to quantify this movement. Badgers were from two adjacent areas, one that was the subject of culling and one that was not. Badgers from the area which had been culled returned radio tracking fixes 44.5% further from their main sett, on average, than individuals from the area not subject to culling. There was no difference found between populations using the second measure, which aimed to quantify the amount of movement around an individual’s range. Secondly, I investigate how the social composition, demography and activity of a badger’s social group influences the consumption of baits that are part of research to develop an oral bTB vaccine (Chapter 3). I found that age class, the proportion of cubs in a social group, the proportion of other individuals eating bait, and sett activity levels have a significant effect on the consumption of bait. Finally I discuss the implications of these results on our understanding of how badger social biology effects bTB control and how the results may influence the design of future research and management strategies (Chapter 4).Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories AgencyFood & Environment Research Agenc

Access to mainstream primary education environments: the case for pupils with an intellectual and/or a pervasive developmental disability

This thesis is concerned with access to mainstream primary education environments and the differentiated geographies of children diagnosed with an intellectual and/or pervasive developmental disability prior to seeking enrolment. Historically, an ethos of care in segregated environments dominated service provision for this population. Through the first half of the 20th century a transition toward the inclusion of education in these segregated settings evolved and in the latter half of the century access to education in mainstream environments dominated policy development. The Education Act 1998 endorsed these developments and legislates for the right of all citizens to equality of access to mainstream educational environments. It lays down the right to supports for pupils with special education needs and affords parents the right of choice of placement for their child. In this thesis, Pierre Bourdieu‟s Theory of Practice is adapted and used to examine the capacity of the primary education system to meet these objectives through the provision of appropriate capitals at multiple levels. The research argues that appropriate cultural capital is not widely available to educators toward the provision of equal citizenship rights for these pupils and that inadequate investment in multiple forms of capital creates and maintains barriers to universal enrolment practices. It argues that appropriate capitals are not available to parents and their children to facilitate informed choice and positive enrolment practices to secure equality of access to placements. The thesis concludes that access to primary education spaces is resource sensitive and that a lack of pertinent capitals in the education system is a barrier to universal mainstream enrolment. The State and/or its agencies cater poorly for children with an intellectual and/or a pervasive developmental disability and their parents, which results in the continuing differentiated geographies of this population

Surface activation of Concorde by Be-7

Activation analysis of two airframe components from the Concorde aircraft has identified the presence of Be-7, a nuclide found by other investigators that was deposited on the forward edge of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) structure. The results of the Concorde analysis indicate that this phenomenon is very much a surface effect, and that the areal densities of the Be-7 are comparable to those found for LDEF. The collection of Be-7 by the aircraft must be greater than in the case of LDEF (since duration for which Concorde is accumulating the nuclide is shorter) and is of the order of 1.2 to 41 nuclei/sq cm(-)s(exp -1) depending upon assumptions made regarding the altitude at which collection becomes appreciable, and the efficiency of the process which removes the radionuclide

The precision of international market sampling for North Sea herring and its influence on assessment

Market sampling is a key source of data for catch-at-age-based assessment. Little has been documented about the influence of potential error in these data on the precision of assessments and the management information they produce. This paper presents the results of a study of the precision of North Sea herring fish market sampling carried out by the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. Data from eight years of market sampling were analysed to obtain the precision of estimated numbers-at-age in the catch. The market sample data was then used to estimate 1000 realisations of the international catch-at-age and mean weightsat- age in the catch. Three methods of estimating the variability of missing catch data were used and three options for the catch-at-age matrices were computed. These base datasets were utilised to obtain 1000 assessments conditional on the ICA (Integrated Catch-at-age Analysis) model. From the outcome of these assessments the influence of the market sampling programmes on the management of the stock are presented as 95␌onfidence intervals on the main management parameters (recruitment, SSB, F0-1 and F2-6). In addition, the influence of missing data is estimated. The implications of our conclusions on the requirements from a market sampling programme are discusse

A Crystal Structure of the Bifunctional Antibiotic Simocyclinone D8, Bound to DNA Gyrase

Simocyclinones are bifunctional antibiotics that inhibit bacterial DNA gyrase by preventing DNA binding to the enzyme. We report the crystal structure of the complex formed between the N-terminal domain of the Escherichia coli gyrase A subunit and simocyclinone D8, revealing two binding pockets that separately accommodate the aminocoumarin and polyketide moieties of the antibiotic. These are close to, but distinct from, the quinolone-binding site, consistent with our observations that several mutations in this region confer resistance to both agents. Biochemical studies show that the individual moieties of simocyclinone D8 are comparatively weak inhibitors of gyrase relative to the parent compound, but their combination generates a more potent inhibitor. Our results should facilitate the design of drug molecules that target these unexploited binding pockets

“We don’t like to use the ‘A’ word”. Couple’s experiences of living with Alzheimer’s disease: an exploratory study

Background: The MMSE is commonly used as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment in stroke services. However, recent research has shown that it has poor diagnostic validity for use in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the ACE-R as an alternative screening measure for use in stroke. Objectives: The first objective was to determine whether the ACE-R is more accurate than the MMSE at detecting overall cognitive impairment in stroke. The second objective was to determine the accuracy of the ACE-R subscales for detecting impairments in specific cognitive domains. Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design. 40 patients were recruited from an inpatient stroke service. They were administered the ACE-R (which includes the MMSE), and a battery of more detailed neuropsychological tests, which served as the ‘gold standard’ for classification of impairment. The diagnostic validity of the ACE-R and MMSE was determined by ROC analysis. Results: Both the MMSE and the ACE-R were found to have inadequate diagnostic validity for the detection of overall cognitive impairment. No cut-scores scores could be identified which yielded test sensitivity of >80% and specificity of >60%. Levels of specificity were particularly poor. The ACE-R subscales showed a similar pattern of performance, indicating inadequate validity for the detection of impairment in specific areas of cognitive functioning. Conclusions: There was no support for the use of the MMSE or the ACE-R when screening for cognitive impairment in acute stroke. Further research should focus on the identification of an alternative measure

Sinonasal Melioidosis in a Returned Traveller Presenting with Nasal Cellulitis and Sinusitis

We illustrate a case involving a 51-year-old man who presented to a tertiary hospital with sepsis secondary to an abscess of the nasal vestibule and pustular eruptions of the nasal mucosa. Associated cellulitis extended across the face to the eye, and mucosal thickening of the sinuses was seen on computed tomography. The patient underwent incision and drainage and endoscopic sinus surgery. Blood cultures and swabs were positive for a gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei. He had multiple risk factors including travel to an endemic area. The patient received extended antibiotic therapy in keeping with published national guidelines. Melioidosis is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in the soil in Northern Australia and Asia. It is transmitted via cutaneous or inhaled routes, leading to pneumonia, skin or soft tissue abscesses, and genitourinary infections. Risk factors include diabetes, chronic lung disease, and alcohol abuse. It can exist as a latent, active, or reactivated infection. A high mortality rate has been identified in patients with sepsis. Melioidosis is endemic in tropical Northern Australia and northeastern Thailand where it is the most common cause of severe community-acquired sepsis. There is one other report of melioidosis in the literature involving orbital cellulitis and sinusitis

Evidence for a magnesium-insensitive membrane resistance increase during NMDA-induced depolarizations in rat neocortical neurons in vitro

The responses of rat neocortical neurons in vitro to iontophoretically applied N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) were investigated by means of intracellular recording in the presence and absence of extracellular magnesium ions (Mg2+). At Mg2+-concentrations of 1.3 mM the neurons responded with a depolarization accompanied by an increase in membrane resistance. Upon removal of Mg2+ the NMDA-induced depolarization was markedly potentiated. However, even in neurons recorded from slices which were incubated in a Mg2+-free solution for 3–7 h, the NMDA response was still associated with a resistance increase, suggesting that the voltage-dependence of the NMDA-activated conductance is not exclusively determined by Mg2+

Characterisation of the Enterococcus faecalis EfaA gene product in infective endocarditis

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