Deterioration and fragmentation of rivers in Malta

Malta, situated in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily, is a small island of less than 300 km2. Two hundred years ago Malta was a wet and sodden country. The limestone was like a sponge, with numerous perennial springs, great and small, and so full of water that most flat areas did not drain, but were marsh. Water from springs, rivers and marshes was in ample supply. In the space of two centuries, Malta's rivers have passed from being good, spring-regulated watercourses with a mixed community of clean limewater plants, to the present-day situation where many if not all are on the verge of extinction. This is the result of human impact, not climate change, and is set to continue and increase. Unfortunately the best wetland-type valley communities were scheduled to be destroyed in 1997 but, after a change of Government and vigorous representations, these may now be spared. However, there is at least a great opportunity to prevent further fragmentation of remaining rivers and to reclaim some of the fragmented portions

The antibacterial effect of a radiopaque double antibiotic paste against both an established multispecies and a single enterococcus faecalis biofilm

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)For regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) to be successful an elimination of bacteria from the root canal system must be accomplished. Many different medicaments with antibacterial properties have been used to obtain complete disinfection. Double antibiotic paste (DAP) containing a mixture of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole has been shown to be a promising intracanal medicament. The addition of a radiopaque filler such as zirconium oxide to DAP may affect the antibacterial properties of DAP as well as allow precise placement and radiographic visualization of its position in the canal system. The aim of the proposed study was to evaluate the direct antibacterial properties of zirconium oxide radiopacifier combined with DAP (RoDAP) against a multispecies biofilm from a bacterial isolate from an infected immature tooth with a necrotic pulp and a known single species biofilm. 4x4 mm radicular dentin specimens (n = 112) obtained from human extracted teeth were used prepared and sterilized prior to use. A multispecies clinical bacterial isolate from an immature tooth with a necrotic pulp and a single species Enterococcus faecalis isolate were obtained. These bacterial isolates were used to inoculate dentin slabs and grown for 3 weeks. The dentin slabs were treated for 1 week with 1.0-mg/mL and 10- mg/mL RoDAP, 1.0-mg/mL DAP, and two placebo pastes consisting of methyl cellulose (MC) and methyl cellulose combined with zirconium oxide (RoMC), respectively, as well as two no-treatment controls. Following treatment, the grown biofilm was detached and spiral plated. The plated biofilm cells were cultured for 24 hours and each group examined using a colony counter to determine bacterial numbers (CFUs/mL). Data analysis, using a 5.0-percent significance level was conducted using one-way ANOVA followed by pair-wise group comparisons. Both 1.0-mg/mL and 10 mg/mL RoDAP demonstrated significant antibacterial effects against bacterial isolates from an immature tooth with a necrotic pulp as well as an E. faecalis isolate. The precise application of RoDAP confirmed radiographically with its direct antibacterial properties may be beneficial for intracanal disinfection during REPs

Thyroxine differentially modulates the peripheral clock: lessons from the human hair follicle

The human hair follicle (HF) exhibits peripheral clock activity, with knock-down of clock genes (BMAL1 and PER1) prolonging active hair growth (anagen) and increasing pigmentation. Similarly, thyroid hormones prolong anagen and stimulate pigmentation in cultured human HFs. In addition they are recognized as key regulators of the central clock that controls circadian rhythmicity. Therefore, we asked whether thyroxine (T4) also influences peripheral clock activity in the human HF. Over 24 hours we found a significant reduction in protein levels of BMAL1 and PER1, with their transcript levels also decreasing significantly. Furthermore, while all clock genes maintained their rhythmicity in both the control and T4 treated HFs, there was a significant reduction in the amplitude of BMAL1 and PER1 in T4 (100 nM) treated HFs. Accompanying this, cell-cycle progression marker Cyclin D1 was also assessed appearing to show an induced circadian rhythmicity by T4 however, this was not significant. Contrary to short term cultures, after 6 days, transcript and/or protein levels of all core clock genes (BMAL1, PER1, clock, CRY1, CRY2) were up-regulated in T4 treated HFs. BMAL1 and PER1 mRNA was also up-regulated in the HF bulge, the location of HF epithelial stem cells. Together this provides the first direct evidence that T4 modulates the expression of the peripheral molecular clock. Thus, patients with thyroid dysfunction may also show a disordered peripheral clock, which raises the possibility that short term, pulsatile treatment with T4 might permit one to modulate circadian activity in peripheral tissues as a target to treat clock-related disease

East Midlands skills priorities statement academic year 2011-2012

The East Midlands Skills Priorities Statement sets out the skills required to support economic growth and recovery in the region. The statement presents priorities for the academic year 2011-2012 for skills at all levels for those aged 16 and above. It is based on the latest labour market intelligence and information on provision and includes prospects to 2017

Do we want a fighter? The influence of group status and the stability of intergroup relations on leader prototypicality and endorsement

Based on the idea that leadership is a group process, we propose that followers' endorsement of a leader depends on particular leadership strategies being perceived to be best suited for maintaining or advancing group identity in the context of prevailing intergroup relations. Three experimental studies with different samples aimed to examine how socio-structural variables that define intergroup relations impact on leader–follower relations and on the support that followers give to leaders who adopt different approaches to manage intergroup relations. We demonstrate that after manipulating the status and the stability of intergroup relations followers endorse leaders who strategically engage in group-oriented behaviour that maps onto optimal identity-management strategies. These patterns mirrored differences across contexts in the perceived prototypicality. We conclude that intergroup relations influence leaders' strategic behaviour and followers' reaction to them. Findings highlight the importance of understanding leadership as both a within- and between-group process

An Absolute Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Temperature at 10.7 GHz

A balloon-borne experiment has measured the absolute temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) at 10.7 GHz to be Tcmbr = 2.730 +- .014 K. The error is the quadratic sum of several systematic errors, with statistical error of less than 0.1 mK. The instrument comprises a cooled corrugated horn antenna coupled to a total-power radiometer. A cryogenic mechanical waveguide switch alternately connects the radiometer to the horn and to an internal reference load. The small measured temperature difference (<= 20 mK) between the sky signal and the reference load in conjunction with the use of a cold front end keeps systematic instrumental corrections small. Atmospheric and window emission are minimized by flying the instrument at 24 km altitude. A large outer ground screen and smaller inner screen shield the instrument from stray radiation from the ground and the balloon. In-flight tests constrain the magnitude of ground radiation contamination, and low level interference is monitored through observations in several narrow frequency bands.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, submitted to ApJ

Leader behavior as a determinant of health at work: Specification and evidence of five key pathways

The extent to which leadership influences employee health and the processes that underlie its effects are not well understood at present. With the aim of filling this gap, we review four distinct forms of leader behavior (task-oriented, relationship-oriented, change-oriented, and passive/destructive) and clarify the different ways in which these can be expected to have a bearing on employee health. Next, we present a model that integrates and extends these insights. This model describes five pathways through which leader behavior can influence the health of organizational members and summarizes what we know about the most important determinants, processes (mediators) and moderators of these relationships. These involve leaders engaging in personfocused action, system- or team-focused action, action to moderate the impact of contextual factors, climate control and identity management, and modelling. Finally, we identify important gaps and opportunities in the literature that need to be addressed in future research. A key conclusion is that while much has been done to explore some key pathways between leadership and health, others remain underexplored. We also outline how future research might address these in the context of a more expansive theoretical, empirical and practical approach to this emerging field of research

Legal Work and the Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Preferentially Selected to Lead Problematic Cases

Recent archival and experimental research by Ryan and Haslam has revealed the phenomenon of the glass cliff whereby women are more likely than men to be appointed to risky or precarious leadership positions in problematic organizational circumstances. This paper extends research on the glass cliff by examining the precariousness of the cases women are assigned in a legal context. An experimental study conducted with law students (N = 114) investigated the appointment of a candidate to lead a legal case that was defined as either low-risk or high-risk. Commensurate with patterns observed in other domains, results indicated that a male candidate was as likely as a female to be selected as lead counsel for a low-risk case but that there was a strong preference for a female rather than a male appointment for a high-risk case. The study also examines the way in which participants\u27 evaluations of candidates and their perceptions of risk and opportunity related to candidate selection. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

Overcoming alcohol and other drug addiction as a process of social identity transition : the social identity model of recovery (SIMOR)

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on a recovery model within alcohol and drug policy and practice. This has occurred concurrently with the emergence of community- and strengths-based approaches in positive psychology, mental health recovery and desistance and rehabilitation from offending. Recovery is predicated on the idea of substance user empowerment and self-determination, using the metaphor of a ‘‘journey’’. Previous research describing recovery journeys has pointed to the importance of identity change processes, through which the internalised stigma and status of an ‘‘addict identity’’ is supplanted with a new identity. This theoretical paper argues that recovery is best understood as a personal journey of socially negotiated identity transition that occurs through changes in social networks and related meaningful activities. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is used as a case study to illustrate this process of social identity transition. In line with recent social identity theorising, it is proposed that (a) identity change in recovery is socially negotiated, (b) recovery emerges through socially mediated processes of social learning and social control and (c) recovery can be transmitted in social networks through a process of social influence