Refugee children at school: good practices in mental health and social care

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Mechanical properties of the large bowel in health and disease

The mechanical properties of the large bowel have been largely neglected to date. A method was established using the rat colon to mechanically test colonic tissue. The method involved 10 mm rings of colon being tested mechanically at right angles to the long axis of the colon. Tests chosen to measure "strength" were burst strength and tensile strength. "Stretch" was measured by percentage elongation and width of the colon at burst. The internal diameter of the colon at zero stress and the thickness of the colon wall, at rest were taken as reference dimensions. Viscoelastic properties were measured by stress relaxation and hysteresis in the rat and stress -relaxation in the human.Post-mortem material was the only practical source of non -diseased colonic tissue across the spectrum of age. The tests used were not affected significantly by death or time after death. Because colons required to be transported from Uganda to be tested in Edinburgh, a method of preserving mechanical properties during storage had to be devised. The method of choice was salt, mechanical properties as tested being well preserved for at least 35 days.Twenty -tw adult Edinburgh colons (age range 19 to 81) and 17 adult Kampala colons (age range 14 to 62) were studied. In addition, 10 Edinburgh children's colons (age range 28 weeks gestation to 4 years) and 3 Kampala children's colons (age range 36 to 40 weeks gestation) were tested. Segments from an ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid colons were tested in each case.The tensile strength of the human colon declined with age (P < 0,05). Once adult life was reached its capacity to stretch remained fairly constant, except in the sigmoid colon, where there was a fall in stretch capacity with age (P <0,001. ). The diameter of the colon fell with increasing age in adult life (P <0,05), this was most pronounced in the Edinburgh colon. Viscoelastic properties were unaffected by age. There were no consistent sex differences in mechanical properties.The Kampalan colon had a significantly greater tensile strength than its Edinburgh counterpart (P <0,05). The distal but not the proximal colon had a greater stretch capacity in the Kampala group (P <0,001). The viscoelastic property of stress relaxation was similar in both groups. Children's colons were similar in the two race groups.Comparing those colons with and without diverticular disease in the Edinburgh over 50 group, no differences were found in mechanical properties.The results are discussed in the light of the few mechanical or structural studies previously reported for the colon and also mechanical studies of other tissues. Their relevance to the high incidence of diverticular disease in Edinburgh compared with Kampala is discussed, together with theories for the aetiology of diverticular disease

Wireless event-recording device with identification codes

A wireless recording device can be interrogated to determine its identity and its state. The state indicates whether a particular physical or chemical event has taken place. In effect, the physical or chemical event is recorded by the device. The identity of the device allows it to be distinguished from a number of similar devices. Thus the sensor device may be used in an array of devices that can be probed by a wireless interrogation unit. The device tells the interrogator who it is and what state it is in. The interrogator can thus easily identify particular items in an array that have reached a particular condition

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 4, no. 2

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. Tributes to Lamin Sanneh by friends, family, colleagues, scholars, a Bible translator, and an editor. 2. Biographies by Lamin Sanneh in the DACB. 3. A selected bibliography by Lamin Sanneh, compiled by B. Restrick. 4. Book Notes, compiled by B. Restric

Effects of 17β-Estradiol Exposure on Gamete Development and Viability in Freshwater Unionids

Evidence of a functional role for vertebrate steroids has been demonstrated in a number of invertebrate species, including molluscs. This knowledge has generated interest into the possibility of invertebrate endocrine disruption due to exposure to both exogenous steroid hormones and xenobiotics which can mimic the action of these compounds. Exposure to the natural vertebrate estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), for example, has been shown to induce accelerated gamete development in multiple mollusc species. Little information exists, however, for freshwater mussels, a group of exceptional conservation interest. Here, Daniel Sovic, Raoman Lanno, Dr. Kody Kuehnl, and G. Thomas Watters report the findings of two field studies on gametogenesis (Elliptio complanata, Pleurobema clava) as they relate to seasonal estrogenicity of extracts from Polar Organic Compound Integrative Samplers (POCIS) as determined using the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) assay. In order to investigate effects of E2 exposure on gamete maturation and viability in freshwater mussels, Elliptio insulsa were dosed at one of three exposure levels. Effects on ova and sperm development were determined on biopsies collected 10 days and 6 months post-exposure and biopsy-generated data were compared with histological sections of vicera collected immediately following final biopsy collection. Comparisons of data collected via biopsy and traditional histological techniques provided data to evaluate the potential for utilizing non-lethal biopsy sampling to assess Unionid gametogenesis.https://fuse.franklin.edu/forum-2013/1022/thumbnail.jp

RNA systems biology: uniting functional discoveries and structural tools to understand global roles of RNAs

RNAs assume sophisticated structures that are active in myriad cellular processes. In this review, we highlight newly identified ribozymes, riboswitches, and small RNAs, some of which control the function of cellular metabolic and gene expression networks. We then examine recent developments in genome-wide RNA structure probing technologies that are yielding new insights into the structural landscape of the transcriptome. Finally, we discuss how these RNA ‘structomic’ methods can address emerging questions in RNA systems biology, from the mechanisms behind long non-coding RNAs to new bases for human diseases

Spatial Grain Size Sorting in Eolian Ripples and Estimation of Wind Conditions on Planetary Surfaces: Application to Meridiani Planum, Mars

The landscape seen by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity at Meridiani Planum is dominated by eolian (wind-blown) ripples with concentrated surface lags of hematitic spherules and fragments. These ripples exhibit profound spatial grain size sorting, with well-sorted coarse-grained crests and poorly sorted, generally finer-grained troughs. These ripples were the most common bed form encountered by Opportunity in its traverse from Eagle Crater to Endurance Crater. Field measurements from White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, show that such coarse-grained ripples form by the different transport modes of coarse- and fine-grain fractions. On the basis of our field study, and simple theoretical and experimental considerations, we show how surface deposits of coarse-grained ripples can be used to place tight constraints on formative wind conditions on planetary surfaces. Activation of Meridiani Planum coarse-grained ripples requires a wind velocity of 70 m/s (at a reference elevation of 1 m above the bed). From images by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) of reversing dust streaks, we estimate that modern surface winds reach a velocity of at least 40 m/s and hence may occasionally activate these ripples. The presence of hematite at Meridiani Planum is ultimately related to formation of concretions during aqueous diagenesis in groundwater environments; however, the eolian concentration of these durable particles may have led to the recognition from orbit of this environmentally significant landing site