Detecting defects in the UK new-build housing sector: a learning perspective

Rapid growth in the production of new homes in the UK is putting build quality under pressure as evidenced by an increase in the number of defects. Housing associations (HAs) contribute approximately 20% of the UK’s new housing supply. HAs are currently experiencing central government funding cuts and rental revenue reductions. As part of HAs’ quest to ramp up supply despite tight budget conditions, they are reviewing how they learn from defects. Learning from defects is argued as a means of reducing the persistent defect problem within the UK housebuilding industry, yet how HAs learn from defects is under-researched. The aim of this research is to better understand how HAs, in practice, learn from past defects to reduce the prevalence of defects in future new homes. The theoretical lens for this research is organizational learning. The results drawn from 12 HA case studies indicate that effective organizational learning has the potential to reduce defects within the housing sector. The results further identify that HAs are restricting their learning to focus primarily on reducing defects through product and system adaptations. Focusing on product and system adaptations alone suppresses HAs’ abilities to reduce defects in the future.

Decomposition in tropical forests: a pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and mesofaunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient

1. Litter decomposition recycles nutrients and causes large fluxes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is typically assumed that climate, litter quality and decomposer communities determine litter decay rates, yet few comparative studies have examined their relative contributions in tropical forests. 2. We used a short-term litterbag experiment to quantify the effects of litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion on decomposition in 23 tropical forests in 14 countries. Annual precipitation varied among sites (760-5797 mm). At each site, two standard substrates (Raphia farinifera and Laurus nobilis) were decomposed in fine- and coarse-mesh litterbags both above and below ground for approximately 1 year. 3. Decomposition was rapid, with >95% mass loss within a year at most sites. Litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion all independently affected decomposition, but the magnitude depended upon site. Both the average decomposition rate at each site and the ratio of above- to below-ground decay increased linearly with annual precipitation, explaining 60-65% of among-site variation. Excluding mesofauna had the largest impact on decomposition, reducing decomposition rates by half on average, but the magnitude of decrease was largely independent of climate. This suggests that the decomposer community might play an important role in explaining patterns of decomposition among sites. Which litter type decomposed fastest varied by site, but was not related to climate. 4. Synthesis. A key goal of ecology is to identify general patterns across ecological communities, as well as relevant site-specific details to understand local dynamics. Our pan-tropical study shows that certain aspects of decomposition, including average decomposition rates and the ratio of above- to below-ground decomposition are highly correlated with a simple climatic index: mean annual precipitation. However, we found no relationship between precipitation and effects of mesofaunal exclusion or litter type, suggesting that site-specific details may also be required to understand how these factors affect decomposition at local scales.

Static electric fields interfere in the viability of cells exposed to ionising radiation

Purpose: The interference of electric fields (EF) with biological processes is an issue of considerable interest. No studies have as yet been reported on the combined effect of EF plus ionising radiation. Here we report studies on this combined effect using the prokaryote Microcystis panniformis, the eukaryote Candida albicans and human cells. Materials and methods: Cultures of Microcystis panniformis (Cyanobacteria) in glass tubes were irradiated with doses in the interval 0.5-5kGy, using a 60Co gamma source facility. Samples irradiated with 3kGy were exposed for 2h to a 20Vcm-1 static electric field and viable cells were enumerated. Cultures of Candida albicans were incubated at 36C for 20h, gamma-irradiated with doses from 1-4kGy, and submitted to an electric field of 180Vcm-1. Samples were examined under a fluorescence microscope and the number of unviable (red) and viable (apple green fluorescence) cells was determined. For crossing-check purposes, MRC5 strain of lung cells were irradiated with 2 Gy, exposed to an electric field of 1250 V/cm, incubated overnight with the anti-body anti-phospho-histone H2AX and examined under a fluorescence microscope to quantify nuclei with -H2AX foci. Results: In cells exposed to EF, death increased substantially compared to irradiation alone. In C. albicans we observed suppression of the DNA repair shoulder. The effect of EF in growth of M. panniformis was substantial; the number of surviving cells on day-2 after irradiation was 12 times greater than when an EF was applied. By the action of a static electric field on the irradiated MRC5 cells the number of nuclei with -H2AX foci increased 40%, approximately. Conclusions: Application of an EF following irradiation greatly increases cell death. The observation that the DNA repair shoulder in the survival curve of C. albicans is suppressed when cells are exposed to irradiation+EF suggests that EF likely inactivate cellular recovering processes. The result for the number of nuclei with -H2AX foci in MRC5 cells indicates that an EF interferes mostly in the DNA repair mechanisms. A molecular ad-hoc model is proposed.

Pregnancy-related low back pain and pelvic girdle pain approximately 14 months after pregnancy : pain status, self-rated health and family situation

Background: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) in pregnancy is distinct from pregnancy-related low back pain (PLBP). However, women with combined PLBP and PGP report more serious consequences in terms of health and function. PGP has been estimated to affect about half of pregnant women, where 25% experience serious pain and 8% experience severe disability. To date there are relatively few studies regarding persistent PLBP/PGP postpartum of more than 3 months, thus the main objective was to identify the prevalence of persistent PLBP and PGP as well as the differences over time in regard to pain status, self-rated health (SRH) and family situation at 12 months postpartum. Methods: The study is a 12 month follow-up of a cohort of pregnant women developing PLBP and PGP during pregnancy, and who experienced persistent pain at 6 month follow-up after pregnancy. Women reporting PLBP/PGP (n = 639) during pregnancy were followed up with a second questionnaire at approximately six month after delivery. Women reporting recurrent or persistent LBP/PGP at the second questionnaire (n = 200) were sent a third questionnaire at 12 month postpartum. Results: A total of 176 women responded to the questionnaire. Thirty-four women (19.3%) reported remission of LBP/PGP, whereas 65.3% (n = 115) and 15.3% (n = 27), reported recurrent LBP/PGP or continuous LBP/PGP, respectively. The time between base line and the 12 months follow-up was in actuality 14 months. Women with previous LBP before pregnancy had an increased odds ratio (OR) of reporting 'recurrent pain' (OR = 2.47) or 'continuous pain' (OR = 3.35) postpartum compared to women who reported 'no pain' at the follow-up. Women with 'continuous pain' reported statistically significant higher level of pain at all measure points (0, 6 and 12 months postpartum). Non-responders were found to report a statistically significant less positive scoring regarding relationship satisfaction compared to responders. Conclusions: The results from this study demonstrate that persistent PLBP/PGP is a major individual and public health issue among women 14 months postpartum, negatively affecting their self-reported health. However, the perceived relationship satisfaction seems to be stable between the groups.

Das coisa visíveis às invisíveis: contributos para o estudo da pintura maneirista na Ilha da Madeira (1540-1620)

Universidade da Madeira

Preferência alimentar e identificação das principais fontes de repasto sanguíneo de fêmeas Lutzomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae) em áreas endêmicas para leishmaniose visceral na grande Natal

Leishmaniasis are endemic diseases wild spread in the New and Old World, caused by the flagelated protozoan Leishmania. In the New World, the distribution of different forms of leishmaniasis is mostly in tropical regions. In the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Brazil, 85% of the captured sand flies fauna is Lutzomyia longipalpis. The distribution of the sand fly vector in the state overlaps with the disease distribution, where the presence of sand flies is associated with presence of animals shelters. The aim of this study was to analyse the blood meal preference of sand flies vector from the genus Lutzomyia spp. in laboratory conditions, to verify the vector life cicle at different temperatures sets and to identify the main blood meal source in endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) at peri-urban regions of Natal. Sand flies samples were collected from the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante and Nísia Floresta where female sand flies were grouped for the colony maintenance in the laboratory and for the analysis of the preferred source of sand fly blood meal in natural environment. The prevalence of blood meal preference and oviposition for the females sand flies was 97% for Cavia porcellus with oviposition of 19 eggs/female; 97% for Eqqus caballus with 19 eggs/female; 98% for human blood with 14 eggs/female; 71.3% for Didelphis albiventris with 8.4 eggs/female; 73% for Gallus gallus with 14 eggs/female; 86% for Canis familiaris with 10.3 eggs/female; 81.4% for Galea spixii with 26 eggs/female; 36% for Callithrix jachus with 15 eggs/female; 42.8% for Monodelphis domestica with 0% of oviposition. Female sand flies did not take a blood meal from Felis catus. Sand flies life cycle ranged from 32-40 days, with 21-50 oviposition rates approximately. This study also showed that at 32°C the life cycle had 31 days, at 28° C it had 50 days and at 22°C it increased to 79 days. Adjusting the temperature to 35°C the eggs did not hatch, thus blocking the life cycle. A total of 1540 sand flies were captured, among them, 1.310 were male and 230 were female. Whereas 86% of the sand flies captured were Lu. longipalpis as compared to 10.5% for Lu. evandroi and, 3.2% for L. lenti and 0.3% for Lu whitmani. The ratio between female and male sandfly was approximately 6 males to 1 female. In Nísia Floresta, 50.7% of the collected females took their blood meal from armadillo, 12.8% from human. Among the female sand flies captured in São Gonçalo do Amarante, 80 of them were tested for the Leishmania KDNA infectivity where 5% of them were infected with Leishmania chagasi. Female Lutzomyia spp. showed to have an opportunistic blood meal characteristic. The behavioral parameters seem to have a higher influence in the oviposition when compared to the level of total proteins detected in the host s bloodstream. A higher Lu. longipalpis life cycle viability was observed at 28°C. The increase of temperature dropped the life cycle time, which means that the life cycle is modified by temperature range, source of blood meal and humidity. Lu longipalpis was the most specie found in the inner and peridomiciliar environment. In Nísia Floresta, armadillos were the main source of blood meal for Lutzomyia spp. At São Gonçalo do Amarante, humans were the main source of blood meal due to CDC nets placed inside their houses

A non-invasive method for silencing gene transcription in honeybees maintained under natural conditions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Virulência de Aphanocladium album (Preuss) Gams e Verticillium lecanii (Zimm.) Viégas (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) para o Percevejo-de-renda da seringueira, Leptopharsa heveae (Drake & Poor) (Hemiptera: Tingidae)

The lace bug, Leptopharsa heveae is an insect that causes serious damage on rubber trees. In laboratory condition, the strains of Verticillium lecanii (ARSEF 6430, 6431 e 6432) and Aphanocladium album (ARSEF 6433) were tested on third-and fifth-instar nymphs and adults of L. heveae to evaluate their virulence using 2.4 x 10(5) and 2.4 x 10(7) conidia/mL. The bioassays were carried out using Petri dishes whose inner bottoms were covered with damp filter papers. Each Petri dish contained five insects and one rubber tree leaflet. The plates were covered with PVC film to provide high relative humidity, maintained at 26 +/- 0.5 degrees C and a photophase of 14 hours. The Probit analysis was calculated from mortality date of insects killed by fungi. In the highest concentrations, ARSEF 6430 was more virulent for third instar nymphs, and the LT50 was 1.9 days. For the fifth instar, the strains ARSEF 6430, 6433 and 6432 showed similar virulence with LT50 of 2.6, 2.6 and 3.2 days, respectively. For adults, ARSEF 6431 was the most virulent strain with the LT50 recorded at 2.0 days. The smallest concentration did not always cause more than 50% mortality.

Biologia de Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Heteroptera: Tingidae) e a relação de suas exigências térmicas com a flutuação populacional em seringueira

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Parasitismo de Erythmelus tingitiphagus (Soares) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) em ovos de Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae), em plantios de seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis Müell. Arg.)

The rubber tree lace bug, Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor occurs in high populations in rubber tree plantations and it is a limiting factor in rubber production due to the loss of photosynthetic tissue. The control of the pest has been made mainly with chemical products, which cause environmental contamination. The alternative would be the use of biological control agents, however, information about L. heveae natural enemies are scarce. The parasitoid Erythmelus tingitiphagus (Soares) parasitize eggs of the rubber tree lace bug. The aim of this study was to verify the occurrence of E. tingitiphagus in plantations of several rubber tree clones, located in Itiquira town, Mato Grosso State. The plant leaflets of the clones RRIM 600, PR 255, GT 1, PB 235 and PB 217 were collected weekly from October 2005 to February 2006. Parasitism was recorded during the entire study period. The parasitism rate of L. heveae eggs in the different clones ranged from 16.8 to 20.6%.

Rapid Prototyping applied to surgical planning for correcting craniofacial malformations in wild animals. A case study of a brazilian fox

Veterinary surgery for treatment of wild animals is becoming an increasingly demanding task because it involves animals of different anatomy, many of them are already stressed and treatment must be performed to the highest standard in the minimum period of time. Craniofacial alterations may occur for three main reasons: genetic, functional or a combination of both. It is possible to modify the functional cause using intraoral devices like inclined plane. The treatment planning can be made based on virtual 3D models and rapid prototyping. An approximately 9 months old, 3.7 kg male Brazilian fox (Lycalopex vetulus) was referred to the Veterinary Hospital. Physical examination showed malocclusion with a deviation of the mandible to the right side. The virtual 3D model of the head was generated based on CT image data. The 3D models and rapid prototyping opened up new possibilities for the surgical planning and treatment of wild animals.

Characterisation of protease activity in extracellular products secreted by Giardia duodenalis trophozoites treated with propolis

Results from our laboratory revealed propolis activity on Giardia trophozoites proliferation. Since therapeutic agents can inhibit the activity of proteases related to relevant biologic and physiologic processes of parasites, this study was undertaken to characterise the proteolytic activity of excretory/secretory products (ESP) of trophozoites treated with propolis. ESP was obtained from culture supernatants of trophozoites exposed to 250 and 500 mu g mL(-1) of propolis. ESP were tested in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the protein profiles and the protease activity was assayed in gelatin-containing gels. Synthetic inhibitors were used to characterise the protease classes. Treated and non-treated ESP showed a similar protein and hydrolysis pattern. A simple pattern of protein composed by five evident bands of approximately 167, 132, 79, 61 and 51 kDa was found, and the zymograms comprised hydrolysis zones distributed from > 170 to 23 kDa. No inhibition was seen on protease activity of propolis-treated trophozoites, whose hydrolysis pattern was similar to control. One may conclude that both ESP degraded gelatin and the activity was predominantly due to cysteine proteases. Although propolis had no effect on the proteolytic activity, further studies could identify the active constituents responsible for propolis antigiardial activity and their mechanisms of action.

Search for narrow resonances in dilepton mass spectra in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV CMS Collaboration

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for large extra dimensions in dimuon and dielectron events in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for a W ' or Techni-rho Decaying into WZ in pp Collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)