Modulation of the infant immune responses by the firts pertussis vaccine administrations

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Modulation of the infant immune responses by the first pertussis vaccine administrations.

Many efforts are currently made to prepare combined vaccines against most infectious pathogens, that may be administered early in life to protect infants against infectious diseases as early as possible. However, little is known about the general immune modulation induced by early vaccination. Here, we have analyzed the cytokine secretion profiles of two groups of 6-month-old infants having received as primary immunization either a whole-cell (Pw) or an acellular (Pa) pertussis vaccine in a tetravalent formulation of pertussis-tetanus-diphtheria-poliomyelitis vaccines. Both groups of infants secreted IFN-gamma in response to the Bordetella pertussis antigens filamentous haemagglutinin and pertussis toxin, and this response was correlated with antigen-specific IL-12p70 secretion, indicating that both pertussis vaccines induced Th1 cytokines. However, Pa recipients also developed a strong Th2-type cytokine response to the B. pertussis antigens, as noted previously. In addition, they induced Th2-type cytokines to the co-administrated antigen tetanus toxoïd, as well as to the food antigen beta-lactoglobulin. Furthermore, the general cytokine profile of the Pa recipients was strongly Th2-skewed at 6 months, as indicated by the cytokines induced by the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin. These data demonstrate that the cytokine profile of 6-month-old infants is influenced by the type of formulation of the pertussis vaccine they received at 2, 3 and 4 months of life. Large prospective studies would be warranted to evaluate the possible long-term consequences of this early modulation of the cytokine responses in infants.

Annotation of Case C-43/93, Raymond Vander Elst v Office des Migrations Internationales, ECR I-3803

Freedom to provide services - Nationals of a non-member country - Posted Workers

Biosensor-based detection of reduced sex hormone-binding globulin binding capacities in response to growth-promoter administrations

Growth-promoting agents are illicitly used during animal rearing processes and the detection of their use is limited by new compounds and dosing practices that limit the efficiency of current testing which is based on residue analysis by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methodology. An alternative approach is to use indirect biological evidence as a screening tool to identify growth-promoter treated animals thus improving the effectiveness of residue testing through the targeted sampling of these animals. Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein which binds and controls the levels of sex-hormones within the circulation. Using a biosensor assay based on measurement of binding to an immobilised 1a-dihydrotestosterone (1a-DHT) derivative, reduced SHBG binding capacities were detected in growth-promoter treated animals. During the course of a veal treatment regime based on repeated oestradiol benzoate, nortestosterone decanoate and dexamethasone administrations, treated male and female calves were shown to have significantly lower SHBG capacities. To assess the effectiveness of using SHBG binding capacities as a biomarker of treatment and to investigate the role of individual growth-promoter components to the SHBG capacity lowering effects, adult heifer animals were subjected to repeated doses of nortestosterone decanoate. These animals also demonstrated a reduction in SHBG capacity levels at Day 39 of the study, in contrast to oestradiol benzoate treated adult steers who were found to have unaltered levels. These findings suggest that the measurement of SHBG binding capacities using a biosensor assay has potential in the identification of illegally treated animals, particularly those exposed to androgens.

Use of NMR metabolomic plasma profiling methodologies to identify illicit growth-promoting administrations

Detection of growth-promoter use in animal production systems still proves to be an analytical challenge despite years of activity in the field. This study reports on the capability of NMR metabolomic profiling techniques to discriminate between plasma samples obtained from cattle treated with different groups of growth-promoting hormones (dexamethasone, prednisolone, oestradiol) based on recorded metabolite profiles. Two methods of NMR analysis were investigated—a Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG)-pulse sequence technique and a conventional 1H NMR method using pre-extracted plasma. Using the CPMG method, 17 distinct metabolites could be identified from the spectra. 1H NMR analysis of extracted plasma facilitated identification of 23 metabolites—six more than the alternative method and all within the aromatic region. Multivariate statistical analysis of acquired data from both forms of NMR analysis separated the plasma metabolite profiles into distinct sample cluster sets representative of the different animal study groups. Samples from both sets of corticosteroid-treated animals—dexamethasone and prednisolone—were found to be clustered relatively closely and had similar alterations to identified metabolite panels. Distinctive metabolite profiles, different from those observed within plasma from corticosteroid-treated animal plasma, were observed in oestradiol-treated animals and samples from these animals formed a cluster spatially isolated from control animal plasma samples. These findings suggest the potential use of NMR methodologies of plasma metabolite analysis as a high-throughput screening technique to aid detection of growth promoter use.

Planning for Renewable Energy: Lessons from the UK’s Devolved Administrations

The planning system has been put forward as a key element in facilitating the low carbon transition (Bulkeley 2006, While 2008), by reducing carbon footprints through initiatives such as encouraging less-energy intensive development, reducing the need to travel or promoting sustainable forms of transport. It has also played a key role on encouraging a shift to more renewable sources of energy, through establishing the spatial ‘rules’ for its regulation, consenting of specific projects and acting as the key arena for mediating a range of social concerns over the resulting socio-technical shift. Despite having this key facilitative role, planning is also regularly seen as a key impediment to renewables, particularly on-shore wind (Ellis et al 2009). There is however, little known about what makes the ‘best’ approach to planning for renewables and indeed little discussion on how to judge the effectiveness of a planning regime for this issue – is it one that maximises generating capacity, protects or landscapes or biodiversity, or perhaps one that maximises social acceptance of renewable developments?

The UK offers a useful context for exploring these issues, with its four main territories (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) having broadly similar institutional arrangements, but autonomy over spatial planning during the period in which renewables expanded across the landscape. Each of these jurisdictions has sought to use their planning system to encourage renewables with subtlety different discourses, regulations and spatial strategies. Such an ‘experiment’ offers some important insight into what ‘works’.

This paper will draw on a two year study funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (RES-062-23-2526), which has charted the effects of devolved administrations on policy and delivery of renewable energy from 1990 to 2012. Drawing on more than 80 interviews, documentary analysis and secondary data sources it describes the growth of renewable capacity in each jurisdiction, explores the spatial strategies adopted and analyses the way in which the broader institutional frameworks in which planning for renewables has emerged. The paper uses this analysis to consider the lessons that can be drawn from the comparable experience of the devolved administrations in the UK and points to the ways in which we should evaluate the effectiveness of planning regimes for renewable energy.

Implementing IFRSs in the UK Devolved Administrations

Purpose
– Utilising concepts drawn from the governmentality literature, the purpose of this paper is to examine the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) in the UK’s devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in order to assess why they were adopted and how their introduction has been governed.

Design/methodology/approach
– This research applies a combination of three different approaches, namely: a content analysis; an anonymous online questionnaire; and semi-structured interviews.

Findings
– These include: the transition has had minimal impact upon policy setting and the information produced to aid budgeting and decision making; IFRSs are not entirely appropriate for the public sector; the time, cost and effort involved outweighed the benefits; public sector accounting has become overly-complicated; and the transition is not perceived as part of a wider privatisation programmeResearch limitations/implications
– As this study focuses upon the three UK devolved administrations, the findings may not be applicable in a wider setting.

Practical/implications
– Public sector change must be adequately resourced, carefully planned, with appropriate systems, trained staff and interdisciplinary project teams; accounting change should be based on value for money; and a single, coherent financial regime for the way in which government uses budgets, presents estimates to Parliament and publishes its resource accounts should be implemented.

Originality/value
– This study highlights that accounting change is not just a technical issue and, while it can facilitate a more business-like environment and enhance accountability, all those affected by the changes may not have the requisite skills to fully utilise the (new) information available.

Failure to produce an anti-poverty strategy: The Committee on the Administration’s Application [2015] NIQB 59, June 30, 2015

This is a note on the Northern Ireland High Court decision of 30 June 2015 that the Northern Ireland Executive had acted unlawfully in failing to fulfil its statutory duty to adopt a strategy setting out proposals for tackling poverty, social exclusion and patterns of deprivation based on objective need.

Étude numérique des phénomènes transitoires dans une turbine axiale de type hélice durant l’emballement

Ce mémoire présente l’étude numérique d’un emballement de turbine hydraulique axiale à échelle modèle. Cet état transitoire est simulé du point de meilleur rendement jusqu’à l’atteinte de 95% de la vitesse d’emballement. Pour ce faire, une méthodologie numérique est développée à l’aide du logiciel commercial ANSYS CFX en utilisant une approche "Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes" avec modèle de turbulence k-ε. Cette méthodologie numérique a été validée grâce à des mesures expérimentales de pression acquises en situation d’emballement sur les aubes d’une roue de turbine axiale étudiée au Laboratoire de Machines Hydrauliques de l’Université Laval. La validation des simulations numériques a été réalisée grâce à des comparaisons dans les domaines temporel et fréquentiel entre les pressions mesurées expérimentalement et calculées numériquement. Les analyses fréquentielles en transitoire ont été effectuées à l’aide de transformées en ondelettes afin de représenter l’évolution temporelle du spectre de fréquence. Des analyses qualitatives de phénomènes hydrauliques prenant place dans la turbine sont aussi présentées. Les analyses effectuées ont permis de confirmer le développement d’un tourbillon en précession par rapport à la roue dans l’aspirateur provocant les fluctuations de pression dominantes à des fréquences subsynchrones. La comparaison entre les données expérimentales et numériques a permis de valider une stratégie de simulation transitoire et d’en définir les limites en vue de prochaines simulations d’emballement. Des tests supplémentaires sont suggérés pour améliorer la précision ou le niveau de confiance de la méthode.