Pathotypes and serogroups of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from pre-weaning pigs in north Vietnam

The contribution of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) to pre-weaning diarrhoea was investigated over a 6 month period at five selected commercial piggeries (CPs) in north Vietnam with at least 100 sows each. Diarrhoea was found to affect 71(.)5% of the litters born during the period of study. Of 406 faecal specimens submitted for bacteriological culture, 200 (49(.)3%) yielded a heavy pure culture of E coli and 126(31 %)were confirmed by PCR to carry at least one of eight porcine ETEC virulence genes. ETEC was responsible for 43% of cases of diarrhoea in neonatal pigs during the first 4 days of life and 23(.)9% of the remaining cases up until the age of weaning. Pathotypes were determined by PCR for the 126 ETEC isolates together with 44 ETEC isolates obtained from village pigs (VPs) raised by smallholder farmers. The CP isolates belonged to five pathotypes, four of which were also identified in VP isolates. Haemolytic serogroup O149: K91 isolates that belonged to F4/STa/STb/LT were most commonly identified in both CPs (33 % of isolates) and VPs (45(.)5%). Other combinations identified in both production systems included O64 (F5/STa), O101 (F4/STa/STb) and O-nontypable (F-/STb). A high proportion of CP isolates (22(.)3 %) possessed all three enterotoxins (STa/STWLT), lacked the genes for all five tested fimbriae (F4, F5, F6, F41 and F18) and belonged to serogroup O8. These unusual 08 F- isolates were haemolytic and were isolated from all ages of diarrhoeic piglets at each CP, suggesting that they have pathogenic potential.

Gas and particle dynamics of a contoured shock tube for pre-clinical microparticle drug delivery

We investigate the gas-particle dynamics of a device designed for biological pre-clinical experiments. The device uses transonic/supersonic gas flow to accelerate microparticles such that they penetrate the outer skin layers. By using a shock tube coupled to a correctly expanded nozzle, a quasi-one-dimensional, quasi-steady flow (QSF) is produced to uniformly accelerate the microparticles. The system utilises a microparticle cassette (a diaphragm sealed container) that incorporates a jet mixing mechanism to stir the particles prior to diaphragm rupture. Pressure measurements reveal that a QSF exit period - suitable for uniformly accelerating microparticles - exists between 155 and 220 mus after diaphragm rupture. Immediately preceding the QSF period, a starting process secondary shock was shown to form with its (x,t) trajectory comparing well to theoretical estimates. To characterise the microparticle, flow particle image velocimetry experiments were conducted at the nozzle exit, using particle payloads with varying diameter (2.7-48 mu m), density (600-16,800 kg/m(3)) and mass (0.25-10 mg). The resultant microparticle velocities were temporally uniform. The experiments also show that the starting process does not significantly influence the microparticle nozzle exit velocities. The velocity distribution across the nozzle exit was also uniform for the majority of microparticle types tested. For payload masses typically used in pre-clinical drug and vaccine applications (

Cryosections of pre-irradiated adult rat spinal cord tissue support axonal regeneration in vitro

Neonatal X-irradiation of central nervous system (CNS) tissue markedly reduces the glial population in the irradiated area. Previous in vivo studies have demonstrated regenerative success of adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons into the neonatally-irradiated spinal cord. The present study was undertaken to determine whether these results could be replicated in an in vitro environment. The lumbosacral spinal cord of anaesthetised Wistar rat pups, aged between 1 and 5 days, was subjected to a single dose (40 Gray) of X-irradiation. A sham-irradiated group acted as controls. Rats were allowed to reach adulthood before being killed. Their lumbosacral spinal cords were dissected out and processed for sectioning in a cryostat. Cryosections (10 mum-thick) of the spinal cord tissue were picked up on sterile glass coverslips and used as substrates for culturing dissociated adult DRG neurons. After an appropriate incubation period, cultures were fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde and immunolabelled to visualise both the spinal cord substrate using anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the growing DRG neurons using anti-growth associated protein (GAP-43). Successful growth of DRG neurites was observed on irradiated, but not on non-irradiated, sections of spinal cord. Thus, neonatal X-irradiation of spinal cord tissue appears to alter its environment such that it can later support, rather than inhibit, axonal regeneration. It is suggested that this alteration may be due, at least in part, to depletion in the number of and/or a change in the characteristics of the glial cells. (C) 2000 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of pharmacy education and pre-registration training

This thesis covers two major aspects of pharmacy education; undergraduate education and pre-registration training. A cohort of pharmacy graduates were surveyed over a period of four years, on issues related to undergraduate education, pre-registration training and continuing education. These graduates were the first-ever to sit the pre-registration examination. In addition, the opinions of pre-registration tutors were obtained on pre-registration training, during the year that competence-based assessment was introduced. It was concluded that although the undergraduate course provided a broad base of knowledge suitable for graduates in all branches of pharmacy, several issues were identified which would require attention in future developments of the course. These were: 1. the strong support for the expansion of clinical, social and practice-based teaching. 2. the strong support to retain the scientific content to the same extent as in the three-year course. 3. a greater use of problem-based learning methods. The graduates supported the provision of a pre-registration continuing education course to help prepare for the examination and in areas inadequately covered in the undergraduate course. There was also support for the introduction of some form of split branch training. There was no strong evidence to suggest that the training had been an application of undergraduate education. In general, competence-based training was well regarded by tutors as an appropriate and effective method of skill assessment. However, community tutors felt it was difficult to carry out effectively due to day-to-day time constraints. The assistant tutors in hospital pharmacy were found to have a very important role in provision of training, and should be adequately trained and supported. The study recommends the introduction of uniform training and a quality assurance mechanism for all tutors and assistants undertaking this role.

Pre-Disaster Risk Management in Post-Earthquake (1999) Turkey

This paper assesses the status of pre-disaster risk management in the case of Turkey. By focusing on the period following the catastrophic August 17, 1999 earthquake, the study benefits from USAID’s Disaster Risk Management Benchmarking Tool (DRMBT). In line with the benchmarking tool, the paper covers key developments in the four components of pre-disaster risk management, namely: risk identification, risk mitigation, risk transfer and disaster preparedness. In the end, it will present three major conclusions: (i) Although post-1999 Turkey has made some important progress in the pre-disaster phase of DRM, particularly with the enactment of obligatory earthquake insurance and tightened standards for building construction, the country is far away from substantial levels of success in DRM. (ii) In recent years, local governments have had been given more authority in the realm of DRM, however, Turkey’s approach to DRM is still predominantly centralized at the expense of successful DRM practices at the local level. (iii) While the devastating 1999 earthquake has resulted in advances in the pre-disaster components of DRM; progress has been mostly in the realm of earthquakes. Turkey’s other major disasters (landslides, floods, wild fires i.e.) also require similar attention by local and central authorities.

The effects of school mobility in pre -assessment grade levels on student performance and school accountability in urban Title I schools

This study examined the effects of student mobility and educational enrollment experiences on academic achievement. The educational progress, school enrollments and transfers of inner-city elementary students were tracked over a four-year period. Student achievement was measured by criterion-referenced reading tests administered in the second semester of the third grade. It further analyzed the degree to which the switch to different basal reading textbooks interrupted the continuity of education thereby contributing to the detrimental effects of intra-district mobility. ^ Mobility histories of 2,913 third grade students were collected to evaluate the number of times each student entered or withdrew from a Miami-Dade County Public School beginning in August 2000 through March 2004, and distinguished between transfers that occurred during the academic school year and those that occurred during summer months. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and multiple regressions to determine if school mobility contributed to performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Third Grade Reading Test (FCAT). Transferring from one school to another was found to have a significant negative impact on student test scores. Transfers within the academic school year were more detrimental than transfers that occurred during the summer months. Third grade students who transferred into schools that used the same reading textbook series were found to have significantly higher FCAT reading scores than third graders who transferred into schools that used different reading textbooks. ^ The effects of mobility rates on overall school performance were also examined. Data was collected on 124 Title I elementary schools to determine the degree to which mobility affected school accountability scores. Title I schools with high student mobility rates had significantly lower accountability scores than schools with lower student mobility rates. ^ The results of this study highlight the impact of education and housing policy and imply a need for programs and practices that promote stability in the early elementary years. ^

Intentional Use and Evaluation of iPad Applications in the Instruction of Pre-service Teachers

This study was undertaken to examine how instructor use of emerging technologies can contribute to better quality pre-service teacher education. A group of nine Memorial University Faculty of Education instructors attempted to systematically incorporate mobile tablet (iPad) technologies into their on-campus instruction over the period of one academic year (2013-2014). Participants familiarized themselves with their device; evaluated a range of instructional applications (apps) specific to their discipline and/or teaching focus areas; and attempted to intentionally integrate the device into the classroom-learning environment. The research team utilized several focus groups and semi-structured interviews to elicit the representations of participants with respect to their impressions of the value of tablet technologies and their experiences in implementing tablet technology in their instructional practice.

Standardization in the Pre-Columbian Pottery from El Caño, Panama: Specialization, Productivity and Consumption

The pottery found in the burials of El Cano is uniform in style to these made in the coclesanos valleys between 700 and 1000 AD. The coefficient of variability of the different pottery forms, evidence diverse standardizations values for polychrome and non-polychrome ceramics. Moreover, data of funerary contexts from the Cano recently excavated, suggest that elite has controlled ceramic production. This control over the production of certain goods reveals that these were important in the support or proper operational of the chiefdoms in Panama and mark the phase of splendour of this culture.

Modern Horn Playing in Beethoven: An Exploration of Period Appropriate Techniques for the Orchestral Music of Beethoven for the Modern Horn Player

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Pre-operative ultrasound for breast tumour measurements: is there potential for mismanagement?

The pre-operative size of breast tumour is the most important factor in determining feasibility of breast conserving surgery in operable breast cancer. Currently there is no consensus on the most accurate modality to measure tumour size. A prospective study of consecutive and unselected symptomatic patients with invasive breast cancer who had primary surgery between January 2006 and December 2007 was conducted. Patients with multi-focal and multi-centric tumours were excluded. The aim of this study was to find the correlation between histological size of invasive breast cancer and pre-operative tumour size as measured by ultrasound. Over this two year period, data for 192 patients was analysed for this study. The mean tumour diameter on ultrasound and histology was 19.5mm and 29mm respectively. The difference between the means in the two modalities was found to be statistically significant (P<0.001).Ultrasound underestimates the true size of breast tumours as determined histologically. Inaccurate tumour size measurements may result in re-operations to achieve adequate margins.

Pre-treatment of Stegomyia aegypti mosquitoes with a sublethal dose of imidacloprid impairs behavioural avoidance induced by lemon oil and DEET

International audience

Effect of grape seed extract on oxidative, color and sensory stability of pre-cooked, frozen, re-heated beef sausage model system

The processing of meats at the factory level can trigger the onset of lipid oxidation, which can lead to meat quality deterioration. Warmed over flavor is an off-flavor, which is associated with oxidative deterioration in meat. To avoid or delay the auto-oxidation process in meat products, synthetic and natural antioxidants have been successfully used. Grape (Vitis Vinifera) is of special interest due to its high content of phenolic compounds. Grape seed extract sold commercially as a dietary supplement, has the potential to reduce lipid oxidation and WOF in cooked ground beef when added at 1%. The objective of study 1 was to compare the antioxidant activity of natural antioxidants including grape seed extract and some herbs belonging to the Lamiaciae family: rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), sage (Salvia Officinalis) and oregano (Origanum Vulgare) with commercial synthetic antioxidants like BHT, BHA, propyl gallate and ascorbic acid using the ORAC assay. All sample solutions were prepared to contain 1.8 gm sample/10 ml solvent. The highest antioxidant activity was observed for the grape seed extract sample (359.75 µM TE), while the lowest was observed for BHA, propyl gallate and rosemary also showed higher antioxidant potential with ORAC values above 300 μmol TE/g. ORAC values obtained for ascorbic acid and Sage were between 250-300μ mol TE/g while lowest values were obtained for Butylated Hydroxytoluene (28.50 µM TE). Based on the high ORAC values obtained for grape seed extract, we can conclude that byproducts of the wine/grape industry have antioxidant potential comparable to or better than those present in synthetic counterparts. The objective of study 2 was to compare three levels of grape seed extract (GSE) to commonly used antioxidants in a pre-cooked, frozen, stored beef and pork sausage model system. Antioxidants added for comparison with control included grape seed extract (100, 300, 500 ppm), ascorbic acid (AA, 100 ppm of fat) and propyl gallate (PG, 100 ppm of fat). Product was formed into rolls, frozen, sliced into patties, cooked on a flat griddle to 70C, overwrapped in PVC, and then frozen at –18C for 4 months. GSE- and PG-containing samples retained their fresh cooked beef odor and flavor longer (p<0.05) than controls during storage. Rancid odor and flavor scores of GSE-containing samples were lower (p<0.05) than those of controls after 4 months of storage. The L* value of all samples increased (p<0.05) during storage. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of the control and AA-containing samples increased (p<0.05); those of GSE-containing samples did not change significantly (p>0.05) over the storage period.

MRI indices of functional recovery following intracerebral implantation of a human neural stem cell line in a pre-clinical model of ischaemic stroke

Stem cell therapy for ischaemic stroke is an emerging field in light of an increasing number of patients surviving with permanent disability. Several allogenic and autologous cells types are now in clinical trials with preliminary evidence of safety. Some clinical studies have reported functional improvements in some patients. After initial safety evaluation in a Phase 1 study, the conditionally immortalised human neural stem cell line CTX0E03 is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial (PISCES-II). Previous pre-clinical studies conducted by ReNeuron Ltd, showed evidence of functional recovery in the Bilateral Asymmetry test up to 6 weeks following transplantation into rodent brain, 4 weeks after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Resting-state fMRI is increasingly used to investigate brain function in health and disease, and may also act as a predictor of recovery due to known network changes in the post-stroke recovery period. Resting-state methods have also been applied to non-human primates and rodents which have been found to have analogous resting-state networks to humans. The sensorimotor resting-state network of rodents is impaired following experimental focal ischaemia of the middle cerebral artery territory. However, the effects of stem cell implantation on brain functional networks has not previously been investigated. Prior studies assessed sensorimotor function following sub-cortical implantation of CTX0E03 cells in the rodent post-stroke brain but with no MRI assessments of functional improvements. This thesis presents research on the effect of sub-cortical implantation of CTX0E03 cells on the resting- state sensorimotor network and sensorimotor deficits in the rat following experimental stroke, using protocols based on previous work with this cell line. The work in this thesis identified functional tests of appropriate sensitivity for long-term dysfunction suitable for this laboratory, and investigated non-invasive monitoring of physiological variables required to optimize BOLD signal stability within a high-field MRI scanner. Following experimental stroke, rats demonstrated expected sensorimotor dysfunction and changes in the resting-state sensorimotor network. CTX0E03 cells did not improve post-stroke functional outcome (compared to previous studies) and with no changes in resting-state sensorimotor network activity. However, in control animals, we observed changes in functional networks due to the stereotaxic procedure. This illustrates the sensitivity of resting-state fMRI to stereotaxic procedures. We hypothesise that the damage caused by cell or vehicle implantation may have prevented functional and network recovery which has not been previously identified due to the application of different functional tests. The findings in this thesis represent one of few pre-clinical studies in resting-state fMRI network changes post-stroke and the only to date applying this technique to evaluate functional outcomes following a clinically applicable human neural stem cell treatment for ischaemic stroke. It was found that injury caused by stereotaxic injection should be taken into account when assessing the effectiveness of treatment.

Pre-service home economics teachers’ attitudes on selected aspects of practical teaching

This paper presents the results of a study conducted among pre-service home economics teachers from the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana with different levels of practical experience in teaching. The pre-service Home Economics teachers in the 3rd year of their studies had just completed their first class of teaching experience in contrast to the pre-service teachers from the 4th year of their faculty studies, who had conducted more teaching lessons. The results showed that the 4th-year pre-service teachers had fewer doubts and problems concerning the planning and conducting of a lesson. They also statistically significantly agreed that they are sufficiently prepared to teach than the 3rd-year pre-service teachers are. The results showed that the majority of the pre-service teachers agreed that the feedback from their colleagues was helpful for their professional development. The results suggest the importance of practical teaching experience in the context of professional development and the intention to continue a career in education. However, the results also revealed some critical points in the teacher’s development of competency. The results suggest problems related to the application of theoretical knowledge on the children’s development in practice and pro problems related to classroom management in specific situations. (DIPF/Orig.)

Biomechanical and morphological adaptations in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period in walking

A gravidez é uma fase especial da vida, com diversas alterações nos sistemas hormonais, anatómicos, e na composição corporal da mulher. No entanto, não é claro que alterações biomecânicas tridimensionais ocorrerem. Através do acompanhamento da mulher na gravidez e pós-parto, os objetivos da presente tese foram: 1) determinar os parâmetros temporais e espaciais do ciclo da marcha; 2) descrever a cinemática angular do membro inferior; 3) calcular os momentos e potências articulares do tornozelo, joelho e coxofemoral, utilizando o cálculo por dinâmica inversa; 4) descrever as magnitudes dos picos dos momentos e potências articulares dos membros inferiores; 5) identificar possíveis diferenças entre as fases de recolha relativamente aos parâmetros biomecânicos; 6) descrever longitudinalmente a composição corporal as alterações morfológicas; 7) analisar a influência das alterações antropométricas na cinética articular. Os resultados mostram que as mulheres mantêm os parâmetros temporais e espaciais da marcha. A cinemática angular do membro inferior tem o mesmo padrão, no entanto, a magnitude de alguns picos, especialmente na bacia e coxofemoral durante a fase terminal do apoio, pré-balanço e de balanço, apresentam alterações significativas. A coxofemoral é a articulação com mais alterações na cinética articular, com um aumento da carga interna associada aos momentos articulares da coxofemoral no plano transversal. No entanto, diversos momentos e potências articulares revelam uma diminuição significativa para o final da gravidez e/ou um aumento entre alguns trimestres da gravidez e o pós-parto. Como esperado, a maioria das variáveis associadas à composição corporal e às dimensões corporais tem um aumento significativo durante a gravidez e uma diminuição no pós-parto. Os modelos desenvolvidos para prever a carga interna aplicada ao membro inferior da grávida através de variáveis antropométricas, incluem quatro modelos com variáveis associadas à quantidade de gordura, quatro modelos com variáveis associadas à massa corporal global, três modelos que incluem a massa livre de gordura, e um modelo que inclui a forma do tronco. Os altos valores do R2 ajustado, mostram que as alterações na composição corporal e morfologia, determinam em grande parte a cinética articular da mulher nesta fase particular da vida.