Transcutaneous treatment with vetdrop(®) sustains the adjacent cartilage in a microfracturing joint defect model in sheep

The significance of the adjacent cartilage in cartilage defect healing is not yet completely understood. Furthermore, it is unknown if the adjacent cartilage can somehow be influenced into responding after cartilage damage. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether the adjacent cartilage can be better sustained after microfracturing in a cartilage defect model in the stifle joint of sheep using a transcutaneous treatment concept (Vetdrop(®)). Carprofen and chito-oligosaccharids were added either as single components or as a mixture to a vehicle suspension consisting of a herbal carrier oil in a water-in-oil phase. This mixture was administered onto the skin with the aid of a specific applicator during 6 weeks in 28 sheep, allocated into 6 different groups, that underwent microfracturing surgery either on the left or the right medial femoral condyle. Two groups served as control and were either treated intravenously or sham treated with oxygen only. Sheep were sacrificed and their medial condyle histologically evaluated qualitatively and semi-quantitatively according to 4 different scoring systems (Mankin, ICRS, Little and O'Driscoll). The adjacent cartilage of animals of group 4 treated transcutaneously with vehicle, chito-oligosaccharids and carprofen had better histological scores compared to all the other groups (Mankin 3.3±0.8, ICRS 15.7±0.7, Little 9.0±1.4). Complete defect filling was absent from the transcutaneous treatment groups. The experiment suggests that the adjacent cartilage is susceptible to treatment and that the combination of vehicle, chitooligosaccharids and carprofen may sustain the adjacent cartilage during the recovery period.

Fog-water collection for community use

Fog is a potential source of water that could be exploited using the innovative technology of fog collection. Naturally, the potential of fog has proven its significance in cloud forests that are thriving from fog interception. Historically, the remains of artificial structures in different countries prove that fog has been collected as an alternative and/or supplementary water source. In the beginning of the 19th century, fog collection was investigated as a potential natural resource. After the mid-1980s, following success in Chile, fog-water collection commenced in a number of developing countries. Most of these countries are located in arid and semi-arid regions with topographic and climatic conditions that favour fog-water collection. This paper reviews the technology of fog collection with initial background information on natural fog collection and its historical development. It reviews the climatic and topographic features that dictate fog formation (mainly advection and orographic) and the innovative technology to collect it, focusing on the amount collected, the quality of fog water, and the impact of the technology on the livelihoods of beneficiary communities. By and large, the technology described is simple, cost-effective, and energy-free. However, fog-water collection has disadvantages in that it is seasonal, localised, and the technology needs continual maintenance. Based on the experience in several countries, the sustainability of the technology could be guaranteed if technical, economic, social, and management factors are addressed during its planning and implementation.

The role of commercial actors in snowboarding

Commercial actors play an essential role in the organisational structure of snowboarding by sponsoring athletes, arranging events, contributing to product development and developing long-term partnerships with other key actors. However, the particularities of their role in the alternative sports cultures which are related to brand marketing strategies have not been extensively researched. Based on Hitzler and Niederbachers (2010) framework of social scenes, Stegbauers (2008) social network and Adjouri and Stastnys (2006) branding theories, analysis is carried out using an ethnographic approach. This includes participant observation of relevant events and semi-structured interviews with over forty key actors of the sport to examine the roles and activities of core actors within snowboarding. The findings reveal that brands have gained an important position within the scene; where they can build partnerships with other core and periphery actors in order to market particularly identities, lifestyles and products. This contributes to the development of a sport which is dependent on brands for its continuity. By using promotional strategies of sponsoring athletes, organising events and feeding media with scene-related content, the aesthetical values of the snowboarding sport are communicated and transferred, while ensuring exposure of the brand’s image and lifestyle. Social contacts as well as knowledge on particularities of the sport allow the commercial actors to gain an influential position and identity within the snowboarding core culture. Keywords: commercial actors, alternative sport cultures, social networks, brands, snowboarding References Adjouri, N. & Stastny, P. (2006). Sport-Branding: Mit Sport-Sponsoring zum Markenerfolg. Wiesbaden: Gabler. Hitzler, R. & Niederbacher, A. (2010). Leben in Szenen: Formen juveniler Vergemeinschaftung heute. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Stegbauer, C. (2008). Netzwerkanalyse und Netzwerktheorie. Ein neues Paradigma in den Sozialwissenschaften. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.

Complementary Medicine in Nursing Homes - Results of a Mixed Methods Pilot Study

Background ‘Kneipp Therapy’ (KT) is a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) that includes a combination of hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, mind-body medicine, physical activities, and healthy eating. Since 2007, some nursing homes for older adults in Germany began to integrate CAM in the form of KT in care. The study investigated how KT is used in daily routine care and explored the health status of residents and caregivers involved in KT. Methods We performed a cross-sectional pilot study with a mixed methods approach that collected both quantitative and qualitative data in four German nursing homes in 2011. Assessments in the quantitative component included the Quality of Life in Dementia (QUALIDEM), the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12), the Barthel-Index for residents and the Work Ability Index (WAI) and SF-12 for caregivers. The qualitative component addressed the residents’ and caregivers’ subjectively experienced changes after integration of KT. It was conceptualized as an ethnographic rapid appraisal by conducting participant observation and semi-structured interviews in two of the four nursing homes. Results The quantitative component included 64 residents (53 female, 83.2 ± 8.1 years (mean and SD)) and 29 caregivers (all female, 42.0 ± 11.7 years). Residents were multimorbid (8 ± 3 diagnoses), and activities of daily living were restricted (Barthel-Index 60.6 ± 24.4). The caregivers’ results indicated good work ability (WAI 37.4 ± 5.1), health related quality of life was superior to the German sample (SF-12 physical CSS 49.2 ± 8.0; mental CSS 54.1 ± 6.6). Among both caregivers and residents, 89% considered KT to be positive for well-being. The qualitative analysis showed that caregivers perceived emotional and functional benefits from more content and calmer residents, a larger variety in basic care practices, and a more self-determined scope of action. Residents reported gains in attention and caring, and recognition of their lay knowledge. Conclusion Residents showed typical characteristics of nursing home inhabitants. Caregivers demonstrated good work ability. Both reported to have benefits from KT. The results provide a good basis for future projects, e.g. controlled studies to evaluate the effects of CAM in nursing homes.

Comparative characterisation of two nitroreductases from Giardia lamblia as potential activators of nitro compounds

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite that causes giardiasis, a diarrhoeal disease affecting humans and various animal species. Nitro drugs such as the nitroimidazole metronidazole and the nitrothiazolide nitazoxanide are used for treatment of giardiasis. Nitroreductases such as GlNR1 and GlNR2 may play a role in activation or inactivation of these drugs. The aim of this work is to characterise these two enzymes using functional assays. For respective analyses recombinant analogues from GlNR1 and GlNR2 were produced in Escherichia coli. E. coli expressing GlNR1 and GlNR2 alone or together were grown in the presence of nitro compounds. Furthermore, pull-down assays were performed using HA-tagged GlNR1 and GlNR2 as baits. As expected, E. coli expressing GlNR1 were more susceptible to metronidazole under aerobic and semi-aerobic and to nitazoxanide under semi-aerobic growth conditions whereas E. coli expressing GlNR2 were susceptible to neither drug. Interestingly, expression of both nitroreductases gave the same results as expression of GlNR2 alone. In functional assays, both nitroreductases had their strongest activities on the quinone menadione (vitamin K3) and FAD, but reduction of nitro compounds including the nitro drugs metronidazole and nitazoxanidewas clearly detected. Full reduction of 7-nitrocoumarin to 7-aminocoumarin was preferentially achieved with GlNR2. Pull-down assays revealed that GlNR1 and GlNR2 interacted in vivo forming a multienzyme complex. These findings suggest that both nitroreductases are multifunctional. Their main biological role may reside in the reduction of vitamin K analogues and FAD. Activation by GlNR1 or inactivation by GlNR2 of nitro drugs may be the consequence of a secondary enzymatic activity either yielding (GlNR1) or eliminating (GlNR2) toxic intermediates after reduction of these compounds. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Australian Society for Parasitology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Coping with drought

People in arid and semi-arid regions face difficult living conditions, increasingly aggravated by extended periods of drought and advancing desertification. However, the populations of arid and semi-arid regions can also rely on the great potential for innovation and adaptation that they have developed over centuries of living in these environments. This brochure presents the reality of people living in the world’s arid and semi-arid regions, and shows how SDC supports them in developing innovations and improving their livelihoods.

Transcript levels of AtMRPs after cadmium treatment: induction of AtMRP3

In yeasts, the ABC-type transporters are involved in vacuolar sequestration of cadmium. In plants, transport experiments with isolated vacuoles indicate that this is also true. In order to know more about the response of AtMRPs, a subclass of Arabidopsis ABC transporters, to cadmium, their expression pattern was analysed using the microchip technology and semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. From 15 putative sequences coding for AtMRPs, transcript levels were detected for 14. All were expressed in the roots as well as in the shoots, although at a different level. In 4-week-old Arabidopsis, transcript levels of four AtMRPs were up-regulated after cadmium treatment. In all cases up-regulation was exclusively observed in the roots. The increase of transcript levels was most pronounced for AtMRP3. A more detailed analysis revealed that induction of AtMRP3 could also be observed in the shoot when leaves were cut and cadmium allowed to be taken up in the shoot. In young plantlets, a far higher portion of Cd2+ was translocated in the aerial part compared with adult plants. Consequently, AtMRP3 transcript levels increased in both root and shoot of young plants. This suggests that 7-day-old seedlings do not exhibit such a strict root–shoot barrier as 4-week-old plants. Expression analysis with mutant plants for glutathione and phytochelatin synthesis as well as with compounds producing oxidative stress indicate that induction of AtMRP3 is likely due to the heavy metal itself.

Der mongolische Maskentanz (Tsam) in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

Since the early 2000s the Mongolian Buddhist masked ritual dance, in the Khalkh-Mongolian language called Tsam, has been re-introduced to the Mongolian religious field. Nowadays a couple of Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia perform the Tsam once a year. This paper examines the Mongolian masked dance in its historical and contemporary aspects, with a special focus on the Khüree Tsam. It provides an overview of the Tibetan history of the masked ritual dance and its historical Mongolian developments, as well as an ethnographic study of the 2009 performance of the Khüree Tsam in Dashchoilin monastery of Ulaanbaatar. Whereas the historical part of this paper draws on Tibetan and Mongolian dance manuals and chronicles, the ethnographic part is methodologically based on participant observation, expert and semi-structured interviews. Finally, the paper discusses the changes and adaptations the Khüree Tsam underwent within and outside the monastic context in today’s Mongolia.

Evaluation of soil salinity amelioration technologies in Timpaki, Crete

Salinization is a soil threat that adversely affects ecosystem services and diminishes soil functions in many arid and semi-arid regions. Soil salinity management depends on a range of factors, and can be complex expensive and time demanding. Besides taking no action, possible management strategies include amelioration and adaptation measures. The WOCAT Technologies Questionnaire is a standardized methodology for monitoring, evaluating and documenting sustainable land management practices through interaction with the stakeholders. Here we use WOCAT for the systematic analysis and evaluation of soil salinization amelioration measures, for the RECARE project Case Study in Greece, the Timpaki basin, a semi-arid region in south-central Crete where the main land use is horticulture in greenhouses irrigated by groundwater. Excessive groundwater abstractions have resulted in a drop of the groundwater level in the coastal part of the aquifer, thus leading to seawater intrusion and in turn to soil salinization due to irrigation with brackish water. Amelioration technologies that have already been applied in the case study by the stakeholders are examined and classified depending on the function they promote and/or improve. The documented technologies are evaluated for their impacts on ecosystem services, cost and input requirements. Preliminary results show that technologies which promote maintaining existing crop types while enhancing productivity and decreasing soil salinity such as composting, mulching, rain water harvesting and seed biopriming are preferred by the stakeholders. Further work will include result validation using qualitative approaches.

Evaluation of promising technologies for soil salinity amelioration in Timpaki (Crete): A participatory approach

Soil salinity management can be complex, expensive, and time demanding, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Besides taking no action, possible management strategies include amelioration and adaptation measures. Here we apply the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) framework for the systematic analysis and evaluation and selection of soil salinisation amelioration technologies in close collaboration with stakeholders. The participatory approach is applied in the RECARE (Preventing and Remediating degradation of soils in Europe through Land Care) project case study of Timpaki, a semiarid region in south-central Crete (Greece) where the main land use is horticulture in greenhouses irrigated by groundwater. Excessive groundwater abstractions have resulted in a drop of the groundwater level in the coastal part of the aquifer, thus leading to seawater intrusion and in turn to soil salinisation. The documented technologies are evaluated for their impacts on ecosystem services, cost, and input requirements using a participatory approach and field evaluations. Results show that technologies which promote maintaining existing crop types while enhancing productivity and decreasing soil salinity are preferred by the stakeholders. The evaluation concludes that rainwater harvesting is the optimal solution for direct soil salinity mitigation, as it addresses a wider range of ecosystem and human well-being benefits. Nevertheless, this merit is offset by poor financial motivation making agronomic measures more attractive to users.

The Role of Hydrogen Bond in Designing Molecular Optical Materials

In this perspective article, we revise some of the empirical and semi-empirical strategies for predicting how hydrogen bonding affects molecular and atomic polarizabilities in aggregates. We use p-nitroaniline and hydrated oxalic acid as working examples to illustrate the enhancement of donor and acceptor functional-group polarizabilities and their anisotropy. This is significant for the evaluation of electrical susceptibilities in crystals; and the properties derived from them like the refractive indices.

The Impact of Property Condition Disclosure Laws on Housing Prices: Evidence from an Event Study using Propensity Scores

We examine the impact of seller's Property Condition Disclosure Law on the residential real estate values. A disclosure law may address the information asymmetry in housing transactions shifting of risk from buyers and brokers to the sellers and raising housing prices as a result. We combine propensity score techniques from the treatment effects literature with a traditional event study approach. We assemble a unique set of economic and institutional attributes for a quarterly panel of 291 US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and 50 US States spanning 21 years from 1984 to 2004 is used to exploit the MSA level variation in house prices. The study finds that the average seller may be able to fetch a higher price (about three to four percent) for the house if she furnishes a state-mandated seller.s property condition disclosure statement to the buyer. When we compare the results from parametric and semi-parametric event analyses, we find that the semi-parametric or the propensity score analysis generals moderately larger estimated effects of the law on housing prices.

Perceptions of work engagement of nurses in Taiwan

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of work engagement of Taiwanese nurses with 3 specific aims: (1) understand Taiwanese nurses' perceptions of work engagement; (2) explore the factors influencing work engagement, and (3) examine how work engagement impacts nursing care for patients. ^ Design. The study used an ethnographic approach with participant observation and semi-structured interviews with RNs. ^ Setting. The study was conducted in the highest and lowest nurse turnover medical surgical units at a regional teaching hospital in southwestern Taiwan. ^ Sample. Purposive sampling resulted in 28 formal interviews with RNs who provided direct patient care, had at least 3 months experience in nursing, and were full-time employees. ^ Methods. Descriptive data were collected through participant observation in each unit. Observations were made while attending meetings, continuing education sessions, and informal conversations with RNs. Field notes and audio recorded semi-structured interviews were analyzed using qualitative thematic analytic techniques. ^ Findings. Findings revealed perceptions of work engagement spanned four domains: patients ("wholehearted care"), work (positive attitude), self (fulfillment and happiness), and others (relationships with colleagues). Providing "wholehearted care" toward patients was the foundation of work engagement for nurses in Taiwan. Engaged nurses felt fulfilled, happy, and found "meaning" through the process of patient care. The study revealed five factors that influenced work engagement: personal, organizational, social, patient, and professional. The impact of work engagement on nurse and patient outcomes are confirmed. ^ Conclusions. Taiwanese nurses connect work engagement with patients, the job, oneself, and colleagues. "Wholehearted patient care" is the core manifestation of work engagement among these nurses. In contrast, studies in western business only focused on work attitudes. Losing interest and "heart" lead to work routines which can lead to individual unhappiness. Findings from this study validate the multiple factors contributing to work engagement of nurses. Job demands and resources can only partially explain what hinders work engagement. Work disengagement and burnout share some commonality but should be measured differently. An understanding of RNs' perceptions of work engagement may provide direction for strategies that improve work engagement leading to decreased RN turnover. ^

En búsqueda de una industria perdida : : estudio de la vajilla cerámica de Mendoza entre 1950 y 1990

Entre 1950 y 1990, la fabricación seriada de cerámica mendocina era de consumo popular. Su producción era artesanal y semi-industrial fabricándose, mayormente, objetos de adorno. Muchos establecimientos incorporaban algunos utilitarios relacionados a la vajilla; aproximadamente el 40% hacía juegos de té y café; pero sólo un pequeño porcentaje se dedicaba principalmente a la fabricación de vajilla, con una producción más completa. Luego del relevamiento de las piezas y a partir de la reconstrucción del contexto, se realizó un análisis formal, funcional y tecnológico, detectándose dos tendencias en cuanto al aspecto formal y diseño utilizado.

Health care providers' opinions on abortion: a study for the implementation of the legal abortion public policy in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina

Background: In Argentina, abortion has been decriminalized under certain circumstances since the enactment of the Penal Code in 1922. Nevertheless, access to abortion under this regulatory framework has been extremely limited in spite of some recent changes. This article reports the findings of the first phase of an operations research study conducted in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, regarding the implementation of the local legal and safe abortion access policy. Methods: The project combined research and training to generate a virtuous circle of knowledge production, decision-making, and the fostering of an informed healthcare policy. The project used a pre-post design of three phases: baseline, intervention, and evaluation. It was conducted in two public hospitals. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire (n = 157) and semi-structured interviews (n = 27) were applied to gather information about tacit knowledge about the regulatory framework; personal opinions regarding abortion and its decriminalization; opinions on the requirements needed to carry out legal abortions; and service’s responses to women in need of an abortion. Results: Firstly, a fairly high percentage of health care providers lack accurate information on current legal framework. This deficit goes side by side with a restrictive understanding of both health and rape indications. Secondly, while a great majority of health care providers support abortion under the circumstances consider in the Penal Code, most of them are reluctant towards unrestricted access to abortion. Thirdly, health care providers’ willingness to perform abortions is noticeably low given that only half of them are ready to perform an abortion when a woman’s life is at risk. Willingness is even lower for each of the other current legal indications. Conclusions: Findings suggest that there are important challenges for the implementation of a legal abortion policy. Results of the study call for specific strategies targeting health care providers in order to better inform about current legal abortion regulations and to sensitize them about abortion social determinants. The interpretation of the current legal framework needs to be broadened in order to reflect a comprehensive view of the health indication, and stereotypes regarding women’s sexuality and abortion decisions need to be dismantled.