Iowa Construction Site Erosion Control Manual, 2006

The purpose of this Iowa manual is to serve as a guide, provide solutions, and offer suggestions on construction sites to comply with Iowa's current soil erosion and storm water runoff regulations. This need is particularly important when land undergoes a land use change. Information provided in this manual will be helpful to land owners, developers, consultants, contractors, planners, local government, as well as the general public. This manual is intended to provide techniques that will meet the mandates of current legislation. Innovations that will benefit the user and still provide effective control are encouraged.

No consistent association between processes-of-care and health-related quality of life among patients with diabetes : a missing link?

PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered a representative outcome in the evaluation of chronic disease management initiatives emphasizing patient-centered care. We evaluated the association between receipt of processes-of-care (PoC) for diabetes and HRQoL. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used self-reported data from non-institutionalized adults with diabetes in a Swiss canton. Outcomes were the physical/mental composites of the short form health survey 12 (SF-12) physical composite score, mental composite score (PCS, MCS) and the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL). Main exposure variables were receipt of six PoC for diabetes in the past 12 months, and the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) score. We performed linear regressions to examine the association between PoC, PACIC and the three composites of HRQoL. RESULTS: Mean age of the 519 patients was 64.5 years (SD 11.3); 60% were male, 87% reported type 2 or undetermined diabetes and 48% had diabetes for over 10 years. Mean HRQoL scores were SF-12 PCS: 43.4 (SD 10.5), SF-12 MCS: 47.0 (SD 11.2) and ADDQoL: -1.6 (SD 1.6). In adjusted models including all six PoC simultaneously, receipt of influenza vaccine was associated with lower ADDQoL (β=-0.4, p≤0.01) and foot examination was negatively associated with SF-12 PCS (β=-1.8, p≤0.05). There was no association or trend towards a negative association when these PoC were reported as combined measures. PACIC score was associated only with the SF-12 MCS (β=1.6, p≤0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PoC for diabetes did not show a consistent association with HRQoL in a cross-sectional analysis. This may represent an effect lag time between time of process received and health-related quality of life. Further research is needed to study this complex phenomenon.

Contribution of in vitro neurotoxicology studies to the elucidation of neurodegenerative processes.

Only a small percentage of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is directly related to familial forms. The etiology of the most abundant, sporadic forms seems to involve both genetic and environmental factors. Environmental compounds are now extensively studied for their possible contribution to neurodegeneration. Chemicals were found which were able to reproduce symptoms of known neurodegenerative diseases, others may either predispose to the onset of neurodegeneration, or exacerbate distinct pathogenic processes of these diseases. In any case, in vitro studies performed with models presenting various degrees of complexity have shown that many environmental compounds have the potential to cause neurodegeneration, through a variety of pathways similar to those described in neurodegenerative diseases. Since the population is exposed to a huge number of potentially neurotoxic compounds, there is an important need for rapid and efficient procedures for hazard evaluation. Xenobiotics elicit a cascade of reactions that, most of the time, involve numerous interactions between the different brain cell types. A reliable in vitro model for the detection of environmental toxins potentially at risk for neurodegenerative diseases should therefore allow maximal cell-cell interactions and multiparametric endpoints determination. The combined use of in vitro models and new analytical approaches using "omics" technologies should help to map toxicity pathways, and advance our understanding of the possible role of xenobiotics in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Pensamiento geográfico versus teoría de la comunicación. Hacia un modelo de análisis comunicativo del paisaje

El estudio de las implicaciones comunicativas presentes en el paisaje abre un amplio abanico de posibilidades para el tratamiento de la dualidad entre comunicación y paisaje. Aspectos como los efectos que el paisaje genera en los procesos de comunicación humana (comunicación intrapersonal e interpersonal), el seguimiento de los procesos comunicativos mediante los cuales se mercadea con el paisaje (comunicación de masas), la construcción de imaginarios individuales y colectivos a partir de la interacción entre ciudadanía y paisaje y, más recientemente, la construcción de identidades territoriales a partir de la elaboración de una imagen de marca de ciudad o de país —léase promoción turística, citymarketing y/o branding— tienen, todos ellos, unas enormes implicaciones en las sociedades contemporáneas. Es por todo ello por lo que se hace imprescindible avanzar hacia un modelo de análisis comunicativo del paisaje, objetivo posible interrelacionando la geografía y los estudios de comunicación, dos disciplinas aparentemente alejadas una de la otra en cuanto a sus orígenes y su praxis y, sin embargo, muy cercanas en lo que respecta a la evolución reciente de sus paradigmas y en lo referente al tratamiento de determinados conceptos, como los de espacio y paisaje.

Construction of Pseudomonas strains with improved biocontrol activity

Selected strains of fluorescent pseudomonads suppress various plant diseases caused by soil-borne pathogenic fungi, by a blend of several mechanisms including aggressive root colonization, antibiosis, competition for nutrients, induction of resistance in the plant, and enzymatic attack of the pathogen. These traits are amenable to genetic analysis and, therefore, to modification by genetic engineering. Biocontrol activities of Pseudomonas spp. have been enhanced in two ways: (i) by overexpression of traits known to involved in diseaese suppression, and (ii) by introduction of additional beneficial traits into strains having basal biocontrol activities. Under experimental conditions in microcosms, a number of genetically modified Pseudomonas strains have given promising results. It remains to be seen whether such strains will be superior to the best naturally occurring strains, applied singly or in combination, under greenhouse and field conditions.

Aplicatiu per gestionar la informació administrativa, tècnica i comptable per una empresa constructora

Les tendencies del mercat actual i futur obliguen a les empreses a ser cada vegada més competitives. Tota empresa que desitgi competir en el mercat actual ha de considerar la informació com un dels seus principals actius. Per aquesta raó, és necessari que l’empresa disposi dels sistemes d’informació adequats per ser gestionada. En les pimes ( petites i mitjanes empreses ), i en la majoria dels casos, la seva informació es troba repartida en diversos aplicatius informàtifcs. Això comporta principalment una duplicitat de dades, costos de manteniment i possibles errades en la informació. Dins del sector de les pimes, es troben empreses contructores d’un volum petit o mig, les quals enmagatzemen molta informació tècnica i de planificació per desemvolupar els seus projectes. Aquesta necessitat els hi suposa, tenir un aplicatiu eficient per la gestió i seguiment de la producció de les seves tasques i per altra banda l’aplicatiu necessari com qualsevol pime a nivell administratiu i comptable. L’objectiu principal d’aquest treball és generar un aplicatiu que integri la informació administrativa, comptable i tècnica per una empresa constructora. Amb l’assoliment d’aquest objectiu l’empresa constructora guanya temps en l’entrada i accés a les dades, evita la seva duplicitat i redueix el seu manteniment. En resum, redueix els costos de l’empresa i augmenta la seva seguretat en la informació. Un el mercat, existeixen aplicatius anomenats ERP ( Enterprise resource planning o sistemes de planificació de recursos ) els quals la seva gran virtud es la integració de les dades. Aprofitant aquests aplicatius i seleccionant-ne el més adequat, s’ha generat la part de gestió i planificació necessària per l’empresa constructora integrant-la i personalitzant-la en els processos existents de l’aplicació ( comptabilitat, ventes, compres, recursos humans, magatzems, etc… ) Entre les conclusions més rellevants obtingudes en aquest treball, voldriem destacar la millora i reducció d’entrada, accés i manteniment de la informació, l’històric que proporciona l’eina i per tan la millora de la gestío i planificació de l’empresa.