New Brazilian spider mites (Acarina: Tetranychidae)

Seven species of spider mites namely, Tetranyohus (T.) paschoali Paschoal, 1970, Tetranyohus (T.) esoolastioae Paschoal, 1970, Tetranyohus (T.) zamithi Paschoal, 1970, Oligonyohus (0.) anonae Paschoal, 1970, Mononyohus bondari Paschoal, 1970, Mononyohus ohemosetosus Paschoal, 1970, and Allonyohus reisi Paschoal, 1970, are described. The male allotype of Allonychus braziliensis (McGregor, 1950) is described and the female redescribed. These species were described as new in a thesis submited to Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", University of São Paulo, Brazil, on June 13, 1970.

Estudi sobre equalització electrònica per a sistemes de comunicació per fibra òptica

Estudi realitzat a partir d’una estada a Bell Labs (Lucent Technologies), New Jersey (Estats Units), entre el 15 de setembre de 2005 i el 15 de gener de 2006. Els sistemes de transmissió per fibra òptica fonamenten les principals xarxes de comunicacions. A mesura que la demanda d’ample de banda per usuari creixi, seran necessaris nous sistemes que siguin capaços de cobrir les necessitats a curt i llarg termini. La tecnologia dels sistemes òptics limita fortament la complexitat dels sistemes de transmissió / recepció en comparació, per exemple, als sistemes d’ones de ràdio. La tendència és la de dissenyar sistemes avançats amb detecció directa i mirar d’aplicar tècniques bàsiques de processat del senyal. Una d’aquestes tècniques és l’equalització electrònica, és a dir, fer ús de les tècniques de processament del senyal per tal de compensar la distorsió introduïda pel canal, deguda per una o diverses degradacions típiques: dispersió cromàtica, efectes no lineals, dispersió del mode de polarització (PMD) ... Dins d’un entorn comercial d’empresa, s’ha avaluat el funcionament dels sistemes d’equalització FFE-DFE aixi com MLSE en presència de dispersió cromàtica i/o dispersió del mode de polarització (PMD) en transmissions NRZ/RZ.

Rebound Effects from Increased Efficiency in the Use of Energy by UK Households

In this paper, we use CGE modelling techniques to identify the impact on energy use of an improvement in energy efficiency in the household sector. The main findings are that 1) when the price of energy is measured in natural units, the increase in efficiency yields only to a modification of tastes, changing as a result, the composition of household consumption; 2) when households internalize efficiency, the improvement in energy efficiency reduces the price of energy in efficiency units, providing a source of improved competitiveness as the nominal wage and the price level both fall; 3) the short-run rebound can be greater than the long run rebound if the household demand elasticity is the same for both time frames, however, the short run rebound is always lower than in the long-run if the demand for energy is relatively more elastic in the long-run; 4) the introduction of habit formation changes the composition of household consumption, modifying the magnitude of the household rebound only in the short-run. In this period, household and economy wide rebound are lowest for external habit formation and highest when consumers’ preferences are defined using a conventional utility function.

Evaluation of the impact of a therapeutic drug monitoring program in a Swiss University Hospital

Background and objective: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) has been introduced early 1970 in our hospital (CHUV). It represents nowadays an important routine activity of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (PCL), and its impact and utility for clinicians required assessment. This study thus evaluated the impact of TDM recommendations in terms of dosage regimen adaptation. Design: A prospective observational study was conducted over 5 weeks. The primary objective was to evaluate the application of our TDM recommendations and to identify potential factors associated to variations in their implementation. The secondary objective was to identify pre-analytical problems linked to the collection and processing of blood samples. Setting: Four representative clinical units at CHUV. Main outcome measure: Clinical data, drug related data (intake, collection and processing) and all information regarding the implementation of clinical recommendations were collected and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 241 blood measurement requests were collected, among which 105 triggered a recommendation. 37% of the recommendations delivered were applied, 25 % partially applied and 34% not applied. In 4% it was not applicable. The factors determinant for implementation were the clinical unit and the mode of transmission of the recommendation (written vs oral). No clear difference between types of drugs could be detected. Pre-analytical problems were not uncommon, mostly related to completion of request forms and delays in blood sampling (equilibration or steady-state not reached). We have identified 6% of inappropriate and unusable drug level measurements that could cause a substantial cost for the hospital. Conclusion: This survey highlighted a better implementation of TDM recommendations in clinical units where this routine is well integrated and understood by the medical staff. Our results emphasize the importance of communication with the nurse or the physician in charge, either to transmit clinical recommendations or to establish consensual therapeutic targets in specific conditions. Development of strong partnerships between clinical pharmacists or pharmacologists and clinical units would be beneficial to improve the impact of this clinical activity.

A Healthier Future: A Strategic Framework for Respiratory Conditions

In Northern Ireland in 2002-03, there were almost 30,000 admissions to hospital for respiratory conditions utilizing over 180,000 bed days and costing almost å£50m. Social security support for people with long term chest and breathing problems amounts to å£26m annually. This framework sets out how with better prevention and self management a reduction in ill health and a contribute to a reduction in avoidable deaths can be achieved. And with better co-ordinated and integrated services more consistent and effective care for those people unfortunate enough to suffer from serious disease can be provided. This in turn will enable services to better respond to the increasing needs of a more elderly population. The document contains a number of recommendations. These include significant service re-organisation and re-design so that the whole system – the primary, community and hospital sectors, provides for a more responsive and effective service to users and carers. This should result in much more of the overall caseload being proactively managed in community and primary care environments allowing scarce hospital capacity to be devoted to the most critical cases. This includes the development of new ways of caring for at risk patients, more effective rehabilitation in the community, improved education and training of professionals and better communication across the community and hospital sectors.

Hepatitis C prevalence and risk factors in hemodialysis patients in Central Brazil: a survey by polymerase chain reaction and serological methods

An hemodialysis population in Central Brazil was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological methods to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and to investigate associated risk factors. All hemodialysis patients (n=428) were interviewed in eight dialysis units in Goiânia city. Blood samples were collected and serum samples screened for anti-HCV antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were retested for confirmation with a line immunoassay (LIA). All samples were also tested for HCV RNA by the PCR. An overall prevalence of 46.7% (CI 95%: 42-51.5) was found, ranging from 20.7% (CI 95%: 8.8-38.1) to 90.4% (CI 95%: 79.9-96.4) depending on the dialysis unit. Of the 428 patients, 185 were found to be seropositive by ELISA, and 167 were confirmed positive by LIA, resulting in an anti-HCV prevalence of 39%. A total of 131 patients were HCV RNA-positive. HCV viremia was present in 63.5% of the anti-HCV-positive patients and in 10.3% of the anti-HCV-negative patients. Univariate analysis of risk factors showed that the number of previous blood transfusions, transfusion of blood before mandatory screening for anti-HCV, length of time on hemodialysis, and treatment in multiple units were associated with HCV positivity. However, multivariate analysis revealed that blood transfusion before screening for anti-HCV and length of time on hemodialysis were significantly associated with HCV infection in this population. These data suggest that nosocomial transmission may play a role in the spread of HCV in the dialysis units studied. In addition to anti-HCV screening, HCV RNA detection is necessary for the diagnosis of HCV infection in hemodialysis patients.

A Study on the Feasibility of the Inclusion of General Practitioners and Prisons in the National Drug Treatment Reporting System: Plan for the Implementation of the NDTRS in Prison and GP Services

The Drug Misuse Research Division of the Health Research Board operates the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS). The system is used to provide epidemiological information on treated problem drug misuse in Ireland and informs policy makers, researchers and the general public. The NDTRS collates data from participating treatment centres in all Health Board areas, however a gap in information exists in that drug misusers in treatment units within prisons and those treated by General Practitioners are not included. This study aims to determine the feasibility of including these two groups to increase coverage of the NDTRS and outlines preliminary steps for their inclusion.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Decline of hepatitis C infection in hemodialysis patients in Central Brazil: a ten years of surveillance

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been a significant problem for hemodialysis patients. However this infection has declined in regions where the screening for anti-HCV in blood banks and hemodialysis-specific infection control measures were adopted. In Brazil, these measures were implemented in 1993 and 1996, respectively. In addition, all studied units have implemented isolation of anti-HCV positive patients since 2000. In order to evaluate the impact of these policies in the HCV infection prevalence, accumulated incidence, and risk factors in hemodialysis population of Goiânia City, Central Brazil, all patients were interviewed and serum samples tested for HCV antibodies in 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2002. In the first six years (1993-1999), anti-HCV prevalence increased from 28.2 to 37.2%, however a b decrease in positivity was detected between 1999 and 2002 (37.8 vs 16.5%) when the measures were fully implemented. Also, a decrease of the anti-HCV accumulated incidence in cohorts of susceptible individuals during 1993-2002 (71%), 1996-2002 (34.2%), and 1999-2002 (11.7%) was found. Analysis of risk factors showed that length of time on hemodialysis, blood transfusion before screening for anti-HCV and treatment in multiple units were statistically associated with anti-HCV (p < 0.05). Our study showed a significant decline of hepatitis C infection in hemodialysis patients of Central Brazil, ratifying the importance of public health strategies for control and prevention of hepatitis C in the hemodialysis units.

Northern Ireland Infectious Disease Incident / Outbreak Plan 2013

The new Northern Ireland Infectious Disease Outbreak Plan 2013 developed by the Public Health Agency in liaison with Trust and DHSSPS colleagues. The Plan is based on the most up-to-date guidance available on leading and managing an incident or outbreak, and was developed as part of the implementation of the RQIA Review of Outbreaks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Neonatal Units in Northern Ireland, 2012.

Regulatory assessment of in vitro skin corrosion and irritation data within the European framework: Workshop recommendations

Validated in vitro methods for skin corrosion and irritation were adopted by the OECD and by the European Union during the last decade. In the EU, Switzerland and countries adopting the EU legislation, these assays may allow the full replacement of animal testing for identifying and classifying compounds as skin corrosives, skin irritants, and non irritants. In order to develop harmonised recommendations on the use of in vitro data for regulatory assessment purposes within the European framework, a workshop was organized by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health together with ECVAM and the BfR. It comprised stakeholders from various European countries involved in the process from in vitro testing to the regulatory assessment of in vitro data. Discussions addressed the following questions: (1) the information requirements considered useful for regulatory assessment; (2) the applicability of in vitro skin corrosion data to assign the corrosive subcategories as implemented by the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation; (3) the applicability of testing strategies for determining skin corrosion and irritation hazards; and (4) the applicability of the adopted in vitro assays to test mixtures, preparations and dilutions. Overall, a number of agreements and recommendations were achieved in order to clarify and facilitate the assessment and use of in vitro data from regulatory accepted methods, and ultimately help regulators and scientists facing with the new in vitro approaches to evaluate skin irritation and corrosion hazards and risks without animal data.

Un nou desenvolupament en el préstec interbibliotecari del CBUC

L'increment d'ús del préstec interbibliotecari i l'obtenció de documents (PI/SOD) obria, en el si del Consorci de Biblioteques Universitàries de Catalunya, un debat de com millorar la seva accessibilitat i gestió, especialment de cara a l'usuari que havia d'utilitzar diferents aplicatius en el procés de sol·licitar documents en PI/SOD. Fruit d'aquesta reflexió, s'ha realitzat un nou pas en la millora i consolidació d'aquest servei, integrant dins de la interfície de consulta per web del Catàleg Col·lectiu de les Universitats de Catalunya la possibilitat de demanar els documents en línia tant sols entrant la identificació d'usuari. L'Aplicació desenvolupada en PL-SQL per la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya dins del projecte GALA (Global Access to Local Applications and services), permet la captura automàtica de les dades del registre bibliogràfic i la seva exportació al formulari de PI/SOD de la institució a la que pertany l'usuari, generant una comanda que finalment és validada per la institució.

HBV markers in haemodialysis Brazilian patients: a prospective 12-month follow-up

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among haemodialysis (HD) subjects and to evaluate whether testing for serological markers at the time of admission is suitable for HBV screening in this population. One hundred twenty-three patients belonging to two HD centres from São Paulo, Brazil, were tested prospectively. HBV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in each of the prospective subjects (n = 123) during one year. Additionally, all samples (n = 1,476) were analysed for HBV serological markers. The prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA were 34.1%, 15.4% and 8.1%, respectively, while the incidence was null. Fluctuation in HBV serology was observed in one patient. Only 37.8% (17/45) of cases responded to the HBV vaccine. Our results suggest that employing more than one HBV marker and repeated follow-up evaluations may improve HBV screening in HD units.

Didactique de la géographie et formation initiale des enseignants spécialistes : conception et première évaluation du nouveau dispositif de formation initiale des enseignants de géographie du Secondaire supérieur à la HEP Vaud

Geography as a school subject is specifically thought for and by the schools. The contents of the school subject, nowadays, do not reflect the concerns and the evolution of the discipline as such. Nevertheless, official curricula set school objectives that address issues affecting the world and people's lives. These issues are coherent with the ones addressed by geography as a social science, that is to say the study of how people and their environment interact and how societies are interconnected through space. On an every day basis, Geography as a school subject is most of the time reduced to accumulating knowledge outside any given context. This knowledge may even be partially untrue or old and the related activities focus on low cognitive tensions. These practices do not contribute to the learners' understanding of the world because it does not allow them to build a geographical competence, which they. will need as future citizens in order to make responsible choices when they are confronted to questions related to how the locations of human and physical features are influenced by each other and how they interact across space. The central part of the text relies on the ideas and the processes discussed in the publications, which constitute the published file; it is divided into two parts. The first part (chapter 4) presents a didactic approach, which gives meaningful insights into Geography as a school subject and shows a brief account of the theoretical background that supports it. This socio-constructivist approach relies on the main following features: a priming stage (élément déclencheur), which presents geographical knowledge as an issue to be explored, discussed or solved; the issue is given to learners;. the planning of the teaching-learning sequence in small units launched by the main issue in the priming stage ; the interconnections of geographical knowledge with integrative concepts ; the synthetic stage or reporting stage where final concepts and knowledge are put together in order to be learned. Such an approach allows learners to re-invest the knowledge they have built themselves. This knowledge is organised by geographical integrative concepts, which represent true thinking operative tools and with which key issues in the geographical thinking are associated. The second part of the text (chapter 5) displays the didactic principles that governed the conception of the new initial training course for the future upper secondary school teachers at the HEP Vaud. The ambition of this course is to prepare future teachers to plan and realize the teaching of geography that provides pupils with the tools to understand better how people and their environment interact and how societies are interconnected through space. One of the tools for the teachers is the conceptual framework, whose most salient interest is to be relevant at every stage of the preparation and planning of the teaching, including the necessary epistemological reflection that should always be present. The synthesis of the text starts with a short account of the first evaluation of the new course. Various reflections on the future concerns and issues, that the didactics and methodology of Geography will be confronted with, constitute the synthesis.

Control of brood male production in the Argentine ant Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr)

The influence of various social factors on the production of males was investigated in the Argentine ant, Iridomyrmex humilis. In this polygynous species, the workers which are monomorphic are unable to lay reproductive eggs, so all the males are the progeny of the queens. Although male eggs appear to be laid by mated queens throughout the year, in large stock colonies males are reared periodically (every 3 or 4 months); males develop from brood taken from these colonies at any point in the cycle and given queenless or queenright (1 to 5 queens) units. This is in striking contrast to many other species of ants where it is generally assumed that male eggs are laid seasonnally. Comparative experiments suggest that several related factors influence the rearing of males as far as the pupal stage. Worker/larva ratio: The proportion of male larvae developing in standardized units in which the worker/larva ratio was varied from 0.25 to 25 demonstrated that low ratios inhibit male production. Queen influence: In standardized units where the worker/larva ratio was high the presence of queens did not inhibit the rearing of males suggesting that there is no queen inhibitory pheromone controlling male experimental production. Data suggest evidence that queens prevent male production by means of appropriation of food. Diet: Male larvae failed to pupate in experimental societies deprived of protein. Thus, the production of males appears to be controlled by the amount of food available to larvae. This depends on foraging activity, the quantity of brood in relation to the number of workers and the number of queens in the society.

Endurance training enhances vasodilation induced by nitric oxide in human skin.

Résumé Il a été démontré que l'exercice physique modifiait le contrôle de la thermorégulation cutané, ce qui se manifeste par une augmentation de la perfusion de la microcirculation de la peau. Pour une même augmentation de température, ce phénomène est plus important chez les sportifs d'endurance que chez les sujets sédentaires. Dans cette étude, nous posons l'hypothèse qu'une composante de cette adaptation peut provenir d'une plus haute capacité des vaisseaux sanguins à répondre à un stimulus vasodilatateur. Pour la tester, nous avons recruté des hommes sains, non fumeurs, soit entraînés (surtout sport d'endurance) ou sédentaires que nous avons partagé en deux classes d'âges (18-35 ans [jeunes] et >50 ans[âgés]). Le flux sanguin cutané était mesuré par un laser-Doppler au niveau de la peau de l'avant-bras. Nous avons alors mesuré la vasodilatation obtenue par les stimuli suivant : Iontophorèse à l'acétylcholine (ACh, un vasodilatateur dépendant de l'endothélium), iontophorèse au nitroprussiate de sodium (SNP, un donneur d'oxyde nitrique) et par libération d'une interruption momentanée du flux artériel huméral (hyperémie réactive). Chez les sujets entraînés, l'effet de l'hyperémie réactive et de l'ACh n'ont pas montré de différence. Par contre, l'augmentation de la perfusion, suivant la iontophorèse de SNP, exprimé en unité de perfusion (PU), était plus importante chez les sujets entraînés que chez les sujets sédentaires (jeunes: 398±54 vs 350±87, p<0.05; âgés: 339±72 vs 307±66, p<0.05). Pour conclure, l'entraînement d'endurance augmente l'effet vasodilatateur de l'oxyde nitrique de la microcirculation cutanée humaine, au moins au niveau de la peau de l'avant-bras. Ces observations ont un intérêt physiologique considérable au vu des résultats d'études récentes qui montrent que le NO sert d'intermédiaire dans la vasodilatation cutanée produite par un stress thermique. Donc, l'augmentation de la bioactivité du NO dans la microcirculation cutanée pourrait être un des mécanismes par lequel l'entraînement physique modifierait le contrôle de la thermorégulation du flux sanguin cutané. Abstract Endurance training modifies the thermoregulatory control of skin blood flow, as manifested by a greater augmentation of skin perfusion for the same increase in core temperature in athletes, in comparison with se-dentary subjects. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a component of this adaptation might reside in a higher ability of cutaneous blood vessels to respond to vasodilatory stimuli. We recruited healthy nonsmoking males, either endurance trained or sedentary, in two different age ranges (18-35 y and >50 y). Skin blood flow was measured in the forearm skin, using a laser Doppler imager, allowing to record the vasodilatory responses to the following stimuli: iontophoresis of acetylcholine (an endothelium-dependent vasodilator), iontophoresis of sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor), and release of a temporary interruption of arterial inflow (reactive hyperemia). There was no effect of training on reactive hyperemia or the response to acetylcholine. In contrast, the increase in perfusion following the iontophoresis of sodium nitroprusside, ex-pressed in perfusion units, was larger in trained than in sedentary subjects (younger: 398±54 vs 350±87, p<0.05; older 339±72 vs 307±66, p<0.05). In conclusion, endurance training enhances the vasodilatory effects of nitric oxide in the human dermal microcirculation, at least in forearm skin. These observations have considerable physiologic interest in view of recent data indicating that nitric oxide mediates in part the cutaneous vasodilation induced by heat stress in humans. Therefore, the augmentation of nitric oxide bioactivity in the dermal microcirculation might be one mechanism whereby endurance training modifies the thermoregulatory control of skin blood flow.