Suchergebnisse

Aspiration of oropharyngeal flora is the most common route of acquiring Gram‐negative pneumonia, a major nosocomial infection. Epidemiologic studies indicate that the elderly are at increased risk for developing these life‐threatening pneumonias. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of salivary oral defenses against Gram‐negative colonization. The study population consisted of 41 male outpatients, age 70 and older, seen at the Denver VAMC. The group included subjects with both diminished and normal salivary flow. Each subject answered a questionnaire regarding overall health, medication use, and symptoms of salivary dysfunction. We then collected whole saliva, unstimulated and stimulated parotid saliva, and performed a throat swab on each patient. For each throat culture, analysis was done to identify Gram‐negative bacteria. Flow rates between colonized (n = 6) and noncolonized subjects (n = 34) were compared. While there were no significant differences in the flow rates between the two groups, a trend was noticed in that flow rates were lower for all three flow measures in the colonized group (whole, 22% decrease; unstimulated, 22% decrease; and stimulated, 28% decrease). These preliminary findings suggest that subjects with diminished salivary flow may possibly be at Increased risk for oropharyngeal Gram‐negative colonization. Research on the role that saliva plays in oropharyngeal bacterial colonization is continuing

In 1981, Maine passed a drunk driving law with mandatory penalties and a new civil charge to increase the conviction rate. One year later, Massachusetts increased drunk driving penalties, particularly for repeat offenders and intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes. In Maine, single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes declined 22 per cent the year before passage of the law, and 33 per cent the year after. Maine's rates returned to pre-law levels by the third post-law year. Prior to Massachusetts' new law, single-vehicle nighttime and overall fatal crashes there also declined 20% and 22%, whereas after this law fatal crash rates did not decline further compared with the pre-law year or other New England states. Pre- and post-law surveys indicate that both laws were followed by some increases in public perceptions that drunk drivers stopped by police would be arrested, convicted, and receive automatic penalties. But, few believed it was very likely that drunk drivers would be stopped. For only two of three years studied after Maine's law did more people there report decisions not to drive because they had drunk too much. In Massachusetts, reported driving after heavy drinking declined as much the year before as the three years after its law.

Highly dense linkage maps enable positioning thousands of landmarks useful for anchoring the whole genome and for analysing genome properties. Turbot is the most important cultured flatfish worldwide and breeding programs in the fifth generation of selection are targeted to improve growth rate, obtain disease resistant broodstock and understand sex determination to control sex ratio. Using a Restriction-site Associated DNA approach, we genotyped 18,214 single nucleotide polymorphism in 1,268 turbot individuals from 31 full-sibling families. Individual linkage maps were combined to obtain a male, female and species consensus maps. The turbot consensus map contained 11,845 markers distributed across 22 linkage groups representing a total normalised length of 3,753.9 cM. The turbot genome was anchored to this map, and scaffolds representing 96% of the assembly were ordered and oriented to obtain the expected 22 megascaffolds according to its karyotype. Recombination rate was lower in males, especially around centromeres, and pairwise comparison of 44 individual maps suggested chromosome polymorphism at specific genomic regions. Genome comparison across flatfish provided new evidence on karyotype reorganisations occurring across the evolution of this fish group ; This study has been supported by the FISHBOOST project (ref. 613611) from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and by Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia local government (ref. GRC2014/010) ; SI

The content of this Doctoral Thesis has been structured in four chapters preceded by a general Introduction in which the theoretical and practical aspects related to the synthesis, modeling possibilities and application of supramolecular solvents (SUPRAS) as well as the encapsulation of lipophilic bioactive substances in nanostructured lipid carriers are discussed. Below, the content of each chapter is described: Chapter I: Volatile amphiphile-based supramolecular solvents for reducing phospholipid-based matrix effects in LC-MS/MS The research presented in this chapter has focused on the synthesis and characterization of volatile SUPRAS with restricted access properties for the elimination of matrix effects in the analysis of biological samples by LC-MS/MS. For this purpose, a SUPRAS has been synthetized from hexanol in THF solutions by the addition of water as coacervating agent. The phase diagram for this ternary mixture was constructed, delimiting the SUPRAS region, and its composition was investigated according to the environmental conditions established for the self-assembly of hexanol. The equation predicting the volume of SUPRAS formed as a function of environmental conditions was established. As in the case of other alkanols, hexanol aggregates in the SUPRAS as inverse hexagonal structures in which the alcohol groups surround aqueous cavities while the hydrocarbon chains are dispersed in THF. The ability of the SUPRAS synthesized for the removal of matrix effects in bioanalysis was investigated by the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in urine. The insitu formation of SUPRAS in this matrix and the removal of proteins and phospholipids were investigated. It was demonstrated that supramolecular extracts can be analyzed directly by LC-MS/MS avoiding matrix effects, which allowed the quantification of BPA via external calibration. BPA was quantitatively extracted in the SUPRAS (recoveries in the 96-107% range). The limit of quantification of the method for BPA was 0.025 ng/mL. The method was applied to the quantification of BPA in urine samples. Chapter II: Supramolecular solvents formed by oligomeric surfactants to reduce surfactant losses in the equilibrium solution The research carried out in this chapter has focused on the synthesis and characterization of SUPRAS obtained from solutions of poly-undecylenic acid (an oligomeric surfactant) in THF or ethanol, using water as coacervating agent. A comparative study of both ternary mixtures has been performed in terms of phase diagrams, the chemical composition of SUPRAS generated from different environmental conditions, the volume of SUPRAS formed and structural characteristics. Different equations have been derived, generated as a function of the composition of the synthetical solution, for predicting the volume and chemical composition of these SUPRAS. The hypothesis of the oligomer being completely incorporated into the SUPRAS was fully demonstrated. This property will make possible the application of this novel SUPRAS to wastewater treatment and to the analysis of pollutants when the use of high volumes of water is required. Chapter III: High thermally stable supramolecular solvents applicable to headspace gas chromatography The research described in this chapter is focused on the synthesis of SUPRAS from solutions of the oligomer poly-undecylenic acid in tetraglyme via the addition of water as coacervating agent. The phase diagram from this ternary mixture was constructed, delimiting the SUPRAS formation region, that was also characterized in terms of chemical composition and physical properties such as thermal stability. The applicability of these SUPRAS in headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC) was investigated by the direct analysis of the extracts obtained from the extraction of residual solvents in pharmaceutical products. The methodology developed allowed the quantitative extraction of the different legislated classes of residual solvents (37 solvents belonging to classes 1, 2A, 2B and 2C) and their determination by HS-GC-MS. The determination of the 2C class solvents by previously described procedures is very complex due to their high boiling points. It was demonstrated that the method can be applied to a wide variety of pharmaceutical products. The method was also validated according to the criteria established in the relevant legislation [ICH Q2 R1]. Chapter IV: Multifunctional supramolecular solvents for the combination of the extraction and encapsulation of lipophilic bioactive components The research described in this chapter has been developed in the ―lnstitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unit 1148" in Paris, during the stay of the PhD student in this center. This research has aimed at the combination of SUPRAS and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for the effective extraction, stabilization and encapsulation of lipophilic bioactive compounds. For this purpose, SUPRAS previously described by the SAC research group for the extraction of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis and formed by octanoic acid in ethanol-water have been used. In previous research, the SAC group has demonstrated that these SUPRAS with restricted access properties quantitatively extract astaxanthin and are able to produce oleoresins that show the same composition as those obtained by extraction with supercritical fluids (SFE), but at a much lower cost. The oleoresins thus obtained were used as the liquid lipid fraction to get SUPRAS-NLCs. The synthetized nanoparticles were characterized by several different techniques: DLS, AFM and Cryo-SEM microscopy, indicating that spherical particles with an approximate size of 100 nm were formed. Their antioxidant activity was determined by ORAC and α-TEAC and its ability to inhibit ROS in vitro was assessed by the DHE probe. The results showed that the SUPRAS-NLCs here synthetized exhibit an exceptional stability (at least 6 months at 4ºC) when compared to previous research. This Report also includes a section in which the main conclusions derived from the obtained results are discussed. Finally, appendix A lists the scientific papers published in specialized international journals derived for this Thesis and, appendix B, the contributions made to national and international conferences.

At first glance, the introduction, on 22 May 1936, of the Trade Diversion Policy appears to be an Australian example of the protectionist policies being instituted globally in the 1930s, as states sought to isolate their national economies as far as possible from the vagaries of the international market in the wake of the Great Depression. However, while the policy was a result of the transitional nature of international affairs in the 1930s, an in-depth analysis of trade diversion reveals a myriad of factors that impelled the Australian Government to pursue what was a controversial course of action, in the face of unanimous condemnation of Australian economists, and which would have a significant impact on Australian-United States relations. The imposition of a new tariff schedule that placed higher duties on specified commodities imported from countries outside the British Empire, and the implementation of an import licensing scheme of quantitative restrictions was publicised as an initiative designed to help the Australian Government avert a impending crisis in their balance of payments with Great Britain, and the threat of default which loomed in 1936. The government's aim of diverting its import trade from 'bad customer' countries to 'good customer' countries, was intended to encourage larger purchases of Australian exports by 'good customers', whilst also providing a practical means of addressing the long standing adverse balance of trade with the United States free of any punitive spirit. Neither the threat of default or the authenticity of the 'good customer' 'bad customer' tenet, stand up under critical reassessment. The impending balance in payments crisis was a fallacy designed to veil the introduction of drastic measures to ensure greater long-term economic stability and the expansion of Australia's secondary industry. The political motivations driving trade diversion begin to come to light with consideration of the application of the policy to Japanese imports. The policy's in-applicability in the case of Japanese imports, reveals the level of discrimination that underpinned trade diversion, for in 1936 not only was Japan an important market for Australian produce but Australia ran a large surplus on its balance of trade with Japan, and there was thus no economic rationale in diverting Japanese trade. The early 1930s saw the Australian government becoming increasingly unsatisfied with the trading position it occupied in relation to the United States, and in 1934 prime Minister Lyon's presented a letter to the US Consul-General in Sydney outlining Australian trade requests which were to provide the foundation for the opening of negotiations for a bilateral trade treaty between the two nations. Unfortunately the Australian proposals clashed directly with the liberalizing trade policies being introduced by the American Government, and plans for domestic development which also determined the outlook of the United States government at the time. In the face of the persistent negative American attitude, Arbitrary action was sanctioned by the Australian Parliament in May 1936, and the Trade Diversion policy was introduced, creating a protracted trade conflict that was to have significant consequences for Australian-United States relations.

The subject of the author's analyses are the national laws regulating funeral services. Since the topic is one of wide scope, the author could not cover it entirely, so the paper only includes the advantages and weaknesses of the regulations which govern a few, according to the author, most significant issues in this field. In the first two parts of the paper, the author discusses the burial concept and principles. The third part analyses the method the legislator uses to regulate the issue of the subjects which are responsible for the organization of the funerals, while the fourth part describes potential burial places. In this context, the author pays special attention to cemeteries and gravesites. In the concluding remarks, based on the previously conducted analyses, the author of the paper presents her evaluation of the laws regulating the burial of the dead, underlining those which need to be amended in future. ; Published

This article is aimed at evaluation of regional digital inequality in BRICS countries. Using the data for 2014-2018 on internet usage and access to fixed broadband author calculates inequality ratios, including coefficient of variation and Theil index. Also author analyzes rural/urban differences and their dynamics. On the base of this calculations author shows decrease of regional inequality in all five countries. Further analysis is devoted to national digitalization strategies, which are aimed at development of remote areas and bridging digital divide. Author shows that there are measures in each strategy aimed at bridging digital divide on all three levels (infrastructure, usage and results). In a final part of the article author suggests directions for cooperation in BRICS, including exchange of best practices in realization of national strategies, composition of best practices in integrated measures aimed at development of remote areas and joint financing using opportunities provided by the New Development Bank.

In this study the translations and the reception in Sweden and Spain of the works of the French language author of Spanish origin, Michel del Castillo, are examined in the light of two concepts in the sociology of literature: consecration and legitimization. Consecration refers to the status accorded to an author by means of acts of recognition (literary prizes, etc.) while legitimization refers to the active part played by an author in the literary debate in a certain society. Whereas the first is a single, irrevocable act, the second is of longer duration but is subject to change. The books published in Michel del Castillo's early career (the late nineteen fifties and early sixties) made him a legitimized author in Sweden at that time. In Spain he did not become a legitimized author until the early years of the new millennium, when his subject matter coincided with the topics addressed in many other Spanish novels written at that time.

Purpose
– The author assembles three hypothetical regulatory regimes and deploys computer simulations to contrast different banking systems based on conventional strategies for appointing risk-based capital minimum thresholds. The paper aims to discuss these issues.


Design/methodology/approach
– The author instigates cascading failure models within numerous directed graphs and measures the inflicted costs, the accumulated bank failures, and the general robustness of the networks following various economic shocks.


Findings
– The author finds that a homogeneous regulatory regime is an inferior approach. However, a selected too-big-to-fail scheme portrays the best defensive banking model with the lowest number of total bank failures and the fewest banks' costs and social costs.


Research limitations/implications
– The author can only theoretically examine this topic.


Originality/value
– The author overcomes some obstacles in prior studies including the use of a large and complex network and the proportional allocation of funds upon a bank failure.

Abstract
This article presents the problem of lack of restitution in Poland in the political, social and economic context. The author presents the theory of institutional lock-in, referring to the hitherto course of the political, social and economic transformation processes in Poland. She is focusing on the research problem in form of an institutional lock-in on the route to general restitution process. The author examines the path shaping and path dependence to understand the current negative attitude toward restitution presented by the government and society. The author also indicates the costs caused by lack of restitution. Through analysis of past attempts of restitution regulations the author indicates the most important flashpoints. A hypothesis constructed by the author focuses on the negative effects of institutional lock-in, lack of restitution increases transaction costs influencing the Polish economy. The study is based on the legal documents and the results of public opinion polls.

Attempting to pay tribute to a major figure in the world of radical political movements makes the author realizes that 'greatness' is not so much a characteristic of individuals, as of the deeply symbiotic relations between individuals and their struggles. Because Elizabeth Martinez's life and work span so many generations, communities, and causes, she has enabled conjunctions and convergences that would have been inconceivable if not for her innovative ideas and bold undertakings. The author discovered a new book on Cuba by Elizabeth Sutherland, The Youngest Revolution (1968). She had no idea who the author was but reading Sutherland's book led the author to recognize that she's had just been on one of the most important journeys of her life. From civil rights and black liberation to women's rights and prison abolition, the author can practically narrate the story of her political life using Martinez's work as anchoring points. Adapted from the source document.

This Article argues that some regulatory authorities have not successfully adapted to the internationalization of the practice of law. First, the Author attempts to define the terms "international legal adviser" and "international legal advice." Next, the Author compares the existing barriers to practice in the United States and the European Union. The Author goes on to outline recent challenges and changes to these barriers to practice, including international efforts such as the WTO and the IBA and local rules in the United States and the European Union. The Author then analyzes the adequacy of existing regulatory regimes with regard to ensuring the competency of professionals, protecting the public from poor or unauthorized representation, and maintaining control over the development of the profession. The Author concludes that, although there has been some progress in opening up legal services, the restrictive approach of a few regimes could undermine the success achieved in this and other service sectors.

The aim of the article is to discuss Weber's dilemma of methodological individualism: the question of the relationship between Weber's interpretive sociology and his substantive sociological research. The author of the article aims, first, to deny the dilemma of methodological individualism by claiming that the contradictions between Weber's methodological principles and his research practice are superficial. Second, the author argues that, contrary to the Schluchter's idea, Weber's 'interpretive sociology' does not acquire its final form after the 'second breakthrough'. The author attempts to delineate the 'third breakthrough' in the last decade's works of German sociologist, which leads towards sociological action theory. Thirdly, the author attempts to reconstruct Weber's action theory while critically evaluating the works in this area. Finally, the author discusses the question whether the third Weber's breakthrough can be finalized in such a manner that the resulting action theory would be satisfactory in relation to the initial tasks.