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Plagiarism:a case study of quality improvement in a taught postgraduate programme
No full textPlagiarism is a common issue in education. Software can detect plagiarism but little is known about prevention
Role of symptoms and lung function in determining asthma control in smokers with asthma
No full textCigarette smoking in asthma increases the severity and accelerates the decline in lung function. The relative role of symptoms and lung function in determining asthma control in smokers with asthma is not known
Foreign policy in transition:the ANC’s search for a foreign policy direction during South Africa’s transition, 1990-1994
No full textAt the beginning of the transition from apartheid to democracy, the African National Congress (ANC) was unprepared for foreign policy discussion, a lack of readiness magnified by the collapse of international Communism and the Cold War ideology. President De Klerk and the National Party controlled foreign policy in the early years of the transition and began the process of reintegration with the international community, The ANC initially struggled to adapt to the new international situation, whereas De Klerk was successful in wooing the international community. In the later stages of transition, the ANC developed a greater sense of direction and substance in foreign relations, although there were differences of opinion among and between the leadership and the rank and file. Already in 1994 there was evidence of tension between idealism and pragmatism. Post-apartheid foreign policy under Mandela was riddled with inconsistencies, which stemmed from the events of South Africa’s transitio
<em>Drosophila</em> neuroblasts retain the daughter centrosome
No full textDuring asymmetric mitosis, both in male Drosophila germline stem cells and in mouse embryo neural progenitors, the mother centrosome is retained by the self-renewed cell; hence suggesting that mother centrosome inheritance might contribute to stemness. We test this hypothesis in Drosophila neuroblasts (NBs) tracing photo converted centrioles and a daughter-centriole-specific marker generated by cloning the Drosophila homologue of human Centrobin. Here we show that upon asymmetric mitosis, the mother centrosome is inherited by the differentiating daughter cell. Our results demonstrate maturation-dependent centrosome fate in Drosophila NBs and that the stemness properties of these cells are not linked to mother centrosome inheritance
Studying cardiac contractility change trend to evaluate cardiac reserve
No full textThere is a very close relationship between the amplitude of the first heart sound and the cardiac contractility. We previously presented the concept of cardiac contractility variability (CCV) and an analysis method. On the basis of the findings from the authors' observation and other previous studies, a conclusion can be made that the variability of the first heart sound amplitude is a reflection of CCV. We found that an increase of the amplitude of the first heart sound can be seen on the phonocardiogram obtained even after a small workload exercise. We defined the increase of the amplitude of the first heart sound after accomplishing different exercise workloads, with respect to the amplitude of the first heart sound recorded at rest as cardiac contractility change trend (CCCT). CCCT implies information about cardiac contractility and cardiac reserve. To explore the significance of CCCT for evaluating cardiac contractility reserve of a patient or an athlete, we carried out a study on cardiac contractility change trend, the methods and the results of which are presented
An RxLR Effector from<em> Phytophthora infestans</em> Prevents Re-localisation of Two Plant NAC Transcription Factors from the Endoplasmic Reticulum to the Nucleus
No full textThe potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans secretes an array of effector proteins thought to act in its hosts by disarming defences and promoting pathogen colonisation. However, little is known about the host targets of these effectors and how they are manipulated by the pathogen. This work describes the identification of two putative membrane-associated NAC transcription factors (TF) as the host targets of the RxLR effector PITG_03192(Pi03192). The effector interacts with NAC Targeted by Phytophthora (NTP) 1 and NTP2 at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, where these proteins are localised. Transcripts of NTP1 and NTP2 rapidly accumulate following treatment with culture filtrate (CF) from in vitro grown P. infestans, which acts as a mixture of Phytophthora PAMPs and elicitors, but significantly decrease during P. infestans infection, indicating that pathogen activity may prevent their up-regulation. Silencing of NTP1 or NTP2 in the model host plant Nicotianabenthamiana increases susceptibility to P. infestans, whereas silencing of Pi03192 in P. infestans reduces pathogenicity. Transient expression of Pi03192 in planta restores pathogenicity of the Pi03192-silenced line. Moreover, colonisation by the Pi03192-silenced line is significantly enhanced on N. benthamiana plants in which either NTP1 or NTP2 have been silenced. StNTP1 and StNTP2 proteins are released from the ER membrane following treatment with P. infestans CF and accumulate in the nucleus, after which they are rapidlyturned over by the 26S proteasome. In contrast, treatment with the defined PAMP flg22 fails to up-regulate NTP1 and NTP2, or promote re-localisation of their protein products to the nucleus, indicating that these events follow perception of a component of CF that appears to be independent of the FLS2/flg22 pathway. Importantly, Pi03192 prevents CF-triggered relocalisationof StNTP1 and StNTP2 from the ER into the nucleus, revealing a novel effectormode-of-action to promote disease progression
Rapid changes in insolation in southern England due to variation in cloud cover:influence on operation and testing of solar modules
No full textAnalysis of insolation data recorded in southern England during June 2009 reveals that on an active day, changes in irradiance (ramp rate) exceeding 1 % per second may occur up to 5 % of the time. This leads to uncertainties in outdoor PV performance figures, since current-voltage scans are taking place under non-constant light levels. We investigate the relationship between fill factor and ramp rate by an equivalent-circuit simulation, which provides an indication of the underlying noise levels to be expected from this source when compiling fill factor trends from raw outdoor test data. We have also computed the insolation amplitude spectrum and sought to assign the spectral features to diurnal, meteorological and stochastic effects. Comparison with experimental measurements suggests that ramps make a minor contribution to the noise level under typical measurement conditions. However the pronounced non-gaussian nature of the statistical frequency distribution of ramp rates suggests this may be responsible for ‘outlier’ data points
From resilience to resistance:Political ecological lessons from antibiotic and pesticide resistance
No full textThis article investigates the interplay of natural and human systems with reference to the growing global problem of antibiotic resistance. Among the diverse causes of antibiotic resistance, we focus broadly on three related causes: pharmaceutical practice and the liberal consumption of antibiotics, the use of antibiotic-containing products in the home, and the use of antibiotics in commercial animal husbandry and agriculture. We draw a parallel between pesticide and antibiotic resistance and ex- amine whether lessons learned from one case may be applicable to the other. Although our main focus is a micro-ecological analysis examining how humans are changing their environments, our conclusion addresses larger implications of this problem for global health. Through the theoretical lens of political ecology, we ask how we may address the “tragedy of the antibiotic commons” through public education and consumer activism as well as global health governance
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