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Coming in from the cold:the Transitional Executive Council and South Africa’s reintegration into the international community
No full textSouth Africa’s ‘miraculous’ transition from apartheid to democracy,1990–1994, has been widely investigated in the current literature, but the activities of the Transitional Executive Council, and, more importantly, those of its composite sub-councils have been neglected. This study analyses the significant influence the Sub Council on Foreign Affairs (SCFA) had on the shape of South Africa’s foreign policy after April 1994. The influence the Department of Foreign Affairs had over the organisation and activities of the SCFA is also explored. In shapingthe final recommendations of the Sub Council, so that they closely represented those of the Department, the SCFA’s proposals also reflected the norms and values of the wider international community. It is argued that entrenched domestic and international interests ‘captured’ the new South Africa’s foreign policy, seriously impinging on the African National Congress’s room for manoeuvre internationally and ultimately acting as a significant factor in accounting for the country’s perceived inconsistent foreign policy after 1994
Computer-assisted history-taking systems (CAHTS) in health care: benefits, risks and potential for further development
No full textBackground: A computer-assisted history-taking system (CAHTS) is a tool that aids clinicians in gathering data from patients to inform a diagnosis or treatment plan. Despite the many possible applications and even though CAHTS have been available for nearly three decades, these remain underused in routine clinical practice.Objective: Through an interpretative review of the literature, we provide an overview of the field of CAHTS, which also offers an understanding of the impact of these systems on policy, practice and research.Methods: We conducted a search and critique of the literature on CAHTS. Using a comprehensive set of terms, we searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, The Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment Database and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database over a ten-year period (January 1997 to May 2007) to identify systematic reviews, technical reports and health technology assessments, and randomised controlled trials.Results: The systematic review of the literature suggests that CAHTS can save professionals' time, improve delivery of care to those with special needs and also facilitate the collection of information, especially potentially sensitive information (e.g. sexual history, alcohol consumption). The use of CAHTS also has disadvantages that impede the process of history taking and may pose risks to patients. CAHTS are inherently limited when detecting non-verbal communication, may pose irrelevant questions and frustrate the users with technical problems. Our review suggests that barriers such as a preference for pen-and-paper methods and concerns about data loss and security still exist and affect the adoption of CAHTS. In terms of policy and practice, CAHTS make input of data from disparate sites possible, which facilitates work from disparate sites and the collection of data for nationwide screening programmes such as the vascular risk assessment programme for people aged 40-74, now starting in England.Conclusions: Our review shows that for CAHTS to be adopted in mainstream health care, important changes should take place in how we conceive, plan and conduct primary and secondary research on the topic so that we provide the framework for a comprehensive evaluation that will lead to an evidence base to inform policy and practice
Hiring and firing:a tale of two thresholds
No full textThe negative effect of quits on the willingness of firms to provide on-the-job training is well documented in the theoretical literature. Here we explore the strength of this effect by solving a firm's dynamic optimization problem where there is uncertainty about future productivity and nonzero firing costs. We find that the degree to which quit rates affect hiring depends on the ratio of firing to hiring costs. As this ratio rises, the negative effect of quits becomes less important, eventually reversing itself. We also describe how quit rates affect the firing decision. We highlight some testable implications of our analysis.</p
Oscillatory pipe flows of a yield-stress fluid
No full textOscillatory pipe flows of aqueous Carbopol solutions are investigated both experimentally and analytically. Using the PIV technique, the velocity profiles are measured and compared with the numerical solutions based on an elasto-viscoplastic rheological model, in which an elastic spring is serially connected to a regularized Bingham viscoplastic model. The rheological parameters, such as shear modulus of elasticity, yield stress and viscosity, are estimated from steady-shear measurements. Good agreement between the experiments and the model results is observed. It is apparent that the elasticity plays an important role in the unsteady flows of the soft yield-stress fluid studied herein
Ultrasound standing wave device for particle manipulation
Full text linkUsing ultrasonic standing waves for noncontact manipulation of microparticles or cells has raised many possible applications in life sciences and medicine. This paper introduces the basic concept and methods of applying ultrasound to manipulate the microparticles in fluids, and also gives two practical examples of trapping and manipulating microparticles with ultrasound standing waves. The design, simulation, fabrication and testing of these two resonant-mode ultrasonic manipulation devices are presented, and some practical issues are discussed, such as temperature changes and streaming. The first device uses a bespoke high frequency (up to 25 MHz) lithium niobate transducer coupled to a fabricated precision reflector and spacers to form a multiple of half-wavelength ultrasound standing waves (30 µm) across a macroscale fluid chamber (2 × 5 mm2) in which the microparticles are distributed and trapped by ultrasonic radiation forces. The second device has a 12-element kerfless ultrasonic linear array (2.5 MHz) coupled to a disposable rectangular capillary to trap and manipulate microparticles along the capillary by controlling the active elements of the array. The experimental results of both devices with 10 µm polystyrene beads show correspondence with pressure distributions simulated with the finite element method and demonstrate the feasibility for potential applications in life science
Hybrid Tribunals at Ten:How International Criminal Justice’s Golden Child Became an Orphan
No full textWork, belonging and new professionalism:the case of learning technology & educational development staff in UK HE
No full textFree Trade and Empire in the Anglo-Irish Commercial Propositions of 1785
No full textWilliam Pitt's 1785 proposal for a free trade area between Britain and Ireland attempted to use free trade as a mechanism of imperial integration. It was a response to the agitation for political reform in Ireland and followed the attainment of legislative independence in 1782. The proposal aimed at coordinating economic and fiscal policy between the kingdoms without imposing explicit political controls. This article establishes that the measure failed because of the lack of consensus around the idea of free trade. Three contrasting ideas of free trade became apparent in the debates around the propositions of 1785: imperial or neomercantilist free trade, Smithean free trade, and national or neo-Machiavellian free trade. Imperial free trade was critical of monopolies but sought to organize trade to the benefit of the imperial metropole; Smithean free trade saw open markets as a discipline that assured efficiency but required imperial institutional frameworks, legally secured, to function. Neo-Machiavellian free trade asserted the right of every political community to organize its trade according to its interests. The article establishes the genealogy of these three positions in pamphlet debates and political correspondence in Britain and Ireland from 1689 to 1785. It argues that majority political opinion in Ireland, with exceptions, understood free trade in a neo-Machiavellian sense, while Pitt was committed to a Smithean ideal. The propositions collapsed because these internal tensions became more evident under the pressure of criticism. Liberal political economy did not of itself offer a route to a British exceptionality that finessed the tensions inherent in empire.</p
Perceptions and practices of social behaviors among university students in Pakistan
No full textThe major purpose of the article was to identify the perceptions and practices of social behaviorsamong university students in Pakistan. More than 350 students, 50 teachers and 45 parents of thestudents from 2 universities responded on the three independent questionnaires, one each forstudents, teachers and parents, through scheduled meetings. Some common behaviors were alsoobserved at canteen, grounds, university transport and corridors etc through observation sheet.SPSS and NVIVO software were employed to analyze quantitative and qualitative data sets.Sportsmanship, Substance misuse, cheating, wreckage, joyriding, bullying, harassment,pressurizing others, aggression, love affairs, classroom disturbance, graffiti writing andprostitution were appeared as the most commonly occurring negative behaviors among thestudents. Recommendations were made to modify the negative behaviors among students
Routine scale and polish for periodontal health in adults
No full textBackgroundMany dentists or hygienists provide scaling and polishing for patients at regular intervals, even if those patients are considered to be at low risk of developing periodontal disease. There is debate over the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of 'routine scaling and polishing' and the 'optimal' frequency at which it should be provided for healthy adults.A 'routine scale and polish' treatment is defined as scaling or polishing or both of the crown and root surfaces of teeth to remove local irritational factors (plaque, calculus, debris and staining), that does not involve periodontal surgery or any form of adjunctive periodontal therapy such as the use of chemotherapeutic agents or root planing.ObjectivesThe objectives were: 1) to determine the beneficial and harmful effects of routine scaling and polishing for periodontal health; 2) to determine the beneficial and harmful effects of providing routine scaling and polishing at different time intervals on periodontal health; 3) to compare the effects of routine scaling and polishing with or without oral hygiene instruction (OHI) on periodontal health; and 4) to compare the effects of routine scaling and polishing provided by a dentist or dental care professional (dental therapist or dental hygienist) on periodontal health.Search methodsWe searched the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register (to 15 July 2013), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2013, Issue 6), MEDLINE via OVID (1946 to 15 July 2013) and EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 15 July 2013). We searched the metaRegister of Controlled Trials and the US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Register (clinicaltrials.gov) for ongoing and completed studies to July 2013. There were no restrictions regarding language or date of publication.Selection criteriaRandomised controlled trials of routine scale and polish treatments (excluding split-mouth trials) with and without OHI in healthy dentate adults, without severe periodontitis.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors screened the results of the searches against inclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed risk of bias independently and in duplicate. We calculated mean differences (MDs) (standardised mean differences (SMDs) when different scales were reported) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for continuous data and, where results were meta-analysed, we used a fixed-effect model as there were fewer than four studies. Study authors were contacted where possible and where deemed necessary for missing information.Main resultsThree studies were included in this review with 836 participants included in the analyses. All three studies are assessed as at unclear risk of bias. The numerical results are only presented here for the primary outcome gingivitis. There were no useable data presented in the studies for the outcomes of attachment change and tooth loss. No studies reported any adverse effects.- Objective 1: Scale and polish versus no scale and polishOnly one trial provided data for the comparison between scale and polish versus no scale and polish. This study was conducted in general practice and compared both six-monthly and 12-monthly scale and polish treatments with no treatment. This study showed no evidence to claim or refute benefit for scale and polish treatments for the outcomes of gingivitis, calculus and plaque. The MD for six-monthly scale and polish, for the percentage of index teeth with bleeding at 24 months was -2% (95% CI -10% to 6%; P value = 0.65), with 40% of the sites in the control group with bleeding. The MD for 12-monthly scale and polish was -1% (95% CI -9% to 7%; P value = 0.82). The body of evidence was assessed as of low quality.- Objective 2: Scale and polish at different time intervalsTwo studies, both at unclear risk of bias, compared routine scale and polish provided at different time intervals. When comparing six with 12 months there was insufficient evidence to determine a difference for gingivitis at 24 months SMD -0.08 (95% CI -0.27 to 0.10). There were some statistically significant differences in favour of scaling and polishing provided at more frequent intervals, in particular between three and 12 months for the outcome of gingivitis at 24 months, with OHI, MD -0.14 (95% CI -0.23 to -0.05; P value = 0.003) and without OHI MD -0.21 (95% CI -0.30 to -0.12; P value < 0.001) (mean per patient measured on 0-3 scale), based on one study. There was some evidence of a reduction in calculus. This body of evidence was assessed as of low quality.- Objective 3: Scale and polish with and without OHIOne study provided data for the comparison of scale and polish treatment with and without OHI. There was a reduction in gingivitis for the 12-month scale and polish treatment when assessed at 24 months MD -0.14 (95% CI -0.22 to -0.06) in favour of including OHI. There were also significant reductions in plaque for both three and 12-month scale and polish treatments when OHI was included. The body of evidence was once again assessed as of low quality.- Objective 4: Scale and polish provided by a dentist compared with a dental care professionalNo studies were found which compared the effects of routine scaling and polishing provided by a dentist or dental care professional (dental therapist or dental hygienist) on periodontal health.Authors' conclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of routine scale and polish treatments. High quality trials conducted in general dental practice settings with sufficiently long follow-up periods (five years or more) are required to address the objectives of this review.<br/
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