2,135 research outputs found
The role of Plasmodium falciparum var genes in malaria in pregnancy
No full textSequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta is responsible for many of the harmful effects of malaria during pregnancy. Sequestration occurs as a result of parasite adhesion molecules expressed on the surface of infected erythrocytes binding to host receptors in the placenta such as chondroitin sulphate A (CSA). Identification of the parasite ligand(s) responsible for placental adhesion could lead to the development of a vaccine to induce antibodies to prevent placental sequestration. Such a vaccine would reduce the maternal anaemia and infant deaths that are associated with malaria in pregnancy. Current research indicates that the parasite ligands mediating placental adhesion may be members of the P. falciparum variant surface antigen family PfEMP1, encoded by var genes. Two relatively well-conserved subfamilies of var genes have been implicated in placental adhesion, however, their role remains controversial. This review examines the evidence for and against the involvement of var genes in placental adhesion, and considers whether the most appropriate vaccine candidates have yet been identified
Online political discussions tend to be less civil when theparticipants are anonymous
No full textDespite the internet’s unlimited potential in informing, engaging, and empowering citizens, it is all too often used as a forum for foul-tempered arguments behind a veil of anonymity, with obvious repercussions for our democracy. Drawing on a study of the content of comments left by readers of the Washington Post online, Ian Rowe argues that it is anonymity that is often to blame, and that the more accountable model used by Facebook holds hope for a more civil online political discourse
Online political discussions tend to be less civil when the participants are anonymous
No full textDespite the internet’s unlimited potential in informing, engaging, and empowering citizens, it is all too often used as a forum for foul-tempered arguments behind a veil of anonymity, with obvious repercussions for our democracy. Ian Rowe of the University of Kent, argues that it is anonymity that is often to blame, and that the more accountable model used by Facebook holds hope for a more civil online political discourse
Letter from Sanford Rowe and W. W. Bass to Carl Hayden
No full textLetter from Sanford Rowe and W. W. Bass to Carl Hayden requesting a re-examination on the proposed park boundaries as they are disadvantageous to current land owners surrounding the canyon
The role of natural experiments in hepatology research: filling the gap between clinical trials and service evaluations
No full textResearch developing and testing interventions that address the social determinants of liver disease are urgently needed; however, this cannot be achieved using conventional clinical research designs. A different approach is needed to conduct widely applicable, inclusive, and community-based research that addresses upstream factors driving liver morbidity. Natural experimental studies encompass a well-established field of research methodology that is less familiar to clinical hepatologists than conventional research methods such as the randomized control trial. The key strength of natural experiments is that, when robustly designed, they can be used to imply causality from routinely collected data. As such, they are well placed to test the impact of community interventions that aim to address social determinants of liver disease that cannot feasibly be assessed in a randomized control trial. In this review, we define natural experiments and their potential utility. We then work through examples of where they have already been used in clinical hepatology to highlight a range of research designs, analytical approaches, and best practices regarding their conduct and reporting. In doing so, we hope to equip clinical hepatologists with another tool to ensure the hepatology community can meet the global liver disease epidemic with evidence-based interventions
Environmental impact assessment of beef cattle production in semi-intensive systems in Paraguay
No full textBeef production has notable environmental implications on a global scale. Paraguayan beef
cattle farming is characterized by being developed mostly in pastures or grasslands, but recently
the practice of finishing confined to feedlots has thrived. In this context, the aim of this study was to
understand the environmental performance of a semi-intensive beef farm which involved in its
production system both a pasture and a feedlot stage. A Life Cycle Assessment was carried out
with a ―cradle-to-farm gate‖ perspective and 1 kg of Live Weight as the functional unit. Primary
data referring to cropping and livestock systems‘ inputs and outputs were collected on site and a
wide range of impact categories were evaluated.
Beef cattle farming proved to be responsible for intensive greenhouse gas emissions (22.0 ± 3.9
kg CO2 eq · kg LW-1), especially when it occurs predominantly on pasture. The breeding phase is
the one that weighs most on global warming potential within the rearing cycle. Since most animals
are present in the pasture stage, this contributed highly to the impact categories influenced by
animal-related emissions. The feedlot stage, despite its limited duration with respect to the overall
rearing cycle, weighs significantly in the categories related to non-methane volatile organic
compounds emissions, toxicity, land occupation and fuel consumption, especially because of feed
production (both on- and off-farm). Moreover, this stage takes on a greater environmental load
when considering the impacts of land use changes related to the consumption of purchased feed,
even though its short duration reduces the relative variation given by land use changes inclusion.
Some possible mitigation solutions were identified in the discussion, but further studiy is required into
the implications of this topic and the exploration of different scenarios
Faecal elastase 1: A marker of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in cystic fibrosis
No full textPancreatic elastase 1 (E1), a digestive protease, is synthesized by the acinar cells of the pancreas. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we evaluated stool E1 levels in the following groups of patients: (a) Specimens submitted for occult blood examination from 20 adults, over 3 consecutive days, to assess the inter-day variability in E1 excretion. There were no symptoms suggestive of pancreatic insufficiency in this group. The mean E1 concentration over all samples was 457 μg E1/g stool (range 124-1683). The intra-assay variation was 6.4% (n = 14) and the inter-assay variation was 8.8% (n = 12). The mean intra-patient variation was 17%. (b) Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Eight patients had E1 levels in the reference range (> 200 μg E1/g stool). The remaining 25 patients had undetectable E1 levels. (c) A control group of children presenting with unexplained bronchiectasis and/or recurrent respiratory infections and no symptoms of pancreatic dysfunction. The mean E1 concentration in the group was 519 μg E1/g stool (range 139-1941). There was no significant difference in E1 concentrations between the two non-CF groups, nor between the pancreatic-sufficient CF patients when compared with both non-CF groups. There was a significant difference between the pancreatic-sufficient and insufficient CF groups (P < 0.001 ) using the Mann-Whitney U test. All fifteen CF patients who were ΔF508 homozygotes had undetectable E1. It may be possible to relate CF genotype to the presence or absence of E1 and to the degree of pancreatic insufficiency. Measurement of faecal E1 in children with CF appears to differentiate them into a group of children with normal pancreatic function and a larger group with severe insufficiency.</p
Rowe Plantation
No full textAuthored primarily by James Smith, in his work with the Brazosport Archaeological Society, this collection reflects the summary of archival and archaeological reconnaissance work conducted by the BAS between 1980 and 2020. The documents in the collection summarize the results of a comprehensive study on the history of Antebellum plantations in Brazoria County, TX, as well as other related historical places and developments.In this overview of the history of Rowe Plantation, the author presents information derived from archival research covering geographical location, shifting ownership over time, biographical and genealogical information on owners, measures of agricultural productivity and inventory, the current status of Rowe Plantation, and information about enslaved people and other forms of captive labor. The item contains maps, census data, diary entries, photographs and lists of deed records
The Consequences of Dialogue and the Virgilian Nostalgia of Colin Rowe
No full textAt the time Colin Rowe published the now-famous essay “The Mathematics of the Idea Villa” (1947) he was close to completing his M.A. in the History of Art as Rudolf Wittkower’s only student at the Warburg Institute in London. Rowe’s unpublished master’s thesis, titled “The Theoretical Drawings of Inigo Jones: Their Sources and Scope,” demonstrates how Rowe began to explore the method of comparative dialogical technique through the use of literary texts, images, and diagrams in the construction of the history of architecture as myth. While it has been widely acknowledged that Rowe is an important source on the work of Jones, Rowe’s development and application of the technique of dialogical construction – often relying less on true factual evidence than on imagination – has rarely been examined. This Rowe-ian myth will be viewed as an act of dialogical construction: a theoretical positioning of the role of history within the discipline of architecture
Virulence of malaria is associated with differential expression of Plasmodium falciparum var gene subgroups in a case-control study
No full textPlasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a major pathogenicity factor in falciparum malaria that mediates cytoadherence. PfEMP1 is encoded by approximately 60 var genes per haploid genome. Most var genes are grouped into 3 subgroups: A, B, and C. Evidence is emerging that the specific expression of these subgroups has clinical significance. Using field samples from children from Papua New Guinea with severe, mild, and asymptomatic malaria, we compared proportions of transcripts of var groups, as determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We found a significantly higher proportion of var group B transcripts in children with clinical malaria (mild and severe), whereas a large proportion of var group C transcripts was found in asymptomatic children. These data from naturally infected children clearly show that major differences exist in var gene expression between parasites causing clinical disease and those causing asymptomatic infections. Furthermore, parasites forming rosettes showed a significant up-regulation of var group A transcripts
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