102 research outputs found
The management of post analytical correction factors
No full textClinical laboratories may systematically apply factors to assay results after analysis, but before reporting, in order to facilitate comparison of data from different methods. This may be done to align with other patient results, reference intervals or clinical decision points. These factors, which we term Post Analytical Correction Factors (PACF), may be applied to all types of results derived from the method, i.e. quality control (QC) and external quality assurance (EQA), as well as the patient results. As the principal use of PACF is comparing patient results, it is important that the laboratory use commutable materials (i.e. patient samples) and a formal process to establish, apply and manage PACF. We report on preliminary guidelines for PACF from a recent workshop.Full Tex
Lake Johnston Ellipsoid Grd Elevation geodetic
No full textMaintenance and Update Frequency: notPlannedStatement: This Lake Johnston Ellipsoid Grd Elevation geodetic is elevation data for the South Yilgarn Gravity Survey, WA, 2009 (P200961) acquired under the project No. 200961 for the geological survey of WA. The grid has a cell size of 0.0046 degrees (approximately 472m). This grid contains the ground elevation values relative to the geoid for the South Yilgarn Gravity Survey, WA, 2009 (P200961). It represents the vertical distance from a location on the Earth's surface to the geoid. The data are given in units of meters. The processed data are checked by GA geophysicists using standard methods for assessing quality to ensure that the final data are fit-for-purpose.Digital Elevation data record the terrain height variations from the processed point- or line-located data recorded during a geophysical survey. This Lake Johnston Ellipsoid Grd Elevation geodetic is elevation data for the South Yilgarn Gravity Survey, WA, 2009 (P200961). This survey was acquired under the project No. 200961 for the geological survey of WA. The grid has a cell size of 0.0046 degrees (approximately 472m). This grid contains the ground elevation relative to the geoid for the South Yilgarn Gravity Survey, WA, 2009 (P200961). It represents the vertical distance from a location on the Earth's surface to the geoid. The data are given in units of meters. The processed data is checked for quality by GA geophysicists to ensure that the final data released by GA are fit-for-purpose
NGF prevents changes in rat brain glutathione-related enzymes following transection of the septohippocampal pathway
No full textThe activities of the enzymes glutathione reductase (GRD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were studied in several rat brain areas following the aspirative transection of the septohippocampal pathway (Fimbria fornix) and the administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) or cytochrome c. One group of animals remained untreated. This lesion resulted in a decreased hippocampal GRD and septal GST activities, as well as, in an increase in GPX activity from the frontal cortex, striatum, and septum. NGF prevented the lesion-induced changes in hippocampal GRD and septal GPX. These findings show that the insult resulting from the aspiration of the fimbria fornix bundle involves modifications in glutahione related enzymes, and therefore, in the antioxidant status of brain tissue. These changes in glutathione matabolism could be a consequence of the oxidative damage to GRD and GST proteins or represent a compensatory response of GPX to the oxidative threat. The restoring effects of NFG on altered enzyme activities are possibly linked to its known neuroprotective action.Peer reviewedfinal article publishe
Quinolinic acid lesion induces changes in rat striatal glutathione metabolism
No full textAlthough the involvement of oxidative mechanisms in the cytotoxicity of excitatory amino acids has been well documented, it is not known whether the intrastriatal injection of quinolinic acid (QA) induces changes in glutathione (GSH) metabolism. In this work, the activities of the enzymes GSH reductase (GRD), GSH peroxidase (GPX), and GSH S-transferase (GST), as well as the GSH content, were studied in the striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex of rats 1 and 6 weeks following the intrastriatal injection of QA (225 nmol). One group of animals remained untreated. This lesion resulted in a 20% decrease in striatal GRD activity at both the 1- and 6-week postlesion times, whereas GST exhibited a 30% activity increase in the lesioned striatum observable only 6 weeks after the lesion. GPX activity remained unchanged. In addition, the QA injection elicited a 30% fall in GSH level at the 1-week postlesion time. GSH related enzyme activities and GSH content from other areas outside the lesioned striatum were not affected. GST activation could represent a beneficial compensatory response to neutralize some of the oxidant agents generated by the lesion. However, this effect together with the reduction in GRD activity could be the cause or a contributing factor to the observed QA-induced deficit in GSH availability and, consequently, further disrupt the oxidant homeostasis of the injured striatal tissue. Therefore, these results provide evidence that the in vivo excitotoxic injury to the brain might affect oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium by eliciting changes in glutathione metabolism.Peer reviewedfinal article publishe
Mianmar, 2021: os primeiros meses do mais recente golpe contra uma democracia
No full textMianmar, 2021: os primeiros meses do mais recente golpe contra uma democracia
Moacir Rocha Santana Filho
Universidade Estadual de Alagoas (Alto Cruzeiro, Alagoas, Brasil)
10.5281/zenodo.5211427
Palavras-chave
Mianmar, golpe de Estado, regime militar, democracia, crise democrática
Resumo
Alguns meses após as eleições gerais em novembro de 2020, vencidas pelo partido Liga Nacional pela Democracia, Mianmar viveu um golpe de Estado. No primeiro dia de fevereiro de 2021, os militares do país asiático alegaram fraude eleitoral, decretaram Estado de emergência, e fecharam o Parlamento. Com o golpe em curso, as forças militares prenderam os principais líderes e opositores políticos, feriram e assassinaram centenas de manifestantes e civis nos seguintes dias de protestos. A ONU classificou a atual situação do país como “catastrófica”, e nas últimas décadas estudiosos apontam cenários de declínio democrático em todo o mundo. Diante desse contexto, o presente estudo se propõe a pesquisar e explorar, o período de redemocratização em Mianmar, e, sobretudo, a queda do regime democrático com o golpe de Estado em fevereiro de 2021, descrevendo as principais ações e acontecimentos que se sucederam até os primeiros dias do mês de julho de 2021, assim, objetiva-se construir um panorama geral sobre a crise em Mianmar, com base nos cinco primeiros meses após a tomada de poder pelos militares e seus desdobramentos. Para isto, o presente artigo se utiliza de dados quantitativos, entretanto, possui uma abordagem principal qualitativa. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, buscando tornar o problema mais explícito, utilizando-se de análise documental, considerando informações oriundas de páginas oficiais do Governo de Mianmar, relatórios e informativos de ONGs internacionais e das Nações Unidas, literatura especializada e, sobretudo, de material jornalístico (nacional e internacional); trata-se também, em aspectos gerais, de um estudo de caso, sobre a atual situação de Mianmar, delineamento mais adequado para investigar um fenômeno contemporâneo dentro de seu contexto real. Por se tratar de uma pesquisa em andamento, os resultados obtidos são parciais, é possível indicar um quadro geral, após alguns meses do golpe, em que se verifica escassez de alimentos, falhas na saúde, colapso bancário iminente, além de violações aos Direitos Humanos, onde se constata que, cerca de 900 pessoas foram mortas, 5.200 foram detidas de forma arbitrária, e mais de 230 mil pessoas foram tiradas de suas casas, até o início de julho de 2021. Relatórios recentes indicaram aumento acentuado da pobreza em Mianmar após a pandemia de Covid-19 e a situação política de 2021, o Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD) adverte que, se não houver controle, o efeito combinado dessas duas crises pode levar até 12 milhões de pessoas à pobreza e colocar até 25 milhões de pessoas, quase metade da população de Mianmar, abaixo da linha de pobreza.
Referências
BOBBIO, Noberto. O futuro da democracia: uma defesa das regras do jogo. 6. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra, 1997.
GOVERNO DE MIANMAR. Sobre Mianmar. Myanmar National Portal. Disponível em: https://www.myanmar.gov.mm/web/guest/people-society. Acesso em: 14 jul. 2021.
LEVITSKY, Steven; ZIBLATT, Daniel. Como as democracias morrem. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 2018.
MIMU, Myanmar Information Management Unit. Poverty and Vulnerability. 2021. Disponível em: http://themimu.info/country-overview. Acesso em: 11 jun. 2021.
ONU NEWS. ONU diz que mundo deve enviar “sinal claro” contra golpe militar em Mianmar. 2021b. Disponível em: https://news.un.org/pt/story/2021/03/1742962. Accesso em: 11 jun. 2021.
_____. Conselho de Segurança condena violência a manifestantes em Mianmar. 2021c. Disponível em: https://news.un.org/pt/story/2021/03/1744202. Acesso em: 11 jun. 2021.
OSTROM, Vincent. The meaning of democracy and the vulnerability of democracies: a response to Tocqueville's challenge. USA: University of Michigan Press, 2009.
POTKIN, Fanny. Militares proíbem empresários de telecomunicações de deixarem Mianmar. CNN Brasil. 2021. Disponível em: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/2021/07/05/militares-proibem- empresarios-de-telecomunicacoes-de-deixarem-mianmar. Acesso em: 11 jun. 2021.
PRZEWORSKI, Adam. Crises da democracia. Trad. Berilo Vargas. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 2020.
ZAW WIN, Khin. How populism directed against minorities is used to prop up Myanmar’s ‘Democratic’ revival. 2018. Disponível em: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/author/khin-zaw-win/. Acesso em: 11 jun. 2021.
Como Citar:
SANTANA FILHO, M. R. Mianmar, 2021: os primeiros meses do mais recente golpe contra uma democracia: Myanmar, 2021: The First Months of the Latest Coup Against Democracy. Democracia na Pós-Pandemia, SANTANO, A.C.; DOTTA, A.G.; OLIVEIRA, V. Q. (Orgs.). Curitiba: Transparência Eleitoral Brasil / Editora GRD, ISBN: 978-65-995278-0-7, p. 49-52, 2021. Disponível em: https://journal.nuped.com.br/index.php/teleitoral/article/view/223. Acesso em: 17 ago. 2021
The role of EQA in harmonization in laboratory medicine – a global effort
Get PDFThere are many activities currently being undertaken in the field of laboratory medicine under the broad heading of “harmonization”. These include traceability of results to international reference standards, processes to align results from assays where traceability has not been achieved (analytical harmonization) and international or national clinical guidelines based on studies from many parts of the world. Many of these issues are global in nature, with clinical evidence derived from studies performed in all parts of the world and multinational diagnostic companies providing assays worldwide. As with all aspects of medicine, progress can only be assured where these is evidence of effectiveness of the activities. External Quality Assurance (EQA) programs are designed to meet this need. Currently EQA processes have significant limitations in meeting the global needs of the laboratory medicine community. This paper aims to identify the steps that can be taken to allow current and future EQA programs to provide information on global variation in results. It is only by being aware of result differences that steps can be taken to improve performanc
Safe reading of chemical pathology reports: the RCPAQAP Report Assessment Survey
No full textPathology reports are a vital component of the request-test-report cycle communicating pathology results to doctors to support clinical decision making. This should be done in a comprehensive, safe and time-efficient manner. As doctors may receive reports from different laboratories these goals can be achieved more readily if reports are formatted in the same way. This study evaluates the formatting of paper reports produced by Australian laboratories for numerical biochemistry results. As part of the RCPAQAP Liquid Serum Chemistry program in 2015, laboratories were invited to supply a routine paper report displaying the results. A total of 37 reports were received for analysis. These reports were assessed for variation in a range of components and, where possible, against relevant Australian standards and guidelines. In summary, there was a wide variation in most of the report components assessed including test names, result alignment, result flagging, sequence of data elements on the page, date formatting and patient name formatting. In most components there was also variation from the Standards. In order to ensure safe result transmission by printed reports there is a need to promote the adoption of current reporting standards and monitor compliance with similar external quality assurance programs.No Full Tex
Daily Field Observations of Retrogressive Thaw Slump Dynamics in the Canadian High Arctic
Get PDFWith observed increases in retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) number, rates, and size in recent decades, there is a need to understand these highly dynamic landforms as they impact surrounding ecosystems and infrastructure. There is a general lack of detailed (e.g., daily) field observations of change in RTSs; we help fill this gap by monitoring three RTSs for much of the 2017 thaw period by setting up and tracking survey transects on a near daily basis. We correlated mean daily and cumulative retreat to mean daily air temperature (MDAT), total daily precipitation (TDP), and cumulative thawing degree days (TDD) using various polynomial regressions and Pearson correlation techniques. Our results show that July retreat was highly variable, and periods of increased RTS retreat did not always align with periods of increased air temperature. Also, multiple periods of increased retreat largely driven by sediment distribution in the RTS floor could occur within a single period of increased air temperature. Retreat rates decreased suddenly in early August, indicating a threshold of either air temperature, solar radiation or a combination of both must be reached for increased retreat rates. A statistically significant correlation was found between daily mean and mean cumulative retreat with MDAT (p > 0.001) and TDD (p > 0.001 and > 0.0001) but not with total daily precipitation. Correlating mean cumulative retreat and TDD using polynomial regression generated R2 values greater than 0.99 for all three sites. Both cumulative retreat and TDD account for past and current conditions, as well as lag responses, within the monitoring period. The high R2 values for the correlation of mean cumulative retreat and TDD suggest the potential for accurately modelling RTS retreat with minimal field data (air temperature and headwall position), however modelling is currently restricted to individual RTSs and only within short time scales. Monitoring RTSs on a daily scale allows RTS behaviour and trends to be identified that may be obscured at annual time scales and highlights the importance of all system inputs when considering RTS retreat dynamics. Compte tenu du nombre, des taux et de la taille à la hausse des glissements rétrogressifs dus au (GRD) dégel au cours des dernières décennies, il y a lieu de comprendre ces reliefs fortement dynamiques, car ils ont des impacts sur les infrastructures et les écosystèmes environnants. Il y a un manque général d’observations détaillées (c’est-à-dire quotidiennes) sur le terrain en ce qui a trait aux GRD. Nous aidons à combler cet écart grâce à la surveillance de trois GRD pendant une grande partie de la période de dégel de 2017 en dressant des transects et en en faisant des suivis presque au quotidien. Nous avons corrélé le recul quotidien et cumulatif moyen à la température moyenne quotidienne de l’air (TMQA), aux précipitations totales quotidiennes (PTQ) et aux degrés-jours de dégel cumulés (DJD) à l’aide de diverses régressions polynomiales et des techniques de corrélation de Pearson. Nos résultats indiquent que le recul du mois de juillet variait considérablement, et que les périodes de recul accru des GRD ne coïncidaient pas toujours avec les périodes de température à la hausse de l’air. Par ailleurs, de multiples périodes de recul accru largement attribuables à la distribution des sédiments dans le fond des GRD pouvaient se produire au cours d’une seule période de température de l’air à la hausse. Au début d’août, les taux de recul ont diminué soudainement, ce qui indiquait qu’un seuil de température de l’air ou un seuil de rayonnement solaire, ou encore, qu’un ensemble des deux doit être atteint pour donner lieu à des taux de recul plus élevés. Une corrélation statistiquement significative a été trouvée entre le recul moyen quotidien et le recul moyen quotidien cumulé avec la TMQA (p > 0,001) et les DJD (p > 0,001 et > 0,0001), et non pas avec les précipitations totales quotidiennes. La corrélation du recul moyen cumulé et des DJD à l’aide de la régression polynomiale a généré des valeurs R2 supérieures à 0,99 aux trois sites. Tant les reculs cumulés que les DJD tiennent compte des conditions antérieures et actuelles, ainsi que des décalages, à l’intérieur de la période de surveillance. Les valeurs R2 élevées propres à la corrélation du recul moyen cumulé et des DJD suggèrent des possibilités de modélisation exacte du recul des GRD moyennant des données minimales prélevées sur le terrain (température de l’air et position du mur de rimaye). Cependant, en ce moment, la modélisation est restreinte aux GRD individuels, et seulement à l’intérieur d’échelles de temps réduites. La surveillance des GRD sur une échelle journalière permet de cerner les comportements et les tendances des GRD, ceux-ci pouvant être éclipsés dans le cadre d’échelles annuelles. La surveillance met également en évidence l’importance de tous les intrants du système dans la considération de la dynamique du recul des GRD.
Did the Colonial Powers Pick Economic Winners?
Get PDFThis paper proposes a new instrument for institutional quality—-the salary of colonial governors—-to investigate whether variations in the quality of British colonial rule continue to have an impact on the economic performance of former colonies. Governors’ salaries provide a good source of exogenous variation because the ranking of salaries across the British Empire remained relatively fixed from the late nineteenth century onwards. Perhaps most important, this instrument varies widely across colonies with historically low rates of European settlement—that is, most countries in today’s developing world. Using a two-stage least squares estimation procedure, I find that colonies with higher paid governors developed better institutions (and higher per capita income) than colonies with lower paid governors.
Recommended from our members
Hydrogelation of self-assembling RGD-based peptides
No full textThe self-assembly of tripeptides based on the RGD cell adhesion motif is investigated. Two tripeptides
containing the Fmoc [N-(fluorenyl)-9-methoxycarbonyl] aromatic unit were synthesized, Fmoc-RGD
and a control peptide containing a scrambled sequence, Fmoc-GRD. The Fmoc is used to control selfassembly
via aromatic stacking interactions. The self-assembly and hydrogelation properties of the two
Fmoc-tripeptides are compared. Both form well defined amyloid fibrils (as shown by cryo-TEM and
SAXS) with b-sheet features in their circular dichroism and FTIR spectra. Both peptides form selfsupporting
hydrogels, the dynamic shear modulus of which was measured. Preliminary cell culture
experiments reveal that Fmoc-RGD can be used as a support for bovine fibroblasts, but not Fmoc-
GRD, consistent with the incorporation of the cell adhesion motif in the former peptide
- …
