Chemistry and structure by design: ordered CuNi(CN)4 sheets with copper(II) in a square-planar environment

Layered copper–nickel cyanide, CuNi(CN)4, a 2-D negative thermal expansion material, is one of a series of copper(II)-containing cyanides derived from Ni(CN)2. In CuNi(CN)4, unlike in Ni(CN)2, the cyanide groups are ordered generating square-planar Ni(CN)4 and Cu(NC)4 units. The adoption of square-planar geometry by Cu(II) in an extended solid is very unusual

Out of the institution?: exploring the culture of community psychiatric nurses.

The literature shows that there is a lack of knowledge about the practice of the relatively new profession of community psychiatric nurse who initially train in hospitals and then move to the community. The research undertaken for this thesis is designed to address this lack of knowledge by exploring the views of community psychiatric nurses practicing in South Durham. Using a Weberian perspective, it was proposed that the collective cultural beliefs of the CPNs would reflect perceived differences between hospital and community psychiatric nursing. The culture was explored through 30 semi-structured interviews with the CPNs working for South Durham Mental Health Trust in 1996/7.A series of cultural beliefs (categorised as "themes") were found which described views about the differences between psychiatric nursing in hospital and the community, in the disorders found in each patient group, relationships with consultants psychiatrists and general practitioners, relationships with other health and social care professionals and what constituted a "good" community psychiatric nurse. There was also a theme which related to all the others, which concerned threats to their professional identity, as seen by the CPNs, in terms of their status as a distinct group of health care workers. The findings show that the CPNs provide care for a wider range of disorders than found in hospital patients. There is no mandatory training which leads to a variety of strategies by which they learn to treat unfamiliar disorders. Relationships with medical staff, and other professionals, have to be re-negotiated when moving from hospital to community. It also appeared that the CPNs perceived a threat to their professional identity as a consequence of the changes in mental health care which were occurring at the time of field work, involving both the NHS and social care agencies

Quantifying the infectiousness of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis towards sandflies

Background In the Indian subcontinent, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) incidence is on track to reach elimination goals by 2020 in nearly all endemic districts. Although not included in official targets, previous data suggest post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients can act as an infection reservoir. Methods We conducted xenodiagnosis on 47 PKDL patients and 15 VL patients using laboratory-reared Phlebotomus argentipes. In direct xenodiagnosis, flies were allowed to feed on the patient’s skin for 15 minutes. For indirect xenodiagnosis, flies were fed through a membrane on the patient’s blood. Five days later, blood-fed flies were dissected and examined by microscopy and/or PCR. A 3-mm skin snip biopsy (PKDL) or venous blood VL) was processed by quantitative PCR. Results Twenty-seven PKDL patients (57.4%) had positive results by direct and/or indirect xenodiagnosis. Direct was significantly more sensitive than indirect xenodiagnosis (55.3% vs 6.4%, p 1 log10 unit higher than those with negative results (2.88 vs 1.66, p<0.0001). In a multivariable model, parasite load, nodular lesions and positive skin microscopy were significantly associated with positive xenodiagnosis. Blood parasite load was the strongest predictor for VL. Compared to VL, nodular PKDL was more likely and macular PKDL less likely to result in positive xenodiagnosis, but neither difference reached statistical significance. Conclusions Nodular and macular PKDL, and VL, can be infectious to sand flies. Active PKDL case detection and prompt treatment should be instituted and maintained as an integral part of VL control and elimination programs

Wupperthal: listening to the past

Bibliography: pages 205-207.The community of the Wupperthal Mission Station and its satellite stations, forms the focus of this text. The mission is situated in the Tra-Tra River Valley in the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape. In this text, I have sketched a series of vignettes to portray the lives of certain individuals, characters in the community's past and certain events throughout the history of the mission. The work is largely an oral history project, combined with a certain degree of philosophy of history as well as incorporating secondary sources where applicable. Though post-modem in certain aspects, this work incorporates sound modernist thought and academic practice. It is intended to be accessible to a wide readership, and prove to be entertaining as well as insightful. The scholarly endeavour driving this text is as sincere, as the history is real. It is a journey I encourage the reader to take with an open mind, taking time to savour the richness of the peoples' experiences. It is their quest for legitimacy, a combined search for truth, and my personal adventure