Bureaucratic reform- a bureaucrat's perspective

Continuing bureaucratic reform of a positive and fundamental kind will occur in tandem with the progressive elevation of the political consciousness of the community at large

Influence of different functional elements of plasmid pGT232 on maintenance of recombinant plasmids in Lactobacillus reuteri populations in vitro and in vivo

Plasmid pGT232 (5.1 kb), an indigenous plasmid of Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23, was determined, on the basis of nucleotide and deduced protein sequence data, to belong to the pC194-pUB110 family of plasmids that replicate via the rolling-circle mechanism. The minimal replicon of pGT232 was located on a 1.7-kb sequence consisting of a double-strand origin of replication and a gene encoding the replication initiation protein, repA. An erythromycin-selectable recombinant plasmid containing this minimal replicon was stably maintained (>97% erythromycin-resistant cells) without antibiotic selection in an L. reuteri population under laboratory growth conditions but was poorly maintained (90% resistant cells) of pGT232-derived plasmids in the lactobacillus population in vivo required an additional 1.0-kb sequence which contained a putative single-strand replication origin (SSO). The SSO of pGT232 is believed to be novel and functions in an orientation-specific manner

Interrogating violence against women and state violence policy: Gendered intersectionalities and the quality of policy in The Netherlands, Sweden and the Uk

This article builds on feminist scholarship on intersectionality to address violence against women, and state policy thereon. It takes up the challenge of analysing the complex, situated and spatial relationship between theorizing on violence against women and state policy on such violence. Drawing on extensive comparative European data, it explores the relations of gender and intersectionality, conceptualized as gendered intersectionalities, by examining how multiple inequalities are made visible and invisible in state policy and debates in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Attention is paid to different forms of gendered intersectionalities in policy, for example, tendencies to degender violence against women. A key aim of the article is to investigate how comparative analysis can be a starting point for assessing if, how and to what extent the inclusion of multiple inequalities could increase the quality of policy, for both reducing and stopping violence, and assisting those subject to violence

ILAE Genetic Literacy Series: Postmorterm Genetic Testing in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

A 24-year-old man with non-lesional bitemporal lobe epilepsy since age 16 years was found dead in bed around midday. He was last seen the previous night when he was witnessed to have a tonic–clonic seizure. Before his death, he was experiencing weekly focal impaired awareness seizures and up to two focal-to-bilateral tonic–clonic seizures each year. He had trialed several antiseizure medications and was on levetiracetam 1500 mg/day, lamotrigine 400 mg/day, and clobazam 10 mg/day at the time of death. Other than epilepsy, his medical history was unremarkable. Of note, he had an older brother with a history of febrile seizures and a paternal first cousin with epilepsy. No cause of death was identified following a comprehensive postmortem investigation. The coroner classified the death as “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy” (SUDEP), and it would qualify as “definite SUDEP” using the current definitions.1 This left the family with many questions unanswered; in particular, they wish to know what caused the death and whether it could happen to other family members. Could postmortem genetic testing identify a cause of death, provide closure to the family, and facilitate cascade genetic testing of first-degree family members who may be at risk of sudden death? While grieving family members struggle with uncertainty about the cause of death, we as clinicians also face similar uncertainties about genetic contributions to SUDEP, especially when the literature is sparse, and the utility of genetic testing is still being worked out. We aim to shed some light on this topic, highlighting areas where data is emerging but also areas where uncertainty remains, keeping our case in mind as we examine this clinically important area

ILAE Genetic Literacy Series: Self-limited familial epilepsy syndromes with onset in neonatal age and infancy

The self-limited (familial) epilepsies with onset in neonates or infants, formerly called benign familial neonatal and/or infantile epilepsies, are autosomal dominant disorders characterized by neonatal- or infantile-onset focal motor seizures and the absence of neurodevelopmental complications. Seizures tend to remit during infancy or early childhood and are therefore called “self-limited”. A positive family history for epilepsy usually suggests the genetic etiology, but incomplete penetrance and de novo inheritance occur. Here, we review the phenotypic spectrum and the genetic architecture of self-limited (familial) epilepsies with onset in neonates or infants. Using an illustrative case study, we describe important clues in recognition of these syndromes, diagnostic steps including genetic testing, management, and genetic counseling

Expanding the Critical Lens of Postcolonial Theory

Jackson (2012) states that if China were to establish a relationship with Africa, this would be comparable to a North-South relation but should be described as a South-South relation, as China could not be considered a First World country. In this hypothesized relationship, the equivalent of the North, in this case China, is considered dominant. In his paper on Postcolonialism and Organizational Knowledge in the Wake of China’s Presence in Africa, Jackson (2012) attempts to create a new critical theory that explains China’s effect on knowledge transfer in Africa by examining China’s relationship with Africa. He tested the relationship by attempting to create a new critical theory from postcolonial and dependency theory. The goal of this thesis is to elaborate on Jackson’s research by attempting to expand the critical lens of postcolonialism through the examination of a possible emerging South-South relation between China and South America. Postcolonialism argues that the First World suppresses the Third World by influencing the region. By hypothesizing that China is approaching South America in a similar way to how the First World approaches the Third World, an attempt will be made to expand postcolonial criticism to countries outside of the First World. Jackson (2012) focused specifically on the dimension of knowledge transfer in postcolonialism rather than giving a critical analysis of the First World as a whole. This dimension was extracted from Biswas (2016) alongside the dimensions of development and monetary policies. These dimensions helped establish hypotheses in which China is criticized in postcolonialism as the dominant actor and is positioned similarly to the First World in the known North-South relation. The following, briefly stated, hypotheses were established: China is suppressing indigenous voices and people; China gives aid to South America from the perspective of modernisation theory; and China is causing debt accumulation in South America. South America, which is the most prosperous Third World region and is therefore reasoned to be the least likely region to be dominated by China, was studied as a least-likely case in collaboration with the congruence method. Results show, however, that China could not be perceived as a comparison to postcolonialism’s criticism of the First World. In order to expand postcolonialism it is crucial, according to the created hypotheses, that there is evidence of development approaches. However, evidence has been found that China is attempting to enrich itself. This thesis argues that the lack of evidence about China’s approaches being comparable with the First World approaches regarding the Third World, made this research argue that: postcolonialism’s criticism of the First World cannot be expanded with the help of a possible South-South relation between China and South America with China as a dominant acto

Exploring new opportunities - the application of ULTRASONIC Technology in fashion

The development of new technologies applied to fashion offer opportunities to adapt the multiple and ever changing lifestyles redefining how we think about the design, manufacture and consumption of fashion. In fashion world , not only designers but also scientists are experimenting and exploring new ways to replace the traditional method of garment construction with the use of sewing machine, needle and threads. This paper will produce strong evidence to support the use of Ultrasonic technology as an alternative for seaming