Brian Paddick: “We need a serious Mayor to tackle the serious problems we face”

Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor Brian Paddick outlines his key pledges to restore faith in the Metropolitan Police, target cheaper fares on public transport and reduce the city’s levels of pollution. This is the first in a three part series from the mayoral candidates, including Ken Livingstone and Jenny Jones, with an introduction by Tony Travers

Dementia Prevalence Estimates in Sub-Saharan Africa: Comparison of two Diagnostic Criteria.

We have previously reported the prevalence of dementia in older adults living in the rural Hai district of Tanzania according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria. The aim of this study was to compare prevalence rates using the DSM-IV criteria with those obtained using the 10/66 diagnostic criteria, which is specifically designed for use in low- and middle-income countries. In phase I, 1,198 people aged 70 and older were screened for dementia. A stratified sample of 296 was then clinically assessed for dementia according to the DSM-IV criteria. In addition, data were collected according to the protocol of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group, which allowed a separate diagnosis of dementia according to these criteria to be established. The age-standardised prevalence of clinical DSM-IV dementia was 6.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9-7.9%) and of '10/66 dementia' was 21.6% (95% CI 17.5-25.7%). Education was a significant predictor of '10/66 dementia', but not of DSM-IV dementia. There are large discrepancies in dementia prevalence rates depending on which diagnostic system is used. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, it is not clear whether the association between education and dementia using the 10/66 criteria is a genuine effect or the result of an educational bias within the diagnostic instrument. Despite its possible flaws, the DSM-IV criteria represent an international standard for dementia diagnosis. The 10/66 diagnostic criteria may be more appropriate when identification of early and mild cognitive impairment is required

Social Representation and Practices Related to Dementia in Hai District of Tanzania.

With the increasing number of people surviving into old age in Africa, dementia is becoming an important public health problem. Understanding the social dynamics of dementia in resource-poor settings is critical for developing effective interventions. We explored the socio-cultural beliefs surrounding dementia and the life experience of people with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers in the Hai District of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Cross-sectional qualitative design. Forty one PWD were purposively sampled from the Hai District of Kilimanjaro. Twenty five paired interviews with PWD and with caregivers, and 16 with caregivers alone, were conducted. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis approach. Forty one PWD (26 females), aged 70 years and older, were recruited but due to speech difficulties only 25 participated in the interviews. Married were 13, widow in 22 and widower 6. The majority, 33/41 were illiterate. PWD and carers perceived memory problems as a normal part of ageing. Dementia was commonly referred as "ugonjwa wa uzeeni" (disease of old people) or memory loss disease. The majority of PWD 13/12 and carers 7/16 did not know what dementia is or what causes it. Dementia was felt to be associated with stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, old age, curse/witchcraft and life stress. Half of the participants had used modern care and alternative care such as herbs, prayers or traditional healers. Caregivers complained about the burden of caring for PWD and suggested that community organizations should be involved in addressing the problem. Knowledge about dementia is low and the symptoms are accepted as a problem of old age. PWD and carers demonstrate pluralistic behaviour in seeking help from modern care, prayers and traditional healers. The disease adds significant burden to family members. Family and caregivers need more education on early recognition of symptoms and cost effective management of dementia at family level. Faith-based organizations could play an important role in dementia interventions. At a national level effective policy and improvement of the health care system to address the needs of PWD and their families are imperative

Concept development of installation technology for rainforest audio monitoring devices

Rainforest deforestation is the second largest anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere, after the burning of fossil fuels. Up to 90 per cent of tropical rainforest deforestation is conducted illegally. Rainforest Connection endeavour to reduce this number through the installation of up-recycled Audio Monitoring Devices installed high in the trees of the forest. The presented work aims to assist Rainforest Connection in their mission through the application of concept development methods for the enhancement of installation operations performed in the field. Due to the nature of the company a premium is placed on immediately implementable techniques. In response, both incremental improvements to current operations, through the adoption of industry techniques and commercially available equipment, and novel generated solutions are provided. The paper recommends the employment of extendable carbon fibre poles for the installation of the Audio Monitoring Devices as a novel solution and identifies a path forward for further development of the installation technique. The adaption of commercial telescopic carbon fibre poles from the window washing industry repre-sents an additional tool for field operations that has the potential to save hours per temporarily installed device; while providing an immediate pathway for field trials in Ecuador at a low investment cost. A segment carbon fibre pole is recommended for future development of high elevation, permanent installations performed from the ground

Vegetative development of inbred and hybrid maize

The study herein reported consists of observations on the vegetative development of maize with special emphasis on leaf production. The objective has been to obtain a better picture of the dynamics of hybrid vigor as expressed through growth processes such as rate, correlation, sequence and final size. Most of the results were obtained from two Iowa inbred strains and their reciprocal hybrids, and for that reason may not be entirely characteristic of a general population. Specific researches on growth and heterosis of maize are so numerous as to prohibit any but general comment. Orthodox explanations of hybrid vigor or heterosis have drawn heavily on the theories of inheritance. Shull (23) was long the proponent of a hypothesis which suggested that the diversity of the parental elements brought together in some way stimulated growth and development in the offspring. Later, Jones (10, 11) developed a concept in which the increased vigor of a hybrid was attributed to the greater number of active, favorable hereditary characters it possessed, the combined contributions of both parents being greater than that possessed by either parent alone. Rasmusson (18) offered the interaction hypothesis in which the combined action of the hereditary factors, as well as the sum of their, individual actions, plays a part in any expression of heterosis. Finally, there should be considered the experiments of Sveschnikova on hybrids of Vicia (24). As opposed to the ordinary concept of hybrid vigor, this author presents instances in which decreased vigor was obtained in crosses between very similar forms of the same species

Effects of the Amount of Concentrate Offered in an Automated Milking System on dry matter intake, Milk Yield, Milk Composition, Ruminal fermentation, and Behaviour of Primiparous Holstein Cows Fed Iso-Caloric Diets

The objective of this study was to determine if the quantity of concentrate provided in an automated milking system (AMS) affects dry matter intake (DMI), attendance to the AMS, milk and milk component yield, feeding behaviour, cow activity and ruminal fermentation of lactating dairy cows fed iso-caloric diets. Eight ruminally-cannulated primiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 28-d periods. Cows were housed in a free-stall facility with a guided-traffic (feed-first) flow barn-design. Cows were offered 0.5, 2.0, 3.5, or 5.0 kg/d DM of pellet in the AMS, with an equivalent reduction of the same pellet in the partial mixed ration (PMR). Day 21 to 24 of each treatment period were used for DMI, milking performance, behaviour, and ruminal pH determination, while d 25 to 28 were used for ruminal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and ammonia concentrations, as well as total tract digestibility. As imposed, consumption of AMS pellet linearly increased (P < 0.01), equating to 0.50, 2.00, 3.49, and 4.93 kg/d. Correspondingly, the standard deviation in AMS pellet intake among days linearly increased from 0.06 to 0.85 kg/d as the quantity of concentrate in the AMS increased from 0.5 to 5.0 kg (P < 0.01). The PMR DMI decreased linearly with increasing AMS concentrate allocation (P < 0.01), but total DMI (PMR + AMS concentrate) was not affected (25.3 kg/d, P = 0.40). As AMS concentrate allocation increased, the selection against particles retained on an 18-mm sieve linearly increased (P = 0.02) and selection against particles retained on the bottom pan decreased (P < 0.01). Milking frequency (3.22 milkings/d, P = 0.82), milk yield (37.5 kg/d, P = 0.59), milk fat yield (1.43 kg/d, P = 0.46), and milk protein yield (1.22 kg/d, P = 0.42) were not affected; however, milk urea nitrogen concentration decreased linearly with increasing AMS concentrate (P = 0.02). Ruminal pH averaged 6.18 and was not affected by AMS concentrate (P = 0.62). Total ruminal SCFA concentration was greatest when 3.5 kg of concentrate was allocated in the AMS and ruminal ammonia decreased linearly with increasing AMS concentrate (P = 0.01). Time spent lying, the number of lying bouts, and average bout duration were not affected by treatment (P ≥ 0.11). These data indicate that increasing the quantity of concentrate in the AMS increases daily variability in AMS concentrate intake while decreasing PMR intake, and increasing AMS pellet provision, under isocaloric dietary settings, is not likely to affect voluntary visits to the AMS, milk and milk component yield, or ruminal fermentation