An improved method for semen alpha-L-fucosidase typing--distribution in the Wuhan population of China

An improved method for the separation of the genetic variants of alpha-L-fucosidase in human semen is described. The method involves, isoelectric focusing in ultrathin-layer PAG containing a mixture of ampholines, pH 5-7 and pH 3.5-9.5, and separator HEPES. The Fu pattern obtained is simple, easy to interpret, and reproducible. The occurrence of fucosidase phenotypes in 189 semen samples from the population of Wuhan was investigated, and the frequencies of the Fu alleles were calculated.     

1H-NMR studies of postmortem biochemical changes in rat skeletal muscle

1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been applied to the study of postmortem biochemical changes in perchloric acid extracts of rat skeletal muscle. Several metabolites have been detected and the dependence upon the postmortem time has been considered. The simultaneous quantitative determination of metabolites showing up at very low and very high fields has been suggested to yield a satisfactory delineation of the thanatochronology.     

Age estimation from the structure of adult human teeth: review of the literature.

The literature on age estimation from the structure of adult human teeth is reviewed. Several anatomic changes of teeth have been shown to be valuable in age determination, but there is still controversy concerning the accuracy of cemental annulation. It is believed that improvements in age estimation can be made using direct measurement rather than scoring systems.     

From good intentions to successful implementation: the case of patient safety in Canada

Abstract: Improvements to patient safety have become a major issue on Canada's already crowded health care policy agenda. This paper applies implementation theory to the practical issues involved with the adoption of patient safety reforms. It is based on a review of the literature and official reports on patient safety and on the author's experience as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety created in June 2004. The obstacles and possible solutions to advance the patient safety agenda are discussed. While implementation theory was found to provide a general guide, the author's experience leads him to conclude the literature on governance and organizational change offers more practical advice. Sommaire: L'amélioration de la sécurité des patients est devenue une question majeure du programme déjà chargé des politiques en matière de soins de santé. Le présent article applique une théorie de mise en œuvre aux questions pratiques découlant de l'adoption des réformes sur la sécurité du patient. II est fondé sur une étude de publications et rapports officiels sur la sécurité du patient, ainsi que sur l'expérience de l'auteur en tant que président du conseil d'administration de l'Institut pour la sécurité des patients du Manitoba, créé en juin 2004. II passe en revue les obstacles et les solutions possibles à la promotion du programme de la sécurité des patients. Si l'auteur trouve que la théorie de la mise en œuvre fournit un guide général, son expérience le pousse à conclure que la documentation sur la gouvernance et les changements organisationnels offre davantage de conseils pratiques.     

The accountants are coming! How accountants can help policymakers in social program evaluation

Recently, numerous writers, accountants and non-accountants alike, have considered the relative merit of extending the scope of accountants' activities to include a role in social program evaluation. This paper attempts, firstly, to offer a framework which identifies various aspects of the evaluation process and, secondly, to highlight the contribution accountants can make within that framework. The paper consists of three sections. The first section considers activities which are typically performed by accountants in the profit-seeking sector of economy. The second section describes various facets of evaluation and the stages of program development, and attempts to integrate the two via a differential evaluation process. In the concluding section, it suggests that accountants do have a significant contribution to make to social program evaluation, and that this contribution is consonant with their role in profit-seeking enterprises. However, the paper also seeks to caution about the areas where accountants cannot and should not be expected to make contributions without specific training beyond their accounting expertise.