Registration Authorities Research Articles

Good teachers on dangerous ground: towards a new view of teacher quality and professionalism

Ideas about what makes a good teacher are important in thinking about educational reform, and have come into focus recently. These ideas are contested and open to change. The first part of this paper traces models of the good teacher in Australia from the colonial-era good servant, through an ideal of the autonomous scholar-teacher, to contemporary lists of teacher competencies. The second part looks more closely at the incoherent but insistent way the good teacher is now defined under neoliberal governance by teacher registration authorities. The third part of the paper makes proposals for a new understanding of good teachers: based on understanding the labour process and occupational dynamics of teaching, the intellectual structure of Education studies, and the overall logic of education itself.

Optometrists Association Australia Universal (entry‐level) and Therapeutic Competency Standards for Optometry 2008

Background: Competency standards for entry‐level to the profession of optometry in Australia were first developed in 1993, revised in 1997 and expanded in 2000 to include therapeutic competency standards. The entry‐level standards cover the competencies required by a person entering the profession without therapeutic endorsement of their registration. The therapeutic competency standards address the additional competencies required for therapeutic endorsement of registration. This paper presents a revised version of the universal (entry‐level) and therapeutic competency standards for the profession of optometry in Australia in 2008.Methods: Expert members of the profession and representatives from schools of optometry, registration boards in Australia, state divisions of Optometrists Association Australia and the New Zealand Association of Optometrists were consulted in the process of updating the standards.Results: Three new elements of competency have been added to the standards. Twenty‐three new performance criteria with associated indicators have been added. Some performance criteria from the earlier document have been combined. Substantial alterations were made to the presentation of indicators throughout the document. The updated entry‐level (universal) and therapeutic competency standards were adopted on behalf of the profession by the National Council of Optometrists Association Australia in November 2008.Discussion: Competency standards are used by Australian and New Zealand registration authorities for the purposes of registration and therapeutic endorsement of registration via the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand accreditation and assessment processes. They have also been used as the basis of the World Council of Optometry Global Competency‐Based Model.

A secure and resistant architecture against attacks for mobile ad hoc networks

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a new architecture based on an efficient trust model and secure distributed clustering algorithm (SDCA) in order to distribute a certification authority (CA) for ensuring the distribution of certificates in each cluster. We use the combination of a fully self‐organized security for trust models like pretty good privacy (PGP) adapted to ad hoc technology and the clustering algorithm which is based on the use of trust and mobility metrics, in order to select the clusterhead and to establish a public key infrastructure (PKI) in each cluster for authentication and exchange of data. Furthermore, we present a new approach: the dynamic demilitarized zone (DDMZ) to protect the CA in each cluster. The principal idea of DDMZ consists in selecting the dispensable nodes, also called registration authorities (RAs); these nodes must be confident and located at one‐hope from the CA. Their roles are to receive, filter and treat the requests from any unknown node to the CA. With this approach, we can avoid the single point of failure in each cluster. Moreover, we propose a probabilistic model to define the direct connectivity between confident nodes in order to study the resistance degree of the DDMZ against different attacks. In addition, we evaluate the performance of the proposed SDCA and we estimate the robustness and the availability of DDMZ through the simulations. The effects of direct connectivity and transmission range on the stability and security of the network are analyzed. The simulation's results confirm that the proposed architecture is scalable, secure, and more resistant against attacks. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Echo Doppler parameters predict response to cardiac resynchronization therapy

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to reduce heart failure related morbidity and mortality. However, approximately 30% of patients do not respond to CRT. We investigated the usefulness of Echo Doppler parameters to predict reverse remodelling, functional improvement and mortality following CRT. Our population consists of 200 consecutive heart failure patients evaluated for ventricular dyssynchrony by echocardiography between February 1999 and May 2007 who subsequently received CRT. Patients were reassessed for signs of reverse remodelling after a mean follow-up of 10 months. Information on vital status was obtained from local registration authorities. Three parameters significantly predicted reverse remodelling in the logistic regression analysis: the Q-to-E-wave-delay (QED) at a cutoff of 550 ms (odds ratio 4.5, P-value 0.001), the interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD) at a cutoff of 60 ms (odds ratio 2.4, P-value 0.02), and the aortic electromechanical delay (A-EMD) at a cutoff of 140 ms (odds ratio 2.9, P-value 0.004). Furthermore, the QED and the IVMD also predicted all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.36, P-value 0.02 and 0.21, P-value 0.004, respectively). Adjustment for confounders did not alter the results. The QED and IVMD predict reverse remodelling and survival following CRT. These parameters are easy to obtain, provide valuable prognostic information, and should thus be measured in CRT candidates evaluated by echocardiography.

Embryo recovery following artificial insemination of mares enrolled in a small AI breeding program

In Portugal, there is much interest in the so-called assisted reproductive technologies as applied to horse breeding, namely at the semen cryopreservation and Artificial Insemination levels. The interest for embryo transfer in mares has also emerged despite several problems associated with this technique, such as the resistance of most breed registration authorities in accepting progeny begot by this method. The intention of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of embryo recovery techniques at a small facility and to consider the feasibility of its implementation for embryo transfer. Seven mares were alternatively inseminated in 13 successive oestrous cycles with fresh semen from 3 stallions of varying fertility. Ovulation was left to occur spontaneously, and embryo recovery was carried out by non-surgical uterine flushing using both a closed flushing system (RS1) and an open flushing system (RS2). A total of 13 embryo collection attempts were performed on 7 possible positive pregnancy diagnoses with a rate success of 57.14% (4/7). Our preliminary results showed that the open flushing recovery system gives the best results and the high success recovery rate suggests that the technique of embryo transfer can be fully implemented even in facilities with limited resources.

Role of GIS in public health management in Pakistan

Important objects in health databases are patients, doctors, infrastructural facilities, and health services. Nevertheless, all these objects have spatial dimensions and mutual interaction in their inheritance. The understanding of these dimensions and interactions are the key for health planning and management. For instance, these interactions may provide an excellent means of analyzing epidemiological attributes, revealing spatial trends, dependencies, and inter-relationships that would be more difficult to discover through conventional means. Moreover, it allows policy makers to easily visualize the problems in relation to the resources and prevailing needs. Spatial dimensions of health data give detailed and compelling answers to the difficult questions health service providers ask every day: Where is the disease coming from? How will it spread? Where is the nearest hospital? What is the fastest route for the ambulance? Where should we allocate our funding? In existing databases and systems of health management at public and private sectors in Pakistan, no authenticated and specific spatial reference is available. However, in a few cases, ambiguous and misleading references are there. Some isolated efforts are on the way to maintain such information as some private hospitals and companies maintain data which is commercially-available for pharmaceutical companies for marketing. The situation is getting worse due to rapidly increasing populations and thus creating further gaps in health services demand. The spatial contexts in accurate format are vital for integrating health attributes in the form of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) especially at the micro-scale. There are many potential users, but the major users will include National and Provincial health departments, Planning Commissions, researchers, etc. Undoubtedly, a health objects database could be a huge and difficult task to manage. Nonetheless, in Pakistan, precedence from National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is a good example of how to handle the quantity. Patients are the most dynamic health objects to deal with. It can be integrated using a NADRA identity card or similar, which contains a data strip that is readable digitally. This card may have personal information as well as the spatial origin.

Symposium report—Development of safe protein therapeutics: Pre-clinical, clinical and regulatory issues

The key elements of the symposium comprise the fact that for biosimilars- as opposed to generic small molecules - apart from comparable bioavailability also efficacy and safety data are required by registration authorities. Moreover, the importance of transgenic animals in efficacy and safety testing was treated as well as the different forms of immunotoxicity of biopharmaceuticals. Transgenic animals can also be used for the detection of aggregates of a biopharmaceutical. Finally, referral was made to the post-cytokine storm-incident (TGN1412)-developed first-in-human guideline, in which is prescribed that future clinical trials with biopharmaceuticals should start with a low dose, the MABEL.

Gap in publication of comparative information on new medicines

Randomized active control trials are used by health care professionals and reimbursement authorities for the assessment of the added value of a new medicine. Failing to publish the results of clinical trials limits making an evidence based assessment and conducting systematic reviews. About one-third of the comparative trials used in the authorization process are published at the moment of market authorization and about four out of five within 2 or 3 years. Most of the rest remain unpublished. Unpublished trials contain information regarding a different therapeutic use or a different comparator of the same medicine and, in some cases, have influenced the risk : benefit assessment of the registration authorities. A standardized public registration of results of the main premarketing trials is advocated to fill the publication gap. To determine the time-lag between the EU authorization of new medicines and the publications of the main randomized active control trials (RaCTs) used in the authorization process and to compare unpublished with published RaCTs of the same medicine. All RaCTs for new medicines with a new active substance, authorized between 1999 and 2003, were extracted from the European Public Assessment Reports (EPAR). Information about the publication status of RaCTs was obtained from the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We identified 116 RaCTs for 42 new medicines; 28% of the RaCTs had been published at the moment of market authorization, 59% after 1 year, 78% after 2 and 83% after 3 years. Most of the rest of the studies remained unpublished after 3 years of follow-up. Unpublished RaCTs differed from published trials of the same medicine especially regarding therapeutic use and/or comparator. In some cases unpublished trials have influenced the risk : benefit asssessment of the registration authorities. Most of the main RaCTs, relevant for assessing the added value of a new medicine, are published subsequent to market entry; some of these trials remain unpublished. We argue for a standardized public registration of the results of the main premarketing clinical trials as a condition for market authorization.

Computerized National Identify Card, NADRA KIOSKs and its prospects in Pakistan

Advancement of science and technology makes inroad in public utility services. The role of information technology for the improvement of commoner's life is greatly visible in the present decades. This paper analysis Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) KIOSKs, NADRA Swift Registration Centers (NSRCs) and their working mode of payments and prospects in civic life at national level. The results reveal that mode of payments of different utility bills properly managed by NADRA database is found to be the best in Pakistan when compare to other services. CNIC can be used as an ATM card in future, if banks will cooperate with NADRA, and it will be more successful in comparison of present practice. This study also reveals that NADRA database and CNIC will prove the best in finding out the bogus accounts in banks, ghost employees taking salaries from government treasury and fake passport. It will also help in proper distribution of donations and aids to poor citizen within short time, aiding the poverty eradication schemes. At the end, implications are made and further studies are recommended for

Computerized National Identify Card, NADRA KIOSKs and its prospects in Pakistan

Advancement of science and technology makes inroad in public utility services. The role of information technology for the improvement of commoner's life is greatly visible in the present decades. This paper analysis Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) KIOSKs, NADRA Swift Registration Centers (NSRCs) and their working mode of payments and prospects in civic life at national level. The results reveal that mode of payments of different utility bills properly managed by NADRA database is found to be the best in Pakistan when compare to other services. CNIC can be used as an ATM card in future, if banks will cooperate with NADRA, and it will be more successful in comparison of present practice. This study also reveals that NADRA database and CNIC will prove the best in finding out the bogus accounts in banks, ghost employees taking salaries from government treasury and fake passport. It will also help in proper distribution of donations and aids to poor citizen within short time, aiding the poverty eradication schemes. At the end, implications are made and further studies are recommended for

DNA-based field monitoring of warfarin resistance in rats (Rattus norvegicus)*

Missense mutations in a hitherto unknown gene VKORC1, have recently been shown to confer resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides in rodents. This discovery provided new opportunities for improving resistance-testing methodology by molecular-biological techniques. A PCR-based genetic test for mutations in the VKORC1 gene can successfully identify warfarin-resistant rats trapped in the field. Our investigations showed that such a test can be applied not only to rodent tissue but also to faecal pellets, allowing for a totally non-invasive sampling and testing procedure. Such genetic tests provide a simpler and cheaper methodology for monitoring the distribution of warfarin resistance in rats and mice than previous methods, thus enabling both registration authorities and users of rodenticides in their efforts to develop resistance management strategies, and helping users to avoid the use of ineffective pesticides.

Letter to the Editors

In 2005, a warning based on epidemiological studies describing associations between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) use in early pregnancy and risks of miscarriages, cardiac malformations and gastroschisis [1], was given by European registration authorities (e.g. the Dutch). NSAIDs and ASA should not be used during the first trimesters of pregnancy except when this is strictly indicated. We describe to what extent NSAIDs and ASA were prescribed during pregnancy in the Netherlands before this warning. We performed our study by using pharmacy dispensing data from IADB.nl (population-based database) in Northern and Eastern Netherlands. This database comprises all prescription drugs, excluding drugs dispensed during hospitalizations and over the counter (OTC)-drugs. Date of birth and gender of each patient are available and all patients have an unique anonymous identifier. The pregnancy-IADB.nl (1995–2004) was extracted from the main IADB.nl-database. Children were selected by date of birth and by using an address code the mother of this child was identified. With this method, which is described in detail by Schirm et al.[2], approximately 65% of the children could be linked to their mother and validation showed 99% correctness. Only live-born children are registered in this database. Gestational age is calculated for every mother by subtracting 273 days (three trimesters of 91 days, approximately 9 months) from day of birth of the child. This period will be considered as gestation and is per definition 273 days. Prevalence, calculated before, during and after pregnancy, is based on exposure rate. Exposure rate is defined as the number of pregnancies in which, in theory, a women has availability to a drug or class of drugs, i.e. those who received a prescription in one trimester which was extended into the next, are counted for both trimesters in which they had access to the drug. We identified 14 666 pregnancies from which we had information of a defined time window of 3 months before gestation till 3 months after delivery. NSAIDs (ATC-code: M01A) and/or ASA (ATC-code: N02BA) were prescribed during this defined time window to 2020 women (13.8%). In 7.6% (1113/14 666) of the pregnancies these drugs were prescribed before conception, in 3.8% (557/14 666) during gestation and in 5.3% (781/14 666) after pregnancy (Figure 1). Ninety-six % of the women received NSAIDs (mainly diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen), less than 5.5% received ASA and approximately 1.5% received both drugs. Average age at time of delivery of women receiving NSAIDs and/or ASA (29.74 years, range 16–49) did not differ from those not receiving these drugs (29.91 years, P = 0.077 (Student's t-test). Number of pregnancies in which a NSAID and/or ASA was prescribed before, during and after pregnancy In the majority of the pregnancies (75.6%, 421/557) NSAIDs and/or ASA were prescribed during the first trimester, resulting in an overall first trimester exposure of 2.9%. International studies from Canada [3], Denmark [4] and Sweden [5], reporting on first trimester NSAID use/prescribing showed comparable results: 2.9%, 3% and 3.4%, respectively. Third trimester prescribing of NSAIDs and/or ASA was low (0.6%, n = 94) which was to be expected due to guidelines stating not to prescribe these drugs during the third trimester. Part of the first trimester exposure will be due to unawareness of pregnancy by the women. By using a standardized gestational age to determine drug prescribing, misclassification especially in the first trimester of pregnancy will be introduced, leading to overestimation of actual use. On the other hand, our data lack information about OTC-use which will lead to underestimate of actual use. Unpublished data of EUROCAT-registration Northern-Netherlands showed that NSAID exposure in pregnancy was due to 60% on prescription and 35% OTC. We do realize these data represent prescribing of NSAIDs and/or ASA before the warning from European authorities. However, we strongly recommend that prescribing physicians need to be careful in prescribingthese drugs to women of fertile age, especially when use of these drugs during pregnancy increases risks of miscarriages and birth defects. Whether this warning will result in less prescribing of NSAIDs and/or ASA, especially during the first trimester, has to be examined in future research, national as well as international. We would like to thank EUROCAT-registration Northern-Netherlands for their data.

Adherence to treatment of osteoporosis: a need for study

Adherence to anti-osteoporosis medications is currently low and is associated with poor anti-fracture efficacy. This manuscript reviews the potential design of clinical studies that aim to demonstrate improved adherence, with new chemical entities to be used in the management of osteoporosis. Several medications have been unequivocally shown to decrease fracture rates in clinical trials. However, in real life settings, long-term persistence and compliance to anti-osteoporosis medication is poor, hence decreasing the clinical benefits for patients. An extensive search of Medline from 1985 to 2006 retrieved all trials including the keywords osteoporosis, compliance, persistence or adherence followed by a critical appraisal of the data obtained through a consensus expert meeting. The impact of non-adherence on the clinical development of interventions is reviewed, so that clinicians, regulatory agencies and reimbursement agencies might be better informed of the problem, in order to stimulate the necessary research to document adherence. Adherence to therapy is a major problem in the treatment of osteoporosis. Both patients and medication factors are involved. Adherence studies are an important aspect of outcomes studies, but study methodologies are not well developed at the moment and should be improved. Performing adherence studies will be stimulated when registration authorities accept the result of these studies and include the relevant information in Sect. 5.1 of the summary of product characteristics. Reimbursement authorities might also consider such studies as important information for decisions on reimbursement.

Some opinions and suggestions on the draft of real property law

It is suggested in the article that exclusivity should be added to the definition of the real property right; the following clauses should be revised: the definition of the real property right, the competency of evidence of the register of immovables, the effectiveness of the bona fide protection of real property registration, the tort liabilities of the registration authority, possession reformulation, state ownership of water resources and wildlife resources and public utilities, bona fide acquisition, transfer of contracting and operational rights, and mortgage. The following provisions should be added: the ownership of religious property, the acquisitive prescription, and the pledge on business. It is also suggested that the provisions on claims in rem prescribed in Article 39 and Article 42 be deleted, and the provision on dwelling rights, that is, Chapter XV, also be deleted.

International Registration of Cultivar Names for Unassigned Woody Genera July 2005–June 2006

During the period July 2005 to June 2006, seven cultivar names in unassigned woody genera were registered. Individuals introducing new cultivars of ornamental plants are encouraged to register these names with a view to nomenclatural stabilization. A directory of International Registration Authorities and list of the unassigned woody genera is available at http://www.ishs.org/sci/iradirec.htm and from the American Public Gardens Association, 351 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348, U.S.A. All previously registered cultivars of unassigned woody genera are listed at: https://www.bbg.org/sci/taxonomy/registration.html. The present International Registration Authority for unassigned woody ornamentals can be contacted at the address above.

World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of parasiticides for the treatment, prevention and control of flea and tick infestation on dogs and cats

These guidelines are intended to assist the planning and conduct of laboratory and clinical studies to assess the efficacy of ectoparasiticides applied to dogs or cats for the purpose of treating, preventing and controlling flea and tick infestations. The term ectoparasiticide includes insecticidal and acaricidal compounds, as well as insect growth regulators. The range of biological activities accruing from animal treatment that are considered include: repellency and anti-feeding effects, knockdown, speed of kill, immediate and persistent lethal effects, and interference with egg fertility and subsequent development of off-host life cycle stages. Information is provided on the selection of animals, dose determination, dose confirmation and field studies, record keeping, interpretation of results and animal welfare. These guidelines are also intended to assist registration authorities involved in the approval and registration of new parasiticides, and to facilitate the worldwide adoption of harmonized procedures.

Wireless Technology Infrastructures for Authentication of Patients: PKI that Rings

As the public interest in consumer-driven electronic health care applications rises, so do concerns about the privacy and security of these applications. Achieving a balance between providing the necessary security while promoting user acceptance is a major obstacle in large-scale deployment of applications such as personal health records (PHRs). Robust and reliable forms of authentication are needed for PHRs, as the record will often contain sensitive and protected health information, including the patient's own annotations. Since the health care industry per se is unlikely to succeed at single-handedly developing and deploying a large scale, national authentication infrastructure, it makes sense to leverage existing hardware, software, and networks. This report proposes a new model for authentication of users to health care information applications, leveraging wireless mobile devices. Cell phones are widely distributed, have high user acceptance, and offer advanced security protocols.The authors propose harnessing this technology for the strong authentication of individuals by creating a registration authority and an authentication service, and examine the problems and promise of such a system.

Sterile, injectable cyclodextrin nanoparticles: Effects of gamma irradiation and autoclaving

Sterility is required as stated by compendial requirements and registration authorities worldwide for an injectable drug carrier system. In this study, injectable nanospheres and nanocapsules prepared from amphiphilic β-cyclodextrin, β-CDC6, were assessed for their in vitro properties such as particle size distribution, zeta potential, nanoparticle yield (%), drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release profiles. Different sterilization techniques such as gamma irradiation and autoclaving were evaluated for their feasibility regarding the maintenance of the above mentioned nanoparticle properties after sterilization. It was found that amount these techniques, sterilization with gamma irradiation seemed to be the most appropriate technique with no effect on particle size, drug loading and drug release properties. Gamma irradiation causes some chemical changes on β-CDC6 observed as changes in zeta potential but this does not lead to any significant changes for nanoparticle properties. Autoclaving caused massive aggregation for the nanoparticles followed by precipitation, which led to the conclusion that excessive heat disrupted nanoparticle integrity. Sterile filtration was not feasible since nanoparticle sizes were larger than the filter pore size and the yield after sterilization was very low. Thus, it can be concluded that blank and drug loaded β-CDC6 nanospheres and nanocapsules are capable of being sterilized by gamma irradiation.

World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of acaricides against (mange and itch) mites on ruminants

These guidelines have been prepared to assist in the planning, conduct and interpretation of studies for the assessment of the efficacy of acaricides against mange and itch mites on ruminants. Information is provided on the selection of animals, dose determination, dose confirmation and field studies, record keeping and result interpretation. These guidelines also are intended to assist the investigators on how to conduct specific experiments, to provide specific information for registration authorities involved in the decision-making process, to assist in the approval and registration of new ectoparasiticides, and to facilitate the worldwide adoption of standard procedures.

Assessing professionalism: theory and practice

Professional attitudes and behaviours have only recently been explicitly recognized by medical educators as legitimate and necessary components of global competence, although the idea of Fitness to Practice has always presupposed acceptable professional behaviour. Medical schools have recently begun to introduce teaching and assessment of professionalism, including attitudes and behaviours. Partly as a result of the difficulty of assessment in this area, selection of students is receiving greater attention, in the pursuit of globally competent graduates. However, selection processes may be overrated for this purpose. Assessing actual attitudes and behaviour during the course is arguably a better way of ensuring that medical graduates are competent in these areas. I argue that judgments about attitudinal and behavioural competence are legitimate, and need be no more arbitrary than those made about scientific or clinical knowledge and skills, but also that these judgments should be restricted to what is agreed to be unacceptable behaviour, rather than attempting to rate attitudes and behaviour positively. This model introduces students to the way in which their behaviours will be judged in their professional lives by registration authorities. These theoretical positions are illustrated by a recent case of academic failure based on inadequate attitudes and behaviours.