showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Digital competence across boundaries - beyond a common Nordic model of the digitalisation of K-12 schools?
2021
This paper explores policy related to digital competence and the digitalisation of Nordic K-12 schools. Anchored in some key transnational policies on digital competence, it describes some current Nordic movements in the national policies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The concept of boundary objects is used as an analytical lens, for understanding digital competence as a plastic and temporal concept that can be used to discuss the multi-dimensional translation of this concept in these Nordic countries. The paper ends with a discussion of the potential to view digital competence as a unifying boundary object that, with its plasticity, temporality and n-dimensionality, can show sign…
Performance improvement of a Savonius water rotor with novel blade shapes
2021
Abstract Savonius water rotor is a prominent drag based turbine able to extract energy available in flowing water with low velocity like river streams, tidal currents or other man made water canals. However, in view of its low performance, an enhanced design of the rotor blades is necessary to better its efficiency. Therefore, the present study aims to improve the efficiency of Savonius rotor by changing the blade design. Different blade shapes were investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Using conventional design, the peak power coefficient was found to be 0.166 at tip-speed ratio of 0.78. However, the peak power coefficient reaches 0.184 using the optimal blade …
Pharmaceuticals and other urban contaminants threaten Amazonian freshwater ecosystems
2021
Abstract Urban areas in the Brazilian Amazon have grown at an unprecedented rate during the last years. About 90% of the wastewater produced by these urban areas are discharged untreated into Amazonian freshwater ecosystems, constituting a potential environmental pathway for pharmaceuticals and other chemicals consumed by modern societies (e.g. psychostimulants, personal-care products, hormones). The distribution of these chemicals into the Amazon River and their potential risks for freshwater biodiversity have not been evaluated so far. Here, we show the results of the largest chemical monitoring campaign conducted in the Amazon region. We assessed exposure patterns for 43 pharmaceuticals …
The gut microbiota instructs the hepatic endothelial cell transcriptome
2021
Summary The gut microbiota affects remote organ functions but its impact on organotypic endothelial cell (EC) transcriptomes remains unexplored. The liver endothelium encounters microbiota-derived signals and metabolites via the portal circulation. To pinpoint how gut commensals affect the hepatic sinusoidal endothelium, a magnetic cell sorting protocol, combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting, was used to isolate hepatic sinusoidal ECs from germ-free (GF) and conventionally raised (CONV-R) mice for transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing. This resulted in a comprehensive map of microbiota-regulated hepatic EC-specific transcriptome profiles. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that …
Systematic review of aquatic physical exercise programs on functional fitness in older adults
2021
The practice of physical exercise is recommended in the prevention of the deterioration of neuromuscular functions in aging. The objectives of this systematic review were to describe the protocols used and the functional fitness indicators evaluated in aquatic exercise programs in adults aged 50 to 80 years. The Pubmed database was used. The keywords were: 1) Physical exercise program or protocols or duration or type of exercise or aquatic exercise, frequency or intensity or indicators; 2) Adults or older adults; 3) Training or indicators, functional fitness, physical fitness. The search strategy considered the components of the Population, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes, and Study de…
Sodium metabisulfite as a cytotoxic food additive induces apoptosis in HFFF2 cells
2021
Sodium metabisulfite (SMB), an antioxidant agent, is extensively used as a preservative in food industry. The current study was aimed to clarify its potential toxic effects on human fetal foreskin fibroblasts (HFFF2) cells, in vitro. Subsequently, MTT results illustrated that exposure to SMB significantly (p 0.0001) decreased HFFF2 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and the concentration of 25 μM reduced cell survival rates to 50% as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration of SMB. It was further shown that SMB exerted this cytotoxic effect on HFFF2 cells through apoptosis induction. qRT-PCR and western blotting results showed that treatment of HFFF2 cells with this food additive …
Genetic variants associated with human eye size are distinct from those conferring susceptibility to myopia
2021
Purpose: Emmetropization requires coordinated scaling of the major ocular components, corneal curvature and axial length. This coordination is achieved in part through a shared set of genetic variants that regulate eye size. Poorly coordinated scaling of corneal curvature and axial length results in refractive error. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants regulating eye size in emmetropic eyes are distinct from those conferring susceptibility to refractive error.Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for corneal curvature in 22,180 adult emmetropic individuals was performed as a proxy for a GWAS for eye size. A polygenic score created using lead GWAS variants was tested for…
IntelliPy: a GUI for analyzing IntelliCage data
2021
Abstract Summary The IntelliCage systems offer the possibility to conduct long-term behavioral experiments on mice in social groups without human intervention. Although this setup provides new findings, only about 150 studies with the IntelliCage system have been published in the last two decades, which is also caused by the challenging problems of processing and handling the large and heterogeneous amounts of captured data. This application note introduces the Python-GUI IntelliPy, especially designed for users not very experienced in using programming languages. IntelliPy allows users to quickly analyze the IntelliCage output in a user-friendly way, thus making the systems more accessible…
Interleukin-30 feeds breast cancer stem cells via CXCL10 and IL23 autocrine loops and shapes immune contexture and host outcome
2021
BackgroundBreast cancer (BC) progression to metastatic disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Metastasis is driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs) and signals from their microenvironment. Interleukin (IL) 30 promotes BC progression, and its expression correlates with disease recurrence and mortality. Whether it acts by regulating BCSCs is unknown and could have significant therapeutic implications.MethodsHuman (h) and murine (m) BCSCs were tested for their production of and response to IL30 by using flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, proliferation and sphere-formation assays, and PCR array. Immunocompetent mice were used to investigate the role of BCSC-derived IL30 on tumor…
Ischemic hypoxic encephalopathy: The role of MRI of neonatal injury and medico-legal implication
2021
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is one of the major causes of neonatal death and neurological disability in the child, and represents the most common birth injury claim. Intrapartum asphyxia often leads to several long-term sequalae, such as cerebral palsy and/or developmental delay, epilepsy. Through the neuroimaging it's possible to identify and define the different lesioned pictures and provide useful elements to establish the moment in which the damage occurred; indeed, timing of injury is a key element in the legal arena. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as one of the most important tools in identifying the etiologic of neonatal encephalopathy as well as in predicting long-…
Application of an innovative alignment optimisation method to a cross-cultural mean comparison of teacher self-efficacy: A cross-country study
2021
Teacher self-efficacy is a crucial personal characteristic that is important not only for teachers’ well-being but also for the overall teaching and learning. However, the difficulty to ascertain scalar invariance in the measurement of the construct has beset previous attempts of cross-cultural comparisons. This study implements an alignment optimisation method to compare and rank mean teacher self-efficacy of over 150,000 teachers across 48 countries and economies that participated in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) that was conducted 2018. The findings show that Columbia, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Hungary, and South Africa have teachers with the highest mean s…
Recent Advances and Future Directions of Microwave Photonic Radars: A Review
2021
Microwave photonic (MWP) radar has the advantages of generating and processing wide bandwidth microwave signals, reconfigurability, high immunity to electromagnetic interference compared to microwave electronic radar. It has the potential to be used in applications such as intelligent autonomous and cyber-physical systems. Recent advances in microwave photonic technology led to the generation, fast processing, and control of broadband signals. Because of the advancements in photonic technologies, next-generation microwave photonic radar is becoming more prominent. This article reviews the most recent advancements and future directions in MWP radars. This review article overviews the differe…
Public policies for the elderly from a human rights based approach
2021
El presente trabajo parte de la premisa de que el envejecimiento de la población es un fenómeno que hay que abordar desde las políticas públicas puesto que interroga a la sociedad en su conjunto y exige la responsabilidad de los Estados como garantes de los derechos de las personas mayores. Tales políticas deberán guiarse por los estándares y principios marcados por Naciones Unidas, el Consejo de Europa y la Unión Europea, que reclaman adoptar un enfoque basado en derechos Humanos y una atención integral centrada en la persona, como canales para articular un tratamiento adecuado de los derechos de las personas mayores, sin olvidar el compromiso ético de todos los agentes implicados en dar r…
Future-oriented coping: Dispositional influence and relevance for adolescent subjective wellbeing, depression, and anxiety
2021
Abstract Extensive literature has explored the predictive role of personality in the use of coping strategies. However, proactive and preventive coping that aim to take action before stressful events occur currently remain largely unexplored. This study examined the associations between proactive and preventive coping and personality (domains and facets) and subjective wellbeing, depression, and anxiety. The results obtained in 934 Spanish adolescents showed that all personality domains were predictors of both types of coping, except for Extraversion, which did not predict preventive coping. Attention to the facets allowed increases in the predicted percentage of variance and a greater unde…
Determination of albendazole and ivermectin residues in cattle and poultry-derived samples from India by micellar liquid chromatography
2021
We have developed a method, based on micellar liquid chromatography, to determine albendazole and ivermectin in dairy products and biological waste from bovine, as well as edible tissues from poultry. Anthelmitics were resolved in less than 10 min using a C18 column and a mobile phase of 0.15 mol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate – 6% 1-pentanol at buffered at pH 7 with a 0.01 M phosphate salt, running under isocratic mode at 1 mL/min. Detection was by absorbance at 292 nm. Method was successfully validated following official validation guidelines, in terms of: selectivity, sensitivity, calibration range (0.0125−0.5 mg/kg to 25−50 mg/kg), linearity (r2 > 9990), trueness (86.3–105.6%), precision (<12…
Impact of salmon farming on Atlantic cod spatio-temporal reproductive dynamics
2021
Salmon farming in marine net pens is a major activity in many temperate regions. This industry may affect coastal ecosystems in several ways, such as with waste pollution and parasite spillover. Less is known about the extent to which salmon farming disrupts the use of inshore spawning grounds by wild fish, such as the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. Acoustic telemetry was therefore used to explore cod space use during the spawning season in a coastal region in mid-Norway with multiple salmon farms. Acoustic receivers were placed in clusters at 5 known cod spawning grounds and 6 nearby salmon farms. Data from 481 adult cod caught at the spawning grounds during 2017-2019 and equipped with acousti…
A first dedicated heart valve unit: safe and streamlined patient care for the rapidly growing field of transcatheter heart valve interventions
2021
Abstract Background A dedicated Heart Valve Unit was launched in 2018 to meet the demands of the growing transcatheter heart valve program by optimizing patient care in a single dedicated unit. Purpose To assess the performance of the heart valve unit (all steps of patient care in a single unit with intermediate care facilities) over a conventional approach (preparation on a normal ward, postprocedural intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring and transfer to an additional monitoring ward before discharge) in a high volume center. Methods Retrospective analysis including patients undergoing transcatheter mitral or tricuspid valve repair who were admitted to the Heart Valve Unit (02/2018–01/2020)…
The Concise Guide To Pharmacology 2021/22: G Protein-Coupled Receptors
2021
The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22 is the fifth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of nearly 1900 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes over 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will s…
Time trends, sociodemographic and health factors associated with discharge and length of stay of hospitalised patients with sickle cell disease in Gh…
2021
ObjectivePatients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are prone to multiple episodes resulting in frequent hospital visits. We determined the time trends, sociodemographic and health factors associated with length of stay (LoS) for patients with SCD in Ghana.Design, participants, settingWe retrospectively analysed SCD hospitalisation records of 22 680 patients from a nationwide database of the Ghana Health Service from 2012 to 2017.Outcome measuresFactors associated with LoS were estimated using Cox regression, while the cumulative incidence of being discharged alive was estimated with in-hospital death as a competing risk.ResultsPatients admitted for SCD over 6 years constituted 22 680 (0.8%) o…
Late glacial-postglacial North African landscape and forestmanagement : Palynological and anthracological studies in the caves of Kaf Taht el-Ghar an…
2021
This work presents the anthracological and archeopalynological results obtained within the project AGRIWESTMED (ERC AdG 230561), which has involved a comprehensive retrieval of archeobiological remains based on a systematic sampling strategy, beyond the recovery of the usual archeological materials. These surveys were conducted on three sites located in the North of Morocco: the cave of Kaf Taht-el-Ghar, 8 km southeast from Tetuan, and two caves within the El Khil complex, close to Tanger. Both plant micro- and macro-remains (charred wood) were studied through palynological and anthracological analyses, respectively.
Resistance Training with Blood Flow Restriction Compared to Traditional Resistance Training on Strength and Muscle Mass in Non-Active Older Adults: A…
2021
Low-intensity training with blood flow restriction (LI-BFR) has been suggested as an alternative to high-intensity resistance training for the improvement of strength and muscle mass, becoming advisable for individuals who cannot assume such a load. The systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of the LI-BFR compared to dynamic high-intensity resistance training on strength and muscle mass in non-active older adults. A systematic review was conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook and reportedly followed the PRISMA statement. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus databases were searched between September and October 2020. Two reviewers independently se…
Carbon fibers as green and sustainable sorbent for the extraction of isoflavones from environmental waters.
2021
Abstract Isoflavones are a group of phytoestrogens of important environmental concern due to their endocrine disrupting effects. This article presents a rapid, green, and sustainable method for determining four isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, formononetin, and biochanin A) in environmental waters complying with current trends in Analytical Chemistry. The method consists of in-syringe dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) as the extraction approach, using carbon fibers as extraction material. The synthesis of carbon fibers is simple and sustainable, since it only requires a natural product such as raw cotton as precursor, which is thermally treated (600 °C for 30 min) in an inert (Ar) a…
Quattro nodi maggiori del Sistema nazionale di istruzione in Italia
2021
Teacher training, professional qualification and recruitment. Rethinking of school autonomy as part of a more ambitious administration reform. The birth rate as an opportunity to use economies in challenging policies. The strengthening of post-secondary but not university higher technical training. There are four goals on which the Italian school needs urgent re- form measures to improve its performance. However, it is necessary not to pay attention only to the “internal voices”.
Epistemic independence and speaker roles: Highlighting the role of second speaker and mitigating the role of first speaker
2021
Abstract Definitions of attenuation tend to place their emphasis on different aspects of the communication process, especially facework, propositional content, illocutionary force and the roles of speech participants. This paper concentrates on the latter of these aspects. Although studies mention the possibility that attenuation applies to more than one participant, the analysis of particular examples within those studies shows that authors tend to refer mostly (or even only) to the speaker's role (e.g., Briz, 1998, 2003; Briz and Albelda, 2013; Villalba Ibanez, 2016). This study explores the possibility that attenuation of the role of another participant (i.e. a participant other than the…
The EHA research roadmap
2021
International audience; In 2016, the European Hematology Association (EHA) published the EHA Roadmap for European Hematology Research(1) aiming to highlight achievements in the diagnostics and treatment of blood disorders, and to better inform European policy makers and other stakeholders about the urgent clinical and scientific needs and priorities in the field of hematology. Each section was coordinated by 1-2 section editors who were leading international experts in the field. In the 5 years that have followed, advances in the field of hematology have been plentiful. As such, EHA is pleased to present an updated Research Roadmap, now including 11 sections, each of which will be published…
Inverting the Wollaston Illusion: Gaze Direction Attracts Perceived Head Orientation
2021
In the early 19th century, William H. Wollaston impressed the Royal Society of London with engravings of portraits. He manipulated facial features, such as the nose, and thereby dramatically changed the perceived gaze direction, although the eye region with iris and eye socket had remained unaltered. This Wollaston illusion can be thought of as head orientation attracting perceived gaze direction when the eye region is unchanged. In naturalistic viewing, the eye region changes with head orientation and typically produces a repulsion effect. Here we explore if there is a flip side to the illusion. Does the gaze direction also alter the perceived direction of the head? We used copies of the o…
Adecuación del uso de los servicios médicos de urgencias por parte del paciente adolescente
2021
Objetivo: Comparar la adecuación de las consultas a urgencias del paciente adolescente que está siendo atendido por el pediatra (12 a 14 años) y los que ya no lo están (15 a 18 años). Métodos: Estudio transversal con pacientes en edades entre 12 y 18 años que acudieron al Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital La Salud de Valencia durante el 2018. Los criterios de adecuación se basaron en el Protocolo de Adecuación de Urgencias Hospitalarias. Las variables de adecuación se describieron mediante frecuencias y como método de comparación se utilizó el test exacto de Fisher y la razón de momios. En todos los casos los contrastes de hipótesis fueron bilaterales, con un nivel de confianza de 95 % y l…
Search for New Phenomena in Final States with Two Leptons and One or No b -Tagged Jets at s=13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector
2021
A search for new phenomena is presented in final states with two leptons and one or no $b$-tagged jets. The event selection requires the two leptons to have opposite charge, the same flavor (electrons or muons), and a large invariant mass. The analysis is based on the full Run-2 proton-proton collision dataset recorded at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. No significant deviation from the expected background is observed in the data. A four-fermion contact interaction between two quarks ($b,s$) and two leptons ($ee$ or $\mu\mu$), inspired by the $B$-meson decay anomalies, is used as a…
Análisis de la aceptación y validez de los métodos utilizados para la implementación de un programa de formación basado en competencias en un servici…
2021
Resumen Objetivos 1) Determinar la satisfaccion de tutores y residentes con la metodologia utilizada para la implementacion de CoBaTrICE, y 2) determinar la validez y la fiabilidad de las escalas de valoracion global disenados ad hoc para analizar el desempeno de los residentes con fines formativos. Diseno Estudio prospectivo de cohortes. Participantes Todos los residentes y tutores del Servicio de Medicina Intensiva del Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe de Valencia. Intervencion En marzo del 2016 se inicio la implementacion de CoBaTrICE sustentada en: 1) formacion de los tutores en tecnicas de retroalimentacion; 2) realizacion por los residentes de multiples ejercicios reales de e…
Comprehensive Analysis of VEGFR2 Expression in HPV-Positive and -Negative OPSCC Reveals Differing VEGFR2 Expression Patterns
2021
VEGF signaling regulated by the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) plays a decisive role in tumor angiogenesis, initiation and progression in several tumors including HNSCC. However, the impact of HPV-status on the expression of VEGFR2 in OPSCC has not yet been investigated, although HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 induce VEGF-expression. In a series of 56 OPSCC with known HPV-status, VEGFR2 expression patterns were analyzed both in blood vessels from tumor-free and tumor-containing regions and within tumor cells by immunohistochemistry using densitometry. Differences in subcellular colocalization of VEGFR2 with endothelial, tumor and stem cell markers were determined by doub…
Can Ketogenic Diet Improve Alzheimer's Disease? Association With Anxiety, Depression, and Glutamate System
2021
Background: Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in our society, mainly characterized by loss of cognitive function. However, other symptoms such as anxiety and depression have been described in patients. The process is mediated by alterations in the synaptic and extrasynaptic activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which are linked to a hypometabolism of glucose as the main source of brain energy. In that respect, Ketogenic diet (KD) has been proposed as a non-pharmacological treatment serving as an alternative energy source to the neurons increasing the fat percentage and reducing the carbohydrates percentage, showing promising results to improve the cogni…
Anticoagulation with Factor Xa Inhibitors Is Associated with Improved Overall Response and Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Metastatic Mali…
2021
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) significantly improved the prognosis of advanced melanoma patients. However, many patients do not derive long-term benefit from ICI therapy due to primary and acquired resistance. In this regard, it has been shown that coagulation factors contribute to cancer immune evasion and might therefore promote resistance to ICI. In particular, recent observations in murine systems demonstrated that myeloid-derived factor Xa (FXa) impedes anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment and that the oral FXa inhibitor (FXa-i) rivaroxaban synergizes with ICI. The synergistic effect of FXa inhibitors with clinical ICI therapy is unknown. We performed a retrospective …
Studying nerve transfers: Searching for a consensus in nerve axons count
2021
Axonal count is the base for efficient nerve transfer; despite its capital importance, few studies have been published on human material, most research approaches being performed on experimental animal models of nerve injury. Thus, standard analysis methods are still lacking. Quantitative data obtained have to be reproducible and comparable with published data by other research groups. To share results with the scientific community, the standardization of quantitative analysis is a fundamental step. For this purpose, the experiences of the Italian, Austrian, German, Greek, and Iberian-Latin American groups have been compared with each other and with the existing literature to reach a consen…
Gli interessi giuridici sottesi agli strumenti di composizione delle controversie fiscali internazionali ed il (correlato) problema dell’effettiva tu…
2021
L’emanazione della Direttiva 2017/1852 del Consiglio ed il recepimento della stessa da parte del D.lgs. 10 giugno 2020, n. 49, hanno rinnovato ed accresciuto l’attenzione verso il tema degli interessi giuridici sottesi alle procedure di soluzione delle controversie fiscali internazionali. In particolare, proprio lo strumento unionale pone la questione del grado di intensità di tutela degli interessi del contribuente e del “ruolo” che deve essere riconosciuto allo stesso all’interno delle procedure. V’è, da un canto, l’interesse del contribuente a che gli Stati recepiscano quegli strumenti nella pienezza delle loro previsioni; ma v’è anche un interesse diverso e più pregnante che riguarda il…
Whispering Gallery Mode Resonator Temperature Compensation and Refractive Index Sensing in Glucose Droplets.
2021
Among the different types of photonic sensor devices, optical whispering gallery mode resonators (WGMRs) have attracted interest due to their high level of sensitivity, small size, and ability to perform real-time temperature measurements. Here we demonstrate the applicability of temperature measurements using WGMR in both air and liquid environments. We also show that WGMR allowed measurements of the refractive index variations in an evaporating glucose–water solution droplet. The thermal tuning of WGMR can be reduced by coating WGMRs with a thin layer of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Dip-coating the silica microsphere multiple times significantly reduced the resonance shift, partially c…
Primary stroke prevention worldwide:translating evidence into action
2021
Abstract: Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide and its burden is increasing rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries, many of which are unable to face the challenges it imposes. In this Health Policy paper on primary stroke prevention, we provide an overview of the current situation regarding primary prevention services, estimate the cost of stroke and stroke prevention, and identify deficiencies in existing guidelines and gaps in primary prevention. We also offer a set of pragmatic solutions for implementation of primary stroke prevention, with an emphasis on the role of governments and population-wide strategies, includin…