Search results for "programme"

Library instruction – Not just for our users: Skills upgrading for librarians as a way of increasing self-confidence

2015

Published version of an article from the journal: LIBER Quarterly: Available from the publisher: http://liber.library.uu.nl/index.php/lq/article/view/10002/10598. Open Access This article examines how librarians can improve their skills through a systematic skills upgrading programme, and how this can help improve their confidence in their own expertise. Two identical questionnaires have been issued to the same group of librarians engaged in research support services. In the time period between the two surveys, a skills upgrading programme was carried out. The aim of the second survey is to examine if the librarians’ confidence has increased after the yearlong training programme. Even thoug…

Lack of correlation between apoptosis and DNA single-strand breaks in X-irradiated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the course of ageing

1998

The dependence on age of both the basal and the X-radiation-induced levels of apoptosis was examined in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In the same samples, the base value and the extent of induced DNA single-strand breaks were determined, using a sensitive and fast microplate assay. PBMC were isolated from blood of donors of various age groups (20-30, 40-60 and > 70 years of age) and X-irradiated ex vivo using a 6 MV linear accelerator to give a total exposure of 4 Gy. The mean basal levels of apoptosis in PBMC from donors in the 40-60 year age group and the > 70 year age group were found to be only slightly higher (by 20-10%) compared to that of the 20-30 year age group, …

BCL-xL, a Mitochondrial Protein Involved in Successful Aging: From C. elegans to Human Centenarians

2020

B-Cell Lymphoma-extra-large (BCL-xL) is involved in longevity and successful aging, which indicates a role for BCL-xL in cell survival pathway regulation. Beyond its well described role as an inhibitor of apoptosis by preventing cytochrome c release, BCL-xL has also been related, indirectly, to autophagy and senescence pathways. Although in these latter cases, BCL-xL has dual roles, either activating or inhibiting, depending on the cell type and the specific conditions. Taken together, all these findings suggest a precise mechanism of action for BCL-xL, able to regulate the crosstalk between apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence, thus promoting cell survival or cell death. All three pathways…

Online or offline – Does it matter?: A study of in-service teachers' perceptions of learning outcomes in Norway

2020

Policymakers and scholars are scaling up online professional development programmes for teachers. We studied how in-service teachers in Norway perceived their learning outcomes for professional development programmes conducted either as campus-based or online courses. Based on survey data, we found teachers studying online and in campus-based settings have relatively similar perceptions of the learning outcomes. This changes when indicators of collaboration and support from teachers are controlled for, suggesting that these factors are more strongly related to learning outcomes for those in campus-based studies than those in online studies. Our findings contribute new insights on how percei…

The four spheres of value co-creation in humanitarian professional services

2021

PurposeThe study focuses on the value co-creation processes in humanitarian professional services provision, analysing the key enabling factors of beneficiaries' participation, involved in long-term integration programmes (L-TIPs).Design/methodology/approachThrough an in-depth case study, the research looks at the practices of value co-creation in humanitarian professional services, considering both the perspectives of the professional service provider and beneficiary.FindingsIn professional services beneficiary's participation affects the success of the L-TIPs outcomes. Participation's enablers can be classified into four different spheres, each belonging to different elements of professio…

MATHEMATICS AS A QUASI-EMPIRICAL SCIENCE

2006

The present paper aims at showing that there are times when set theoretical knowledge increases in a non-cumulative way. In other words, what we call ‘set theory’ is not one theory which grows by simple addition of a theorem after the other, but a finite sequence of theories T1, ..., T n in which Ti+1, for 1 ≤ i < n, supersedes T i . This thesis has a great philosophical significance because it implies that there is a sense in which mathematical theories, like the theories belonging to the empirical sciences, are fallible and that, consequently, mathematical knowledge has a quasi-empirical nature. The way I have chosen to provide evidence in favour of the correctness of the main thesis of t…

Identification of self(in)compatibility genotypes and microsatellite marker based fingerprinting of traditional italian sweet cherry accessions

2012

Italy is one of the main European sweet cherry producers and it has a rich germplasm, including many minor local varieties that have not been well studied or used in breeding programmes. Sweet cherry is self-incompatible, with few exceptions; its incompatibility is controlled by a multi-allelic S locus, which is gametophytically expressed. The knowledge of S-alleles and cross-incompatibility groups of sweet cherry genotypes and cultivars is important for growers and breeders. In this work we analysed 48 traditional sweet cherry varieties and cultivars, mainly from Calabria and Emilia Romagna regions, together with eight Sicilian cultivars and the standard set of reference genotypes proposed…

IMPROVING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF ITALIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL Ph.D. PROGRAMMES: A DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Il presente lavoro ha un duplice obiettivo: illustrare l’importanza dei processi di internazionalizzazione come strumenti adottabili per sostenere e alimentare la performance dell’azienda ateneo al fine di accrescerne la competitività e, conseguentemente, applicare un sistema di performance management “dinamico” ad un caso di studio al fine di mostrarne la validità. Nel primo capitolo del presente lavoro vengono illustrate le caratteristiche salienti del Dottorato di Ricerca come settore all’interno dell’azienda pubblica “Ateneo”, evidenziandone le peculiarità specifiche, gli attori chiave, gli stakeholders, e il quadro normativo di riferimento. In particolare l’attenzione viene focalizzata…

Deep Gaussian processes for biogeophysical parameter retrieval and model inversion

2020

Parameter retrieval and model inversion are key problems in remote sensing and Earth observation. Currently, different approximations exist: a direct, yet costly, inversion of radiative transfer models (RTMs); the statistical inversion with in situ data that often results in problems with extrapolation outside the study area; and the most widely adopted hybrid modeling by which statistical models, mostly nonlinear and non-parametric machine learning algorithms, are applied to invert RTM simulations. We will focus on the latter. Among the different existing algorithms, in the last decade kernel based methods, and Gaussian Processes (GPs) in particular, have provided useful and informative so…

Side effect management during immune checkpoint blockade using CTLA-4 and PD-1 antibodies for metastatic melanoma – an update

2020

CTLA-4 and PD-1 play a key role in tumor-induced downregulation of lymphocytic immune responses. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been shown to alter the immune response to various cancer types. Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies affect the interaction between tumor, antigen-presenting cells and T lymphocytes. Clinical studies of the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab and the anti-PD-1 antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab have provided evidence of their positive effects on overall survival in melanoma patients. Combined treatment using ipilimumab and nivolumab has been shown to achieve five-year survival rates of 52 %. Such enhancement of the immune response is inevitably associated with …