bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Las relaciones carrera-institución educativa, en la formación inicial del profesorado
Authors: Domínguez Urdanivia Yideira , Rojas Valladares Adalia Lisett , Díaz Vera Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

The university, based on its social responsibility, becomes a dynamic and complex institution that establishes relationships and interactions with the environment, which are necessary for inter-institutional development with different organizations, which allow it to establish alliances and action commitments from different scenarios. The relationship of the university with educational institutions, as part of teacher training, is significant, taking into account that both institutions share the social and educational function, which implies collaborative work. In this article, an analysis of the relationships between the University and educational institutions is shown, for the initial training of teachers, as a space for the development of the designed curriculum and teacher professional development, seeking a shared commitment and reciprocal benefit to ensure the satisfaction of mutual needs and interests
El liderazgo como vía a la responsabilidad social y la gestión de la calidad educativa en las unidades matovellanas del Ecuador
Authors: Largo Ochoa Noemí Clemencia , Cortes Coss Dina Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

Leadership as an essential element of the social responsibility that contributes to the teaching-learning process, allows unveiling the relationship between quality management and a desirable profile in the educational units of matovellana. This study contextualizes the educational context articulated by social, cultural, technological, pedagogical and educational factors. It will be based on the relationships and the related ones that reveal the new meanings that are redefined and reconceptualized in relation to the standards and the profile of the desirable of the matovellano educator. The main motivation of the study is the experiential level of the researchers, in terms of the essential requirements that from human resources a leader needs to carry out in an accurate way the process of administration of educational institutions of such relevance and social projection of the educational institutions of matovellano of the Ecuadorian coastal regime.
The Impact of Social Media on The Social Values: Field Study on UAE society
Authors: Al Marar Sultan M. , Al Murar Sultan B.
Published: March 2024

Information technology significantly affects the lives of individuals, unlike traditional methods of social communication. Globalization and its technological tools have led to rapid communication between individuals and societies, openness to others, and the transfer of information. Therefore, this study came to investigate the question: What is the role of social media programs in changing the values of cooperation and respect in Emirati society? Through the descriptive approach, a random sample of 50 individuals from the city of Abu Dhabi in the Emirates was surveyed to identify the role of technology in spreading social values. After analyzing the data using The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) V. 26, the results showed that using social media programs increases the opportunities for cooperation among individuals while being aware of the privacy and security of their information when using these programs. On the other hand, the respondents’ opinions showed a low level of respect among social media users.
Multi-omics characterization of partial chemical reprogramming reveals evidence of cell rejuvenation
Authors: Mitchell Wayne , Goeminne Ludger JE , Tyshkovskiy Alexander , Zhang Sirui , Chen Julie Y , Paulo Joao A , Pierce Kerry A , Choy Angelina H , Clish Clary B , Gygi Steven P , Gladyshev Vadim N
Published: March 2024

Partial reprogramming by cyclic short-term expression of Yamanaka factors holds promise for shifting cells to younger states and consequently delaying the onset of many diseases of aging. However, the delivery of transgenes and potential risk of teratoma formation present challenges for in vivo applications. Recent advances include the use of cocktails of compounds to reprogram somatic cells, but the characteristics and mechanisms of partial cellular reprogramming by chemicals remain unclear. Here, we report a multi-omics characterization of partial chemical reprogramming in fibroblasts from young and aged mice. We measured the effects of partial chemical reprogramming on the epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, phosphoproteome, and metabolome. At the transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome levels, we saw widescale changes induced by this treatment, with the most notable signature being an upregulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, at the metabolome level, we observed a reduction in the accumulation of aging-related metabolites. Using both transcriptomic and epigenetic clock-based analyses, we show that partial chemical reprogramming reduces the biological age of mouse fibroblasts. We demonstrate that these changes have functional impacts, as evidenced by changes in cellular respiration and mitochondrial membrane potential. Taken together, these results illuminate the potential for chemical reprogramming reagents to rejuvenate aged biological systems and warrant further investigation into adapting these approaches for in vivo age reversal.
Purine nucleosides replace cAMP in allosteric regulation of PKA in trypanosomatid pathogens
Authors: Ober Veronica Teresa , Githure George Boniface , Volpato Santos Yuri , Becker Sidney , Moya Munoz Gabriel , Basquin Jérôme , Schwede Frank , Lorentzen Esben , Boshart Michael
Published: March 2024

Cyclic nucleotide binding domains (CNB) confer allosteric regulation by cAMP or cGMP to many signaling proteins, including PKA and PKG. PKA of phylogenetically distant Trypanosoma is the first exception as it is cyclic nucleotide-independent and responsive to nucleoside analogues (Bachmaier et al., 2019). Here, we show that natural nucleosides inosine, guanosine and adenosine are nanomolar affinity CNB ligands and activators of PKA orthologs of the important tropical pathogens Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania. The sequence and structural determinants of binding affinity, -specificity and kinase activation of PKAR were established by structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis, co-crystal structures and mutagenesis. Substitution of two to three amino acids in the binding sites is sufficient for conversion of CNB domains from nucleoside to cyclic nucleotide specificity. In addition, a trypanosomatid-specific C-terminal helix (αD) is required for high affinity binding to CNB-B. The αD helix functions as a lid of the binding site that shields ligands from solvent. Selectivity of guanosine for CNB-B and of adenosine for CNB-A results in synergistic kinase activation at low nanomolar concentration. PKA pulldown from rapid lysis establishes guanosine as the predominant ligand in vivo in T. brucei bloodstream forms, whereas guanosine and adenosine seem to synergize in the procyclic developmental stage in the insect vector. We discuss the versatile use of CNB domains in evolution and recruitment of PKA for novel nucleoside-mediated signaling.
A myristoyl switch at the plasma membrane triggers cleavage and oligomerization of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus matrix protein
Authors: Častorálová Markéta , Sýs Jakub , Prchal Jan , Pavlů Anna , Prokopová Lucie , Briki Zina , Hubálek Martin , Ruml Tomas
Published: March 2024

For most retroviruses, including HIV, association with the plasma membrane (PM) promotes the assembly of immature particles, which occurs simultaneously with budding and maturation. In these viruses, maturation is initiated by oligomerization of polyprotein precursors. In contrast, several retroviruses, such as Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), assemble in the cytoplasm into immature particles that are transported across the PM. Therefore, protease activation and specific cleavage must not occur until the pre-assembled particle interacts with the PM. This interaction is triggered by a bipartite signal consisting of a cluster of basic residues in the matrix (MA) domain of Gag polyprotein and a myristoyl moiety N-terminally attached to MA. Here, we provide evidence that myristoyl exposure from the MA core and its insertion into the PM occurs in M-PMV. By a combination of experimental methods, we show that this results in a structural change at the C-terminus of MA allowing efficient cleavage of MA from the downstream region of Gag. This suggests that, in addition to the known effect of the myristoyl switch of HIV-1 MA on the multimerization state of Gag and particle assembly, the myristoyl switch may have a regulatory role in initiating sequential cleavage of M-PMV Gag in immature particles.
Coupling effect of key factors on ecosystem services in border areas: a study of the Pu’er region, Southwestern China
Authors: Qiao Ruijing , Li Jie , Liu Xiaofei , Li Mengjie , Lei Dongmei , Li Yungang , Wu Kai , Du Pengbo , Ye Kun , Hu Jinming
Published: March 2024

The coupling effects created by transboundary and local factors on ecosystem services are often difficult to determine. This poses great challenges for ecosystem protection and management in border areas. To decrease uncertainty, it is crucial to quantify and spatialize the impact multiple factors have on ecosystem services within different scenarios. In this study, we identified key transboundary and local factors from a set of 15 sorted factors related to four main ecosystem services. We employed a Bayesian Network—Geographic Information System (BN-GIS) model to simulate 90 scenarios with multiple factors combinations, quantifying and spatializing the coupling effects on the main ecosystem services. These simulations were conducted in the Pu’er region, which is situated alongside three countries, and serves as a representative border area in southwest China. The results showed that: (1) The coupling effects of multiple factors yield significant variations when combined in different scenarios. Managers can optimize ecosystem services by strategically regulating factors within specific areas through the acquisition of various probabilistic distributions and combinations of key factors in positive coupling effect scenarios. The outcome is a positive coupling effect. (2) Among the four main ecosystem services in the Pu’er region, food availability and biodiversity were affected by key transboundary and local factors. This suggests that the coupling of transboundary and local factors is more likely to have a significant impact on these two ecosystem services. Of the 45 combination scenarios on food availability, the majority exhibit a negative coupling effect. In contrast, among the 45 combination scenarios on biodiversity, most scenarios have a positive coupling effect. This indicates that food availability is at a higher risk of being influenced by the coupling effects of multiple factors, while biodiversity faces a lower risk. (3) Transboundary pests & diseases, application of pesticides, fertilizer & filming , population density, and land use were the key factors affecting food availability. Bio-invasion, the normalized differential vegetation index, precipitation, and the landscape contagion index were the key factors affecting biodiversity. In this case, focusing on preventing transboundary factors such as transboundary pests & disease and bio-invasion should be the goal. (4) Attention should also be paid to the conditions under which these transboundary factors combine with local factors. In the areas where these negative coupling effects occur, enhanced monitoring of both transboundary and local factors is essential to prevent adverse effects.
Comprehensive analysis of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors to predict the drug resistance, immune microenvironment, and prognosis in stomach adenocarcinomas
Authors: Jia Qing , Li Baozhen , Wang Xiulian , Ma Yongfen , Li Gaozhong
Published: March 2024

Background

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) exert multiple functions in the initiation and progression of stomach adenocarcinomas (STAD). This study analyzed the relationship between PPARs and the immune status, molecular mutations, and drug therapy in STAD.

Methods

The expression profiles of three PPAR genes (PPARA, PPARD and PPARG) were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset to analyze their expression patterns across pan-cancer. The associations between PPARs and clinicopathologic features, prognosis, tumor microenvironment, genome mutation and drug sensitivity were also explored. Co-expression between two PPAR genes was calculated using Pearson analysis. Regulatory pathways of PPARs were scored using gene set variation analysis (GSVA) package. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blot, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and transwell assay were conducted to analyze the expression and function of the PPAR genes in STAD cell lines (AGS and SGC7901 cells).

Results

PPARA, PPARD and PPARG were more abnormally expressed in STAD samples and cell lines when compared to most of 32 type cancers in TCGA. In STAD, the expression of PPARD was higher in Grade 3+4 and male patients, while that of PPARG was higher in patient with Grade 3+4 and age > 60. Patients in high-PPARA expression group tended to have longer survival time. Co-expression analysis revealed 6 genes significantly correlated with the three PPAR genes in STAD. Single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) showed that the three PPAR genes were enriched in 23 pathways, including MITOTIC_SPINDLE, MYC_TARGETS_V1, E2F_TARGETS and were closely correlated with immune cells, including NK_cells_resting, T_cells_CD4_memory_resting, and macrophages_M0. Immune checkpoint genes (CD274, SIGLEC15) were abnormally expressed between high-PPAR expression and low-PPAR expression groups. TTN, MUC16, FAT2 and ANK3 genes had a high mutation frequency in both high-PPARA/PPARG and low-PPARA/PPARG expression group. Fourteen and two PPARA/PPARD drugs were identified to be able to effectively treat patients in high-PPARA/PPARG and low-PPARA/PPARG expression groups, respectively. We also found that the chemotherapy drug Vinorelbine was positively correlated with the three PPAR genes, showing the potential of Vinorelbine to serve as a treatment drug for STAD. Furthermore, cell experiments demonstrated that PPARG had higher expression in AGS and SGC7901 cells, and that inhibiting PPARG suppressed the viability, migration and invasion of AGS and SGC7901 cells.

Conclusions

The current results confirmed that the three PPAR genes (PPARA, PPARD and PPARG) affected STAD development through mediating immune microenvironment and genome mutation.
Exploring the relationships between pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and nutritional intake: a real-world investigation in Shandong, China
Authors: Zhang Juan , Wang Xue , Zhu Ping , Huang Xiaoge , Cao Xingru , Li Junmin
Published: March 2024

This study investigated the associations between gestational weight gain (GWG), pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and prenatal diet quality in pregnant women from Shandong, China. We analyzed a sample of 532 early-stage pregnant women registered at an outpatient clinic. Diet quality was evaluated using the Chinese Healthy Dietary Index for Pregnancy (CHDI-P), encompassing three dimensions: diversity, adequacy, and limitation, with an overall score out of 100. Dietary intake was documented via 24-h dietary recalls spanning three consecutive days and subsequently translated to a CHDI-P score. At the time of enrollment, BMI was measured on-site and classified as underweight (<18.5), normal weight (18.5–24.9), overweight (25.0–29.9), and obese (≥30.0). Pregnant women were also categorized into inadequate, adequate, and excessive weight gain groups based on their GWG. We employed a Tukey-adjusted generalized linear model to compare the CHDI-P scores between the pre-pregnancy BMI groups and GWG groups. The results revealed that the underweight group had significantly higher total scores and limitation total scores on the CHDI-P (p < 0.001). Conversely, the overweight and obese groups were more susceptible to suboptimal dietary quality. Notably, the inadequate weight gain group displayed significantly elevated food adequacy scores compared to the other two groups (p < 0.05). This indicates that greater GWGs do not necessarily align with principles of adequate nutrition.
Heatwave-like events affect drone production and brood-care behaviour in bumblebees
Authors: Sepúlveda Yanet , Nicholls Elizabeth , Schuett Wiebke , Goulson Dave
Published: March 2024

Climate change is currently considered one of the major threats to biodiversity and is associated with an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. Heatwaves create acutely stressful conditions that may lead to disruption in the performance and survival of ecologically and economically important organisms, such as insect pollinators. In this study, we investigated the impact of simulated heatwaves on the performance of queenless microcolonies of Bombus terrestris audax under laboratory conditions. Our results indicate that heatwaves can have significant impacts on bumblebee performance. However, contrary to our expectations, exposure to heatwaves did not affect survival. Exposure to a mild 5-day heatwave (30–32 °C) resulted in increased offspring production compared to those exposed to an extreme heatwave (34–36 °C) and to the control group (24 °C). We also found that brood-care behaviours were impacted by the magnitude of the heatwave. Wing fanning occurred occasionally at temperatures of 30–32 °C, whereas at 34–36 °C the proportion of workers engaged in this thermoregulatory behaviour increased significantly. Our results provide insights into the effects of heatwaves on bumblebee colony performance and underscore the use of microcolonies as a valuable tool for studying the effects of extreme weather events. Future research, especially field-based studies replicating natural foraging conditions, is crucial to complement laboratory-based studies to comprehend how heatwaves compromise the performance of pollinators. Such studies may potentially help to identify those species more resilient to climate change, as well as those that are most vulnerable.
Effect of high intensity circuit training on muscle mass, muscular strength, and blood parameters in sedentary workers
Authors: Ho Sung-Yen , Chung Yu-Chun , Wu Huey-June , Ho Chien-Chang , Chen Hung-Ting
Published: March 2024

Background

The study aim was to investigate the effect of high intensity circuit training on body composition, muscular performance, and blood parameters in sedentary workers.

Methods

A total of 36 middle-aged sedentary female workers were randomly divided into high intensity circuit training (HICT) group, aerobic training (AT) group, and control (CON) group. The exercise training groups performed exercise three times per week for 8 weeks. In HICT, each session was 20–35 min with 2–3 rounds. Rounds were 8 min; the interval between rounds was 4–5 min. In AT, each exercise session comprised 20–35 min of aerobic dance training. Physiological parameters were measured 1 week before and after the interventions. The resulting data were analyzed using two-way mixed design ANOVA, the differences in body composition, muscular performance and blood parameters before and after training were compared.

Results

The muscle mass (pre-test: 21.19 ± 2.47 kg; post-test: 21.69 ± 2.46 kg, p < 0.05) and knee extension 60°/s (pre-test: 82.10 ± 22.26 Nm/kg; post-test: 83.47 ± 12.83 Nm/kg, p < 0.05) of HICT group were significantly improved, with knee extension 60°/s significantly higher than that of the CON group (HICT: 83.47 ± 12.83 Nm/kg; CON: 71.09 ± 26.53 Nm/kg). In the AT group, body weight (BW) decreased significantly (Pre-test: 59.37 ± 8.24 kg; Post-test: 58.94 ± 7.98 kg); no significant change was observed in CON group. The groups exhibited no significant change in blood parameters (hs-CRP, TC, and LDL-C) or IGF-1.

Conclusions

Sedentary worker’s muscle mass and lower-limb muscular performance were effectively improved by performing 8-week HICT with the benefits of short duration, no spatial constraints, and using one’s BW, whereas AT caused a significant decrease in BW. However, the AT induced decrease in BW was probably an effect of muscle loss rather than exercise-induced weight loss.
Combined detection of serum IL-6 and CEA contributes to the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in situ
Authors: Pan Jing , Zhuang Wanzhen , Xia Yu , Huang Zhixin , Zheng Yue , Wang Xin , Huang Yi
Published: March 2024

Background

Effective discrimination of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) in situ (AIS) from benign pulmonary nodules (BPN) is critical for the early diagnosis of AIS. Our pilot study in a small cohort of 90 serum samples has shown that serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) detection can distinguish AIS from BPN and health controls (HC). In this study, we intend to comprehensively define the diagnostic value of individual and combined detection of serum IL-6 related to the traditional tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) for AIS.

Methods

The diagnostic performance of serum IL-6 along with CEA and CYFRA21-1 were evaluated in a large cohort of 300 serum samples by a chemiluminescence immunoassay and an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. A training set comprised of 65 AIS, 65 BPN, and 65 HC samples was used to develop the predictive model for AIS. Data obtained from an independent validation set was applied to evaluate and validate the predictive model.

Results

In the training set, the levels of serum IL-6 and CEA in the AIS group were significantly higher than those in the BPN/HC group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum CYFRA21-1 levels between the AIS group and the BPN/HC group (P> 0.05). Serum IL-6 and CEA levels for AIS patients showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.622 with 23.1% sensitivity at 90.7% specificity, and an AUC of 0.672 with 24.6% sensitivity at 97.6% specificity, respectively. The combination of serum IL-6 and CEA presented an AUC of 0.739, with 60.0% sensitivity at 95.4% specificity. The combination of serum IL-6 and CEA showed an AUC of 0.767 for AIS patients, with 57.1% sensitivity at 91.4% specificity in the validation set.

Conclusions

IL-6 shows potential as a prospective serum biomarker for the diagnosis of AIS, and the combination of serum IL-6 with CEA may contribute to increased accuracy in AIS diagnosis. However, it is worth noting that further research is still necessary to validate and optimize the diagnostic efficacy of these biomarkers and to address potential sensitivity limitations.
Effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound on reducing pain intensity and functional disability in patients with plantar fasciitis: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Alhakami Anas Mohammed , Babkair Reem Abdullah , Sahely Ahmad , Nuhmani Shibili
Published: March 2024

Background

Ultrasound therapy is one of the preferred conservative treatments for patients with plantar fasciitis. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound in decreasing pain intensity and improving functional disability in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Methods

Five randomised control trials (RCT) were selected based on an electronic search in PubMed, Trip Database and PEDro. To be included in the systematic review, the study should be an RCT which investigated the effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound conducted in patients with plantar fasciitis with pain intensity and functional disability as outcome measures. Only studies published in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language were included. The quality of the selected studies was measured by the PEDro scale.

Results

All the included studies showed that ultrasound therapy is beneficial in reducing pain score and improving functional disability, except one study did not recommend using ultrasound therapy for plantar fasciitis. Moreover, regarding another outcome measure, two studies found that ultrasound therapy reduces thickness and tenderness in plantar fasciitis and improves static and dynamic balance.

Conclusion

After reviewing the five studies, this systematic review support using ultrasound therapy to decrease pain and improve functional disability in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Study Registration

https://osf.io/xftzy/.
Evaluación económica de tres metodologías de manejo reproductivo ovino para sistemas de producción de carne en la región de La Araucanía
Authors:   , Sanhueza Avilés José Ignacio
Published: March 2024

Los sistemas de producción en la región de La Araucanía, se encuentran atomizados en sistemas de subsistencia a pequeña escala y bajo manejos extensivos (Romero y Bravo, 2012). La producción ovina a nivel nacional se comporta de forma tradicional, conservando sistemas de encaste asociados a monta natural en sus sistemas de producción (Louw, 2020). El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar económicamente tres metodologías de manejo reproductivo ovino para sistemas de producción tradicional de carne en la Región de La Araucanía. Los manejos fueron realizados sobre un plantel de 176 hembras, de razas Texel y Suffolk. 30 fueron sometidas a manejo de inseminación artificial intrauterina, 146 a inseminación artificial intracervical, y todas, a un tercer manejo de monta natural como repaso. Se realizó una descripción técnica y se estimó la Tasa de Fertilidad para cada manejo. La Tasa de Fertilidad obtenida para I.A. Intracervical fue de 2,7%; 27% para I.A. Intrauterina y 79% para Monta natural.Para estimar la rentabilidad económica de cada sistema de encaste, en base a los resultados técnicos, se utilizaron los indicadores de evaluación económica de Valor Actual Neto (VAN), Tasa Interna de Retorno (TIR) y costo reproductivo por cordero producido, sobre la construcción de flujo de caja a 10 años por manejo.Tanto el VAN como la TIR, resultaron positivos únicamente para el manejo de monta natural, con un valor de $2.076.418 para el VAN y 10,83% para la TIR. Se evaluaron los mismos indicadores, con resultados ideales, en escenarios combinados y a distintos niveles de producción, obteniendo similares resultados económicos.Se concluye la inviabilidad económica de la implementación de técnicas de reproducción asistida en el contexto productivo ovino carnicero de la región.
Critical thinking development in higher education
Authors:   , López Rojas Felipe Ignacio
Published: March 2024

The labour market is rapidly evolving due to technological advances, provoking the need of workers to prepare for this change. The "21st Century Skills" emerged as an answer to this context, proposing skills such as critical thinking, among others, that could help prepare workers for this new scenario. The development of critical thinking has been consistently studied in higher education. However, critical thinking has not been able to develop successfully in technical and vocational education and training since there is a focus on the acquisition of practical skills. In Chile, where technical and vocational education and training is a potential avenue for social mobility, it's crucial to develop critical thinking skills among students, considering the significant impact they will have on the future job market. This research contributes on how to develop critical thinking in higher education. Critical thinking was defined as a taxonomy of the sub-skills of interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, argumentation, and metacognition. From this definition, a procedure to develop critical thinking assessment instruments for specific cultures was developed by creating three different instruments which were validated in different higher education institutions from Chile and Taiwan. This allowed to create different assessment instruments, that were later used in a technical and vocational education and training institution in Chile to prove if a methodology to develop critical thinking was successful or not. Additionally, a study of the relation between peer assessment and self-assessment (widely recognized activities to develop critical thinking) was done in a higher education institution in Chile when developing critical thinking. The contributions of this thesis are: 1. Developed a procedure to create culture-dependent critical thinking assessment instruments, enhancing the accuracy of assessments across various cultural contexts. 2. Demonstrated that instruments created from this procedure are equivalent internally, enabling their use in pre- and post-test settings across different research contexts. 3. Designed a class methodology that effectively fosters critical thinking within technical and vocational education and training, with potential for application across various contexts in this type of education. 4. Identified discussion and real-world topics as key strategies for enhancing critical thinking development within technical and vocational education and training. 5. Validated empirically the positive impact of peer assessment and self-assessment on the development of critical thinking. 6. Validated empirically that peer assessment has a bigger impact than self-assessment on the development of critical thinking.
Operational space control with reinforcement learning redundancy resolution for robotic manipulators
Authors:   , Garcés Harbst Héctor Alonso
Published: March 2024

Los manipuladores robóticos con grados redundantes de libertad permiten la incorporación de objetivos secundarios, tales como la minimización de energía, la evasión de obstáculos o configuraciones de reposo, objetivos que no interfieren con el movimiento deseado del extremo efector. Técnicas tradicionales de control óptimo incorporan estos objetivos secundarios mediante formulas analíticas, pero desafortunadamente, este tipo de métodos depende de la suposición de un modelo perfecto. Además, los objetivos secundarios son fijos y no se pueden cambiar de forma adaptativa. En este trabajo, se propone una estrategia de control que combina un agente basado en el algoritmo Actor Crítico Suave con un Controlador en el Espacio Operacional. De esta forma, se consigue tanto una planificación de rutas como una resolución de la redundancia mediante el uso de torques de compensación en el espacio nulo. El método es validado tanto en simulación como en experimentos reales utilizando el brazo robótico Franka Emika Research 3, evaluando su desempeño en la tarea de alcanzar objetivos dentro de su espacio de trabajo. Los resultados de la simulación indican que el método propuesto logra un aumento del 29.0% en el porcentaje de cumplimiento de la tarea, una disminución del 20.0% en el tiempo que le lleva completar la tarea y una reducción del 30.8% en el consumo de energía, todo esto en comparación con el control operacional tradicional. Los resultados experimentales muestran que la estrategia propuesta mejora la capacidad del control operacional, permitiéndole hacer un mejor uso del espacio de trabajo del robot y dándole un sentido de conciencia de las limitaciones de sus articulaciones.
Assessment of the Knowledge Level of Pomegranate Production Technologies in Maharashtra, India
Authors: Jadhav Ramesh , Gaikar Pravin , Anap Vikram , Gonte Kiran
Published: March 2024

China is the world's top fruit grower, with India ranking in second. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujrat, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh are the main fruit-growing states in India. The present study was conducted in Maharashtra with the specific objective of determining “Knowledge Level of the Pomegranate Growers”. Nashik, Sholapur and Ahmednagar districts were purposively selected for the study, as they are some of the maximum pomegranates growing districts in Maharashtra state. A Total of 180 pomegranate growers were selected from six talukas of these districts. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis. The study revealed that more than four fifth (83.34 %) of the pomegranate growers had medium level of knowledge about pomegranate production technologies, followed by 12.77 per cent and 03.89 per cent of the pomegranate growers having low and high level of knowledge, respectively.
Instrumentation, data evaluation and quantification in on‐line aerosol mass spectrometry
Authors: Hinz Klaus‐Peter , Spengler Bernhard
Published: June 2007

On‐line micro‐ and nanoparticle mass spectrometry has evolved into a prominent analytical method for the characterization of airborne particles, particle populations and aerosols over the recent years, driven by essential developments in instrumentation, data evaluation and validation. In this tutorial, the fundamental aspects of the technology and methodology for qualitative and quantitative on‐line aerosol particle analysis are discussed. Specific properties of the on‐line mass spectrometric instrumentation for particle analysis are described, combined with a discussion of basic differences of the instruments and demands for future improvements of instruments and data analysis techniques. Optimized technology and methodology in particle analysis is expected to lead to essential growth of the knowledge and to quality improvement of the description of atmospheric processes and health effects in the future. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Apnea–hypopnea index as the outcome variable in multiple linear regression analysis: Statistical issues
Authors: Chan Chung‐hong , Ng Daniel K.
Published: June 2007

Background

It is common for apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) to be used as an outcome variable in ordinary least squares linear regression. However, the distribution of AHI is not tested. The assumption of ordinary least squares linear regression may be violated.

Methods

The distribution of AHI from a pediatric sleep laboratory was assessed by Kolomgorov–Smirnov test. Transformation of AHI was attempted. In addition, we fitted an ordinary linear regression model (OLSM) and negative binomial regression model (NBRM) of the relationship between body mass index and the rate of apnea and hypopnea events. OLSM and NBRM were evaluated by residuals analysis.

Results

AHI from the studied population deviated significantly from normal distribution. Commonly used transformation algorithm could not transform AHI to normal distribution. In addition, OLSM violated the underlying statistical assumptions of homogeneity of variance and normality of error. NBRM, on the other hand, was not restricted by these assumptions.

Conclusion

The current study suggested AHI is not likely to be normally distributed and its distribution cannot be transformed to normal. Negative binomial regression of the total number of apnea and hypopnea with an offset of log TST should be used in data analysis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:711–715. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adolescent Depression: A Review
Authors: Parker Gordon , Roy Kay
Published: June 2007

Objective: To review the characteristic clinical, illness course and risk factors to adolescent depression.

Method: A literature review is provided with interpretive comments.

Results: The clinical feature profile is likely to reflect the rarity of melancholic depression, while the non-melancholic ‘irritable hostile’ pattern appears distinctly increased. A ‘reactive depressive disorder’ is rare in those who get to psychiatric assessment, while comorbidity (e.g. anxiety and personality disorders, illicit drug use) is the rule. Aetiological determinants and the prognosis generally more relate to comorbid factors than to depression per se. Predisposing and precipitating psychological and social determinants are considered, while the efficacies of varying antidepressant strategies remain unclear apart from those withan ‘anxious’ or ‘irritable’ depression where selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor medication has shown utility and where cognitive–behavioural therapy may be relevant.

Conclusions: For the majority who develop adolescent depression, its expression and outcome appear more a reflection of the propagating determinants, most commonly anxiety and personality style. The clinician should determine a treatment plan that not only addresses the depression but which identifies and addresses the contributing features.
Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorder in a Methadone Maintenance Population
Authors: Callaly Tom , Trauer Tom , Munro Leigh , Whelan Greg
Published: June 2007

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a group of patients who had recently entered a methadone maintenance programme.

Method: A total of 62 patients were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) within 6 months of commencing methadone maintenance. The CIDI was used to establish symptoms of psychiatric illness at interview and in the 12 months prior.

Results: In the 12 months prior to interview, 76% of the sample fulfilled ICD-10 criteria for a psychiatric disorder other than substance-use disorder. Over half of the group interviewed fulfilled ICD-10 criteria for an affective disorder, two-thirds fulfilled criteria for an anxiety disorder and just under half fulfilled diagnostic criteria for both an affective disorder and an anxiety disorder in the 12 months prior to interview. At the time of interview, 19% fulfilled ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for a moderate or severe affective disorder. Seventy per cent of males and 89% of females interviewed had a comorbid psychiatric illness. In 71% of the group who had a comorbid psychiatric illness, the onset of psychiatric symptomatology was reported to predate the use of heroin.

Conclusion: The prevalence of psychiatric disorder is up to 10 times higher in the population on methadone maintenance than in the general population and is two to three times higher than that found in community surveys of those with a substance-use disorder. These results are consistent with earlier findings and have implications for service planning.
Bilateral Orbitomedial Leucotomy for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: A Single-Case Study Using Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Sachdev Perminder , Trollor Julian , Walker Alexandra , Wen Wei , Fulham Michael , Smith John Sydney , Matheson John
Published: June 2007

Objective: The objective of this report is to correlate the clinical outcome of neurosurgery for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) with regional cerebral glucose metabolic changes.

Clinical picture: The patient was a 37-year-old female patient with severe and intractable OCD.

Treatment: The patient was treated with bilateral stereotactic lesions in the frontal white matter superior to the orbito-medial cortex.

Outcome: She had a remarkable improvement in her obsessive–compulsive symptoms, which was sustained up to 3 years of follow up. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan performed 18 days after surgery demonstrated an obvious reduction of metabolism in the caudate head, anterior cingulate and orbital, medial and lateral prefrontal cortices and the thalamus. At 1 year postsurgery, metabolic rate was still reduced in the anterior cingulate gyrus, caudate and thalamus compared with preoperative baseline. The patient demonstrated no long-term cognitive effects of the surgery.

Conclusions: This case supports some of the cortical-subcortical circuit dysfunction models of OCD and argues for the further evaluation of neurosurgery for the treatment of a severe and intractable disorder.
Assessing Special Educational Needs: the child's contribution
Authors: Armstrong Derrick , Galloway David , Tomlinson Sally
Published: June 2007

This article is concerned with the role of the child in assessments under the 1981 Education Act. It focuses on the implications of the child's contribution for professional practice. Despite the recommendations of the DES in Circular 22/89 that the feelings and perceptions of the child should be taken into account and that the concept of partnership should be extended to children and young people, in practice the child's contribution is often minimal. The reason for this may in part arise from clinical difficulties in gaining access to children's thinking. In part, however, it may also arise from constraints which influence the way professionals conceptualize children's needs. A further issue discussed in this article concerns the effect on children's behaviour of their “metaperceptions” i.e. their beliefs about the purposes of an assessment and about the role of the professionals involved. It is argued that these may have an impact upon the child's thinking and behaviour, with implications for the way in which professionals understand ‘the problem’.
Children's Views on Gender Issues in School
Authors: Cullingford Cedric
Published: June 2007

Most of the research on gender issues in schools has focused on teacher behaviour and the values transmitted through observed talk and behaviour. There has been comparatively little research on children's attitudes to teachers' behaviour. As part of an analysis of their views on schooling 53 children in their first year of secondary school were given lengthy interviews about their experiences of school, including their recollections of primary schools. Out of these interviews emerged some clearly and consistently held opinions about teachers' and pupils' attitudes to gender. Whilst pupils did not think that the issues were of the highest salience, and did not observe extreme forms of discrimination, they were all concerned about the ‘unfair’ treatment of boys in particular. This included being ‘picked on’ more than girls who might be carrying out the same actions. Both boys and girls felt that the former were unfairly treated. But the children also felt that certain kinds of discrimination were inevitable, given the reputation and nature of boys' behaviour.
Towards Effective and Transferable Learning in Secondary School: the development of an approach based on mastery learning
Authors: Postlethwaite Keith , Haggarty Linda
Published: June 2007

This article describes ways in which teachers, supported by two university lecturers, attempted to secure effective learning for all their pupils. After considering relevant literature, teachers chose to explore the mastery learning model and were successful in using it in two short units of subject‐specific work. To maximise the benefits of a second cycle of work on the issue, teachers concentrated on developing mastery learning approaches to transferable elements of the curriculum. They generally agreed that these provided powerful ways of encouraging effective transfer of teaming; they encouraged cooperation amongst staff from different disciplines, led to a consistent approach for pupils, and provided a context in which in‐class special needs support could be effectively deployed. Pupils reported that the approaches were successful. Some teachers of English remained sceptical about the validity of mastery learning for some aspects of their subject. Some insights into processes of change in secondary schools are also provided.
The Changing Profile of Entrants to Mathematics at A Level and to Mathematical Subjects in Higher Education
Authors: Kitchen Ann
Published: June 2007

Over the past decade most, if not all, university departments of mathematics, science and engineering have talked about a decline in the mathematical capabilities of their entry cohorts. Anecdotal evidence from the universities and the press has blamed this drop on a lowering of standards at A level. However, it may be due to the lowering of admission requirements to allow for the expansion in university places. This article attempts to quantify the present situation by looking at the characteristics of the student population at both the interface between the General Certificate of Secondary Education and A level, and A level and higher education over time. As well as analysing official published data and hitherto unpublished data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, it builds on some initial work carried out at the Mechanics in Action Project at the Universities of Manchester and Leeds over the past 6 years as part of the evaluation of the effects of the Project's mathematics curriculum development work post‐16. An explanation for the universities’ perception of declining standards is found in (a) the changing A level cohort, (b) the universities’ policy on recruitment, and (c) able students choosing not to study mathematical subjects.
Captured Customers: people with learning difficulties in the social market
Authors: Riddell Sheila , Wilson Alastair , Baron Stephen
Published: June 2007

This article explores the experiences of education, training and employment services for people with learning difficulties, examining the operation of the social market across these different spheres. It begins by discussing some broad features of the market within the public policy arena and the particular models adopted in post‐school education, training and community care. Subsequently, drawing on the research project The Meaning of the Learning Society for Adults with Learning Difficulties the authors interrogate the accounts given by different professional groups of the way in which the market works in practice and juxtapose these with the experiences of people with learning difficulties whose lives were explored through ethnographic case studies. The authors conclude that the choices of those with the most significant learning difficulties are restricted because of their impairments, but some degree of choice is possible for all. For most people with learning difficulties, choices are restricted not so much by their impairments as by the ethos and structures of the services they use. It appears that potential or current economic activity is used as a gateway to consumer citizenship and those who are deemed to be of only marginal economic value have access to a restricted range of services which tend to be allocated rather than chosen.
Divergent Discourses of Learning Difficulty
Authors: Skidmore David
Published: June 2007

It is argued that the influence of the functionalist tradition of organisation theory can be detected in various areas of contemporary educational research, including research concerned with the development of mainstream provision for pupils with learning difficulties, in the emphasis placed upon the need for consensus among school staff over shared values and goals. Evidence is then presented and discussed from a case study of an English secondary school, where a process of institutional development was under way aimed at enhancing provision for pupils with learning difficulties. Analysis of the data shows that two divergent discourses of learning difficulty could be identified in use in the school, articulated by different constituencies of staff. These are termed, respectively, the discourse of curriculum presentation and the discourse of pupil ability. A model of the structure of the discourses is proposed, identifying six dimensions along which they diverge. The relations obtaining between the discourse constituencies are analysed. On the basis of this analysis, it is argued that previous research in the field of school improvement and inclusion may have exaggerated the need for consensus among teaching staff. Instead, it is argued that the process of dialogue between the constituencies associated with divergent pedagogical discourses can act as an important motor in creating a dynamic of development within the school.