bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered secretory and neuroprotective function of the choroid plexus in progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Rodríguez-Lorenzo Sabela , Ferreira Francisco David Miguel , Vos Ricardo , van het Hof Bert , Rijnsburger Merel , Schroten Horst , Ishikawa Hiroshi , Beaino Wissam , Bruggmann Rémy , Kooij Gijs , de Vries Helga E. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe choroid plexus (CP) is a key regulator of the central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis through its secretory, immunological and barrier properties. Accumulating evidence suggests that the CP plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), but the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. To get a comprehensive view on the role of the CP in MS, we studied transcriptomic alterations of the human CP in progressive MS and non-neurological disease controls using RNA sequencing. We identified 17 genes with significantly higher expression in progressive MS patients relative to that in controls. Among them is the newly described long non-coding RNA HIF1A-AS3. Next to that, we uncovered disease-affected pathways related to hypoxia, secretion and neuroprotection, while only subtle immunological and no barrier alterations were observed. In an ex vivo CP explant model, a subset of the upregulated genes responded in a similar way to hypoxic conditions. Our results suggest a deregulation of the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF)-1 pathway in progressive MS CP. Importantly, cerebrospinal fluid levels of the hypoxia-responsive secreted peptide PAI-1 were higher in MS patients with high disability relative to those with low disability. These findings provide for the first time a complete overview of the CP transcriptome in health and disease, and suggest that the CP environment becomes hypoxic in progressive MS patients, highlighting the altered secretory and neuroprotective properties of the CP under neuropathological conditions. Together, these findings provide novel insights to target the CP and promote the secretion of neuroprotective factors into the CNS of progressive MS patients.
Laboratory tests simulating corrosion in geothermal power plants: influence of service conditions
Authors: Vallejo Vitaller Ana , Angst Ueli M. , Elsener Bernhard 
Published: March 2020

AbstractOne of the main challenges associated with the operation and maintenance of binary geothermal power plants is the degradation of construction materials. In this sense, it is crucial to apply appropriate preventive maintenance in critical components (such as the wellheads, heat exchangers, or pipes), while reducing shutdown times. Based on electrochemical measurements performed in an autoclave corrosion testing setup, we studied the corrosion mechanism of API L80 steel grade as a function of operational and/or maintenance procedures. We used a test fluid representative for a site in Switzerland, but the main observations made may be applicable in a wider context. We found that changes in the fluid temperature (from 200 to 100 °C) or temporary oxygen ingress significantly influenced the corrosion behavior of this carbon steel and increased its corrosion rate (from approx. 20 µm/year to > 120 µm/year). After a few days, the corrosion rate was found to decrease and stabilize around values of 50–70 µm/year, as a result of a porous corrosion product layer formed on the metal surface (approx. 250 µm thick). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated an increase in capacitance of the double layer over time, most likely due to an increase in the effective surface area of the steel sample, as a consequence of surface roughening due to corrosion. The results from this study may be implemented in the design and operation of future power plants in Switzerland and elsewhere to ensure reliable and cost-effective energy production from geothermal resources.
Chromatographic method for estimation of vitamin E from dried blood spot sample
Authors: Navale Archana Mohit , Patel Vichika R. , Tandel Falguni B. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
We developed a selective bioanalytical RP-HPLC method for estimation of vitamin E from dried blood spot (DBS) sample, a potential technique which can be used for population-based epidemiological studies. Vitamin E was extracted from DBS by using liquid-liquid extraction technique with methanol (100% v/v) as reconstituting solvent for the residue. Alpha tocopheryl acetate was used as internal standard. Samples were analyzed directly on HPLC with C18 (250 × 4.6 mm × 5 μm) Phenomenex column. The mobile phase used was methanol to water (99:1% v/v) at a flow rate of 1.4 mL/min. The detector wavelength used was 292 nm.

Results
The retention time observed for vitamin E and internal standard was 10.225 ± 0.00075 min and 13.580 ± 0.00075 min respectively. The vitamin E calibration curve was found to be linear over the range of 0.625 to 60 μg/mL. The limit of quantification for vitamin E was found to be 0.1 μg/mL. Accuracy of the developed method was found to be 103.179%, 101.625%, and 100.174% with percentage of coefficient of variation of 0.0161, 0.0215, and 0.2790 for HQC, MQC, and LQC samples respectively which were within USFDA acceptance limit of ± 15 to ± 20%.The intraday and interday precision expressed as coefficient of variation were 0.0191–0.0841% and 0.0074–0.0252% respectively.

Conclusions
The method represents a simple, rapid, specific, accurate, and precise method for estimation of vitamin E in human blood using DBS technique. The developed method can be further evaluated with respect to effect of matrix variability before it can be used in clinical setting.
DFT Study on Conformation of 1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium with Ethyl, Propyl, Butyl, Pentyl, and Hexyl Group
Authors: Endo Takatsugu , Higuchi Tomoki , Kimura Yoshifumi 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Comprehensive conformational analyses of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations ([Cnmim]+ where n = 2–6) were performed by DFT calculations with dispersion correction in the gas phase. The energy difference (ΔE) of each conformer from the non-planar and all-trans (t) form was calculated. The planar forms have 2–3 kJ mol−1 higher energy than the corresponding non-planar form. A significant difference between these two forms is that unlike the non-planar form, the planar form cannot take gauche (g) or gauche′ (g′) in the second dihedral angle of the alkyl group. The conformational behavior for the alkyl group somewhat resembles that of alkane while interactions between the alkyl group and the imidazolium ring play an important role for [Cnmim]+ in both attractive and repulsive ways. For example, when the conformers contain g/g′ in the inner dihedral position, they tend to provide low ΔE due to the attractive interaction. Meanwhile, the strong repulsive interactions coming from steric hindrance do not allow some non-planar forms to stably exist. Instead, such a conformer takes the planar form that experiences less steric hindrance. The calculated results were compared with those from the Cambridge Structural Database, and Raman bands of the calculated cations were displayed and discussed.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Role of Scalable Computing and Data Analytics in Evolution of Internet of Things
Authors: JN Swaminathan , Ram Gopi , Lanka Sureka 
Published: March 2020

The evolution of Internet of Things has given way to a Smart World where there is an improved integration of devices, systems and processes in humans through all pervasive connectivity. Anytime, anywhere connection and transaction is the motto of the Internet of things which brings comfort to the users and sweeps the problem of physical boundary out of the way. Once it has come into the purview of developers, new areas have been identified and new applications have been introduced. Small wearables which can track your health to big automated vehicles which can move from one place to another self navigating without human intervention are the order of the day. This has also brought into existence a new technology called cloud, since with IoT comes a large number of devices connected to the internet continuously pumping data into the cloud for storage and processing. Another area benefited from the evolution of IoT is the wireless and wired connectivity through a wide range of connectivity standards.
As with any technology, it has also created a lot of concerns regarding the security, privacy and ethics.

Data protection issues created by new technologies are a threat which has been recognized by developers, public and also the governing body long back. The complexity of the system arises because of the various sensors and technologies which clearly tell the pattern of the activities of the individual as well an organization making us threat prone. Moreover, the volume of the data in the cloud makes it too difficult to recognize the privacy requirement of the data or to segregate open data from private data. Data analytics is another technology which supposedly increases the opportunity of increasing business by studying this private data collected from IoT and exploring ways to monetize them. It also helps the individual by recognizing their priorities and narrowing their search. But the data collected are real world data and aggregation of this data in the cloud is an open invitation to the hackers to study about the behaviors of the individuals.

The special issues of Scalable Computing has attract related to the Role of Scalable Computing and Data Analytics in Evolution of Internet of Things has attracted 28 submissions from which were selected 12.
The treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia with splints in the United Kingdom: Time for consensus?
Authors: Westacott Daniel J. , Perry Daniel C. 
Published: March 2020

Purpose To understand the variation in the management of hip dysplasia identified from the United Kingdom neonatal selective screening programme. Methods Having been designed and tested by the research committee of the British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS), a nationwide online survey was conducted of BSCOS members to ascertain their treatment strategies for neonatal hip dysplasia. Results There were 111 responses (60% of members), which illustrated wide variation in care. In all, 91 (over 80%) of respondents treat more than ten cases per year, yet only 61 (55%) work to an agreed protocol. A total of 90 (81%) use the Graf classification and 103 (93%) use the Pavlik harness initially. Consensus is lacking in key areas including duration of harness use, hours per day, clothing and weaning. Importantly, notable differences of opinion even exist regarding which hip pathologies need treatment. Conclusion This study quantifies the wide variation in many key elements of the initial treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia in the United Kingdom. This variation appears unnecessary and unacceptable as the Getting It Right First Time programme seeks to standardize care pathways. The charitable sector has called for consensus to mitigate parental anxiety, and it has been suggested that this could allow better integration of hip dysplasia into national screening pathways. Standardized care benefits patients and represents the platform from which we can begin understanding effectiveness and optimizing outcomes. Level of Evidence Level V
Predicting subsequent contralateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis: An evidence-based approach
Authors: Swarup Ishaan , Shah Ronit , Gohel Shivani , Baldwin Keith , Sankar Wudbhav N. 
Published: March 2020

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for developing a subsequent contralateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) and provide a prediction score to quantify risk of subsequent slip at the time of initial presentation. Methods This retrospective study included patients that presented with a unilateral SCFE between 2006 and 2017. Chart and radiographic review were performed to collect demographic, clinical and radiographic risk factors. Descriptive statistics, univariate analyses and multivariate regression analysis were used to compare risk factors between patients that did or did not develop a subsequent contralateral SCFE. Results This study included 183 patients and 33 patients (18%) developed a subsequent contralateral SCFE. Younger age at time of initial presentation, lower modified Oxford Score and smaller difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle between both sides during index presentation were significant predictors of subsequent contralateral SCFE. Specifically, age ≤ 11 years, modified Oxford Score ≤ 20 and difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle of ≤ 21° between both hips were predictive of a contralateral slip (Area Under the Curve = 0.78; p < 0.05). The presence of each risk factor increased the risk of subsequent contralateral SCFE and having all three risk factors increased the risk to 73%. Conclusion There is a significant risk of subsequent contralateral SCFE in patients with unilateral SCFE, and predictive risk factors include younger age, lower modified Oxford Score and smaller difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle between the affected and unaffected hips. Level of Evidence Level III
Assessment of Prior Learning in Adult Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Aarkrog Vibe , Wahlgren Bjarne 
Published: March 2020

The article deals about the results of a study of school-based Assessment of Prior Learning of adults who have enrolled as students in a VET college in order to qualify for occupations as skilled workers. Based on examples of VET teachers’ methods for assessing the students’ prior learning in the programs for gastronomes, respectively child care assistants the article discusses two issues in relation to Assessment of Prior Learning: the encounter of practical experience and school-based knowledge and the validity and reliability of the assessment procedures. Through focusing on the students’ knowing that and knowing why the assessment is based on a scholastic perception of the students’ needs for training, reflecting one of the most important challenges in Assessment of Prior Learning: how can practical experience be transformed into credits for the knowledge parts of the programs? The study shows that by combining several Assessment of Prior Learning methods and comparing the teachers’ assessments the teachers respond to the issues of validity and reliability. However, validity and reliability might be even further strengthened, if the competencies are well defined, if the education system is aware of securing a reasonable balance between knowing how, knowing that, and knowing why, and if the teachers are adequately trained for the assessment procedures.
From the Reality of Work to Grounded Work-Based Learning in German Vocational Education and Training: Background, Concept and Tools
Authors: Gessler Michael , Howe Falk 
Published: March 2020

The "Riga Conclusions" of the European Ministries of Education of 22 June 2015 for the orientation of vocational education and training in Europe are promoting work-based learning as one of five "medium-term deliverables" for the next five years. But: How should and can work-based teaching and learning be designed? Our approach was developed within the German Dual VET System. Therefore it is not surprising that the work reality is for us the major principle for designing curricula and learning settings. As a starting point for developing didactical measures in the field of vocational education and training it is crucial in this approach to identify practices, routines and experiences of skilled workers that are experts for what they are doing. What are those people doing when handling a task, how are they acting, what work objects and tools are they operating with, and what requirements do they have to be aware of? To answer these kinds of questions, the real work in practice must be explored. A useful approach for doing this is a vocational work process analysis. The next step comprises developing a workbased learning project for the classroom. These two steps, vocational work process analysis and work-based learning projects, build the core of the article and enable a grounded work-based learning. Additional the changing priorities of curriculum design in the last century are introduced to reach a better understanding of the background and the actual work-oriented focus in German Dual VET. Our key proposition is: If work-based learning in vocational schools is wanted, the gap between the reality of work and the formal learning settings has to be closed.
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Towards the Compatibility of Professional and Scientific Learning Outcomes: Insights and Options in the Context of Competence Orientation
Authors: Rein Volker 
Published: March 2020

The steady increase in science-related requirements in operational areas of skilled and managing workforce is influencing worldwide the discourse on shaping professionalization. This article focuses on the compatibility of professional and scientific competence-oriented learning outcomes of qualification programmes within and across the education and training sectors. It is assumed that there is not, per se, a conceptual dichotomy in designing education and training programmes and credentials in a competence-oriented manner to address complex professional and scientific requirements in education and training in a compatible way. The article tries to shift the discussion from a systemic and institutional focus to a conceptual- and requirement-oriented perspective on qualification design. Using Germany as an example, it discusses the conceptual intersections of Vocational Education and Training and academic Higher Education on competence, and comparatively analyzes competence-oriented instruments for the classification and the transparency of learning outcomes and their application in the education practice of dual study programmes with vocational reference qualifications. On this basis, the article elucidates identified characteristics of comprehensive professional-scientific competences and relevant requirement areas in education and training. In addition, further prerequisites for an integrated competence acquisition in education programmes are discussed as well. It is assumed that these characteristics can also be regarded as important prerequisites for the connectivity of qualifications and permeable pathways within and between education systems.
Transition to company-based vocational training in Germany by young people from a migrant background – the influence of region of origin and generation status
Authors: Beicht Ursula , Walden Günter 
Published: March 2020

Purpose: For young people with a migrant background in Germany transition from school to company-based vocational training is much more difficult than for non-migrants. This remains true, when data is controlled for the lower performance of young migrants in general education. In this paper we investigate if and how far the chances of transition to company-based vocational training and the acquisition of different school leaving certificates depend from the migration generation and the region of origin of young migrants. The question is, if disadvantages of young migrants diminish with a longer stay of their family in Germany and if this is also the case for the different groups of regions of origin (Southern Europe, East Europe, Turkey, other Middle East and North Africa, Other regions).
Methods: We conduct multivariate analyses on the basis of data from the German Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Our analyses relate to young people who left a general education school after Year 9 in the summer of 2011 or Year 10 in the summer of 2012. Our database comprises information provided by a total of 5,952 school leavers.
Results: For all four origin groups worse chances in comparison to non-migrants were detected. But there are differences in the disadvantages of opportunity between the various groups. They acquire more often lower school qualifications than their counterparts not from a migrant background and also have worse chances than the latter of successfully progressing to company-based vocational education and training. This applies even if other important influencing factors such as social origin are taken into account. Young people from a Turkish or Arab background have the lowest chances in general education and vocational training. As generation status rises disadvantages diminish for all origin groups, but with different magnitudes. A clear upwards-directed integration can be observed solely for the East European origin group.
Conclusion: The results of our analyses signalise a clear need for action on the part of German policy makers and German society to reduce the educational disadvantages suffered by young migrants and to develop an effective support mechanism. Integration is rarely achieved in the short term. It is a long-term task which frequently extends over several generations.
Large scale studies of holistic professional competence in vocational education and training (VET): The case of Norway
Authors: Lahn Leif Christian , Nore Hæge 
Published: March 2020

Context: In this paper, we review and discuss the piloting in Norway of a German methodology for competence diagnostics in vocational education and training: the Competence Development and Assessment in TVET (COMET) project. Our overarching theme is determining to what extent such large-scale assessment systems are valid for international comparisons in this sector. Method: We present the theoretical underpinnings of the COMET model and position our discussion within the broader context of the concept of “professional competence” (berufliche Kompetenz) and methodological guidelines for its measurement. Terminology from psychometrics on “measurement equivalence” is described and serves as a template for identifying challenges in using the Norwegian data for comparative purposes. Our pilot included students and apprentices in health care, industrial mechanics and electricians and was designed as a three-year follow-up study from the second year of upper secondary school through two years of apprenticeship. Each year, a test on professional competence and a context survey were administered. Similar studies have been conducted in Germany, China and South Africa.Results: In line with the results from these countries, the Norwegian participants had low scores, particularly the electricians. However, the diagnostic instrument was sensitive to the development of professional competence, and progress on the assessment was influenced by the quality of the learning support in the companies, as reported by apprentices in the context survey.Conclusions: The COMET platform may be a viable prototype for the development of diagnostic tools, which may support the monitoring of quality factors at different levels and inspire local improvement projects in schools, companies and training offices. Such an objective would be in line with the latest summaries of the COMET project, in which its contribution to a model for international large-scale assessment is toned down and replaced by a stronger emphasis on its potential for measuring competence development, evaluating contextual factors and generating data for didactic innovations.