Sleep, metabolism and aging

Aging is a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social changes. Understanding how we sleep and how this dynamic process evolves across life span will help to identify normal developmental aspects of sleep over time and to create strategies to increase awareness of sleep disturbances and their early management. In normal sleepers from HypnoLaus cohort, we evaluated the effects of age and gender on both subjective and objective sleep measurements. Our results indicate that normal aging is not accompanied by sleep complaints, and when they exist suggest the presence of underlying comorbidities. Polysomnographic data revealed that slow wave sleep was more affected with age in men, and age affected differently NREM and REM spectral power densities. Both sleep structure and spectral analysis profiles may constitute standards to delineate pathological changes in sleep, both for aging women and men. Another important aspect in the management of sleep and its disorders is a detailed characterization of sleep-inducing medications. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter derivative of GABA, but its mode of action and the range of effects are not well understood. Several properties, as growth hormone stimulation in humans and the development of weight loss in treated patients suggest an unexplored metabolic effect. In different experiments we assessed the effects of acute, short term and chronic GHB administration on central (cerebral cortex) and peripheral (liver) biochemical processes involved in the metabolism of the drug, as well as the effects of the drug on metabolism in C57BL/6J, GABAB knock-out and obese (ob/ob) mice. We showed that GHB treatment affects weight gain in C57BL/6J and GABAB knock-out mice. Metabolomic analysis indicated large central and peripheral metabolic changes induced by GHB with important relevance to its therapeutic use. -- Le vieillissement est un processus multidimensionnel accompagné par de multiples changements dans les domaines physique, psychologique et social. Comprendre comment nous dormons et comment ce processus dynamique évolue sur la durée de vie nous aidera à identifier les aspects normaux du développement du sommeil au fil du temps, et à créer des stratégies pour accroître la connaissance et compréhension des troubles du sommeil et leur prise en charge précoce. Chez les sujets normaux de la cohorte HypnoLaus nous avons évalué les effets de l'âge et du sexe sur les mesures subjectives et objectives du sommeil. Nos résultats indiquent que le vieillissement normal ne s'accompagne pas de troubles du sommeil, et quand ils existent ceux-ci suggèrent la présence de comorbidités sous-jacentes. Les données polysomnographiques ont révélé que le sommeil profond était plus affecté avec l'âge chez les hommes. De plus, nous avons montré comment l'âge modifie la composition spectrale du sommeil lent et paradoxal. La structure du sommeil et les profils d'analyse spectrale peuvent donc constituer des standards permettant de définir les changements pathologiques du sommeil chez les personnes âgées. Parmi les aspects importants de la gestion du sommeil et de ses troubles, la caractérisation détaillée des médicaments hypnotiques utilisés est essentielle. L'acide gamma-hydroxybutyrique (GHB) est un acide gras à courte chaîne dérivé du GABA, principal neurotransmetteur inhibiteur du cerveau, mais son mode d'action et tous ses effets sont toujours largement méconnus. Plusieurs propriétés, comme la stimulation de la sécrétion de l'hormone de croissance chez l'homme et le développement d'une perte de poids chez les patients traités suggèrent un effet métabolique inexploré. Dans différentes expériences, nous avons évalué les effets d'une exposition aiguë, à court terme et chronique de GHB sur les processus biochimiques centraux (cortex cérébral) et périphériques (foie) impliqués dans le métabolisme du médicament. Nous avons aussi évalué les effets du médicament sur le métabolisme des souris C57BL/6J, GABAB KO et obèses (ob/ob). Nos résultats ont montré que le GHB diminue le gain de poids chez les souris C57BL/6J et GABAB KO. L'analyse métabolomique a indiqué des changements importants induits par GHB au niveau central et périphérique, et ces effets sont importants pour son utilisation thérapeutique.

Addressing elementary school teachers' professional stressors: Practical suggestions for schools and adminstrators

Purpose: Given the preponderance of education reform since the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2001), reform efforts have shaped the nature of the work and culture in schools. The emphasis on standardized testing to determine schools' status and student performance, among other factors, has generated stress, particularly for teachers. Therefore, district and school administrators are encouraged to consider the contextual factors that contribute to teacher stress to address them and to retain high-performing teachers. Research Methods/Approach: Participants were recruited from two types of schools in order to test hypotheses related to directional responding as a function of working in a more challenging (high-priority) or less challenging (non-high-priority) school environment. We employed content analysis to analyze 64 suburban elementary school teachers' free-responses to a prompt regarding their stress as teachers. We cross-analyzed our findings through external auditing to bolster trustworthiness in the data and in the procedure. Findings: Teachers reported personal and contextual stressors. Herein, we reported concrete examples of the five categories of contextual stressors teachers identified: political and educational structures, instructional factors, student factors, parent and family factors, and school climate. We found directional qualities and overlapping relationships in the data, partially confirming our hypotheses. Implications for Research and Practice: We offer specific recommendations for practical ways in which school administrators might systemically address teacher stress based on the five categories of stressors reported by participants. We also suggest means of conducting action research to measure the effects of implemented suggestions.

Harvest managements and cultural practices in sugarcane

The presence of trash from the mechanical harvest of green cane on sugarcane plantations promotes changes in the agricultural management, for example, in the mechanical cultural practices of ratoon cane in-between the rows and nitrogen (N) fertilization. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of sugarcane in different harvest systems, associated to the mechanical cultural practices in interrows and N rates. The study was carried out on a sugarcane plantation in Sales Oliveira, São Paulo, Brazil, with the sugarcane variety SP81-3250, on soil classified as Acrudox, in a randomized block design with split-split plots and four replications. The main treatments consisted of harvest systems (harvesting green cane or burnt cane), the secondary treatment consisted of the mechanical cultural practices in the interrows and the tertiary treatments were N rates (0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 160 kg ha-1), using ammonium nitrate (33 % N) as N source. The harvest systems did not differ in sugarcane yield (tons of cane per hectare - TCH), but in burnt cane, the pol percent and total sugar recovery (TSR) were higher. This could be explained by the higher quantity of plant impurities in the harvested raw material in the system without burning, which reduces the processing quality. Mechanical cultural practices in the interrows after harvest had no effect on cane yield and sugar quality, indicating that this operation can be omitted in areas with mechanical harvesting. The application of N fertilizer at rates of 88 and 144 kg ha-1 N, respectively, increased stalk height and TCH quadratically to the highest values for these variables. For the sugar yield per hectare (in pol %), N fertilization induced a linear increase.

Differential effects of sodium oxybate and baclofen on EEG, sleep, neurobehavioral performance, and memory.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sodium oxybate (SO) is a GABA(B) agonist used to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy. SO was shown to increase slow wave sleep (SWS) and EEG delta power (0.75-4.5 Hz), both indexes of NREM sleep (NREMS) intensity and depth, suggesting that SO enhances recuperative function of NREM. We investigated whether SO induces physiological deep sleep. DESIGN: SO was administered before an afternoon nap or before the subsequent experimental night in 13 healthy volunteers. The effects of SO were compared to baclofen (BAC), another GABA(B) receptor agonist, to assess the role of GABA(B) receptors in the SO response. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: As expected, a nap significantly decreased sleep need and intensity the subsequent night. Both drugs reversed this nap effect on the subsequent night by decreasing sleep latency and increasing total sleep time, SWS during the first NREMS episode, and EEG delta and theta (0.75-7.25 Hz) power during NREMS. The SO-induced increase in EEG delta and theta power was, however, not specific to NREMS and was also observed during REM sleep (REMS) and wakefulness. Moreover, the high levels of delta power during a nap following SO administration did not affect delta power the following night. SO and BAC taken before the nap did not improve subsequent psychomotor performance and subjective alertness, or memory consolidation. Finally, SO and BAC strongly promoted the appearance of sleep onset REM periods. CONCLUSIONS: The SO-induced EEG slow waves seem not to be functionally similar to physiological slow waves. Our findings also suggest a role for GABA(B) receptors in REMS generation. CITATION: Vienne J; Lecciso G; Constantinescu I; Schwartz S; Franken P; Heinzer R; Tafti M. Differential effects of sodium oxybate and baclofen on EEG, sleep, neurobehavioral performance, and memory. SLEEP 2012;35(8):1071-1084.

Patterns of Adherence to Raltegravir-Based Regimens and the Risk of Virological Failure Among HIV-Infected Patients: The RALTECAPS Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:: Adherence patterns and their influence on virologic outcome are well characterized for protease inhibitor (PI)- and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens. We aimed to determine how patterns of adherence to raltegravir influence the risk of virological failure. We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort following 81 HIV-infected antiretroviral-naive or experienced subjects receiving or starting twice-a-day raltegravir-based antiretroviral therapy. Their adherence patterns were monitored using the Medication Events Monitoring System. During follow-up (188 days, ±77), 12 (15%) of 81 subjects experienced virological failure. Longer treatment interruption [adjusted odds ratio per 24-hour increase: 2.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 6.9; P < 0.02] and average adherence (odds ratio per 5% increase: 0.68; 95% confidence interval: 0.46 to 1.00, P < 0.05) were both independently associated with virological failure controlling for prior duration of viral suppression. Timely interdose intervals and high levels of adherence to raltegravir are both necessary to control HIV replication.

The Biblioteca de Catalunya: working for the present and the future

The Biblioteca de Catalunya (BC) was created in 1907 by the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC). In 1914 the Mancomunitat de Catalunya gave the library its condition of cultural and public service, open to researchers and scholars. The library underwent several changes as a consequence of political events, along the most of 20th century. In 1981 it was recognized by law as national library and it recovered its foundational aim of gathering, preserving and disseminating the bibliographical output of Catalonia and the production related with the Catalan linguistic field. As the proud host of ANADP2, the BC wants to show the attendees to the conference how, since 2004, has positioned itself to face the challenge of the new informational and technological paradigm. The library strategy for oncoming years includes giving open and free access online to the digitization of many of his collections through the portals MDC (Digital Memory of Catalonia), ARCA (Old Catalan Serials Archive) and Google Books project; the creation of the Web Archive of Catalonia and, as the last step in the consolidation of its policy, a high-security preserving repository named COFRE, based on the international guidelines and initiatives and the experience of the BC itself.

Creation and Validation of Chronojump-Boscosystem: A Free Tool to Measure Vertical Jumps

Measuring the height of the vertical jump is an indicator of the strength and power of the lower body. The technological tools available to measure the vertical jump are black boxes and are not open to third-party verification or adaptation. We propose the creation of a measurement system called Chronojump-Boscosystem, consisting of open hardware and free software. Methods: A microcontroller was created and validated using a square wave generator and an oscilloscope. Two types of contact platforms were developed using different materials. These platforms were validated by the minimum pressure required for activation at different points by a strain gauge, together with the on/off time of our platforms in respect of the Ergojump-Boscosystem platform by a sample of 8 subjects performing submaximal jumps with one foot on each platform. Agile methodologies were used to develop and validate the software. Results: All the tools fall under the free software / open hardware guidelines and are, in that sense, free. The microcontroller margin of error is 0.1%. The validity of the fiberglass platform is 0.95 (ICC). The management software contains nearly 113.000 lines of code and is available in 7 languages.

The Lausanne Institutional Biobank: a new resource to catalyse research in personalised medicine and pharmaceutical sciences.

Breakthrough technologies which now enable the sequencing of individual genomes will irreversibly modify the way diseases are diagnosed, predicted, prevented and treated. For these technologies to reach their full potential requires, upstream, access to high-quality biomedical data and samples from large number of properly informed and consenting individuals and, downstream, the possibility to transform the emerging knowledge into a clinical utility. The Lausanne Institutional Biobank was designed as an integrated, highly versatile infrastructure to harness the power of these emerging technologies and catalyse the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics and biomarkers, and advance the field of personalised medicine. Described here are its rationale, design and governance, as well as parallel initiatives which have been launched locally to address the societal, ethical and technological issues associated with this new bio-resource. Since January 2013, inpatients admitted at Lausanne CHUV University Hospital have been systematically invited to provide a general consent for the use of their biomedical data and samples for research, to complete a standardised questionnaire, to donate a 10-ml sample of blood for future DNA extraction and to be re-contacted for future clinical trials. Over the first 18 months of operation, 14,459 patients were contacted, and 11,051 accepted to participate in the study. This initial 18-month experience illustrates that a systematic hospital-based biobank is feasible; it shows a strong engagement in research from the patient population in this University Hospital setting, and the need for a broad, integrated approach for the future of medicine to reach its full potential.

Beyond Conditionality versus Cooperation: Power and Resistance in the Case of EU Mobility Partnerships and Swiss Migration Partnerships

Migration partnerships (MPs) have become a key instrument in global migration governance. In contrast to traditional unilateral approaches, MPs emphasize a more comprehensive and inclusive tackling of migration issues between countries of origin, transit, and destination. Due to this cooperation-oriented concept, most of the existing studies on MPs neglect power questions within partnerships in line with the official discourse, reflecting a broader trend in the international migration governance literature. Others take an instrumentalist view in analysing the power of partnerships or focus on soft power. Illustrated with the examples of the European Mobility Partnerships (EU MPs) and the Swiss Migration Partnerships (CH MPs), we conduct an analysis based on a concept of productive power drawing on post-structural and post-colonial insights. Our main argument is that in contrast to their seemingly consent-oriented and technical character, MPs are sites of intense (discursive) struggles, and (re-)produce meanings, subjects, and resistances. A productive power analysis allows us to move beyond the dichotomy in the literature between coercion and cooperation, as well as between power and resistance more broadly.

Workforce Training and Economic Development Fund Annual Progress Report, 2014 December 9, 2014

The Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges, will annually provide the State Board of Education with the Workforce Training and Economic Development Fund Annual Progress Report. Administration and oversight responsibility for the fund was transferred from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to the Iowa Department of Education effective July 1, 2013 (FY 2014). This report is the first annual progress report produced and distributed by the Iowa Department of Education. The full report outlines the programs, projects, and initiatives that the community colleges have implemented during the past fiscal year.

Modernització tecnològica, canvi organitzatiu i serveis als usuaris en el sistema de salut de Catalunya. Informe de recerca (volum III)

Aquest estudi va analitzar la interacció del canvi organitzatiu, els valors culturals i el canvi tecnològic en el sistema sanitari català. L'estudi se subdivideix en cinc parts diferents. La primera és una anàlisi de contingut de webs relacionats amb la salut a Catalunya. La segona és un estudi dels usos d'Internet en qüestions relacionades amb la salut entre la població en general, les associacions de pacients i els professionals de la salut, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet adaptat a cada un d'aquests grups. La tercera part és un estudi de treball de camp dels programes experimentals duts a terme pel Govern català en diverses àrees i hospitals locals per a integrar electrònicament la història clínica dels pacients. La quarta és un estudi de les implicacions organitzatives de la introducció de sistemes d'informació en la gestió d'hospitals i centres d'assistència primària a l'Institut Català de Salut, el principal proveïdor de salut pública a Catalunya, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet i entrevistes en profunditat. La cinquena part és un estudi de cas dels efectes organitzatius i socials de la introducció de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació en un dels principals hospitals de Catalunya, l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. L'estudi es va dur a terme entre el maig del 2005 i el juliol del 2007.

Modernización tecnológica, cambio organizativo y servicio a los usuarios en el sistema de salud de Catalunya. Informe de investigación (documento de síntesis)

Aquest estudi va analitzar la interacció del canvi organitzatiu, els valors culturals i el canvi tecnològic en el sistema sanitari català. L'estudi se subdivideix en cinc parts diferents. La primera és una anàlisi de contingut de webs relacionats amb la salut a Catalunya. La segona és un estudi dels usos d'Internet en qüestions relacionades amb la salut entre la població en general, les associacions de pacients i els professionals de la salut, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet adaptat a cada un d'aquests grups. La tercera part és un estudi de treball de camp dels programes experimentals duts a terme pel Govern català en diverses àrees i hospitals locals per a integrar electrònicament la història clínica dels pacients. La quarta és un estudi de les implicacions organitzatives de la introducció de sistemes d'informació en la gestió d'hospitals i centres d'assistència primària a l'Institut Català de Salut, el principal proveïdor de salut pública a Catalunya, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet i entrevistes en profunditat. La cinquena part és un estudi de cas dels efectes organitzatius i socials de la introducció de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació en un dels principals hospitals de Catalunya, l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. L'estudi es va dur a terme entre el maig del 2005 i el juliol del 2007.

Modernització tecnològica, canvi organitzatiu i serveis als usuaris en el sistema de salut de Catalunya. Informe de recerca (volum I)

Aquest estudi va analitzar la interacció del canvi organitzatiu, els valors culturals i el canvi tecnològic en el sistema sanitari català. L'estudi se subdivideix en cinc parts diferents. La primera és una anàlisi de contingut de webs relacionats amb la salut a Catalunya. La segona és un estudi dels usos d'Internet en qüestions relacionades amb la salut entre la població en general, les associacions de pacients i els professionals de la salut, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet adaptat a cada un d'aquests grups. La tercera part és un estudi de treball de camp dels programes experimentals duts a terme pel Govern català en diverses àrees i hospitals locals per a integrar electrònicament la història clínica dels pacients. La quarta és un estudi de les implicacions organitzatives de la introducció de sistemes d'informació en la gestió d'hospitals i centres d'assistència primària a l'Institut Català de Salut, el principal proveïdor de salut pública a Catalunya, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet i entrevistes en profunditat. La cinquena part és un estudi de cas dels efectes organitzatius i socials de la introducció de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació en un dels principals hospitals de Catalunya, l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. L'estudi es va dur a terme entre el maig del 2005 i el juliol del 2007.

Modernització tecnològica, canvi organitzatiu i serveis als usuaris en el sistema de salut de Catalunya. Informe de recerca (volum II)

Aquest estudi va analitzar la interacció del canvi organitzatiu, els valors culturals i el canvi tecnològic en el sistema sanitari català. L'estudi se subdivideix en cinc parts diferents. La primera és una anàlisi de contingut de webs relacionats amb la salut a Catalunya. La segona és un estudi dels usos d'Internet en qüestions relacionades amb la salut entre la població en general, les associacions de pacients i els professionals de la salut, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet adaptat a cada un d'aquests grups. La tercera part és un estudi de treball de camp dels programes experimentals duts a terme pel Govern català en diverses àrees i hospitals locals per a integrar electrònicament la història clínica dels pacients. La quarta és un estudi de les implicacions organitzatives de la introducció de sistemes d'informació en la gestió d'hospitals i centres d'assistència primària a l'Institut Català de Salut, el principal proveïdor de salut pública a Catalunya, i es basa en un sondeig per Internet i entrevistes en profunditat. La cinquena part és un estudi de cas dels efectes organitzatius i socials de la introducció de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació en un dels principals hospitals de Catalunya, l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. L'estudi es va dur a terme entre el maig del 2005 i el juliol del 2007.

Open Apps: Opening Teaching Experiences and Applications

The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) is an online university that makes extensive use of information and communication technologies to provide education. Ever since its establishment in 1995, the UOC has developed and tested methodologies and technological support services to meet the educational challenges posed by its student community and its teaching and management staff. The know-how it has acquired in doing so is the basis on which it has created the Open Apps platform, which is designed to provide access to open source technical applications, information on successful learning and teaching experiences, resources and other solutions, all in a single environment. Open Apps is an open, online catalogue, the content of which is available to all students for learning purposes, all IT professionals for downloading and all teachers for reusing.To contribute to the transfer of knowledge, experience and technology, each of the platform¿s apps comes with full documentation, plus information on cases in which it has been used and related tools. It is hoped that such transfer will lead to the growth of an external partner network, and that this, in turn, will result in improvements to the applications and teaching/learning practices, and in greater scope for collaboration.Open Apps is a strategic project that has arisen from the UOC's commitment to the open access movement and to giving knowledge and technology back to society, as well as its firm belief that sustainability depends on communities of interest.