Professional exposure to fungal pathogens: an update to exposure conditions and exposure measurement

In many occupational settings an exposure to fungi occurs. Fungal exposure may occur for instance in the form of dermatocytes, yeasts or mold. Associated to the fungi themselves an exposure to cell wall components like ß(1 ? 3)-D-glucans, to mycotoxins or to microbial volatile compounds can occur. Health hazards may differ across species because fungi may produce different allergens and mycotoxins, and some species can infect humans. Occupational settings are often characterized by special exposure conditions with respect to duration, frequency and especially to the level of exposure resulting at least sometimes to high or very high fungal exposure. Because of these special conditions occupational settings are suitable for epidemiologic studies. However, the knowledge about occupational exposure to fungi and associated compounds like mycotoxins is still fragmentary and not well disseminated. An indication for a high fungal exposure is for instance the handling of dry natural products like grain, hay or herbal plants with a high specific surface and the tendency to release dust during handling. The fungal components often form the determinative part of such dusts and might be a vehicle to respiratory airways. The authors will present results of exposure measurements of occupational settings and exposure conditions which are only rarely investigated.

Emotional competences and promotion of school success: Preliminary data of an intervention programme with teachers

Teachers’ emotional competences and well-being are fundamentally important to developing and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom, which can contribute to improving pedagogical action. References to several intervention programmes are found in the literature with the purpose of changing the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of teachers, who show evidence of a significant improvement in personal competences and school success. Therefore, an intervention with teachers integrating a broader line of research was carried out, involving parents and students as well. It consists of a programme which promotes personal (well-being and emotional intelligence) and professional (acquiring differentiated pedagogical strategies) competences over a period of six months, followed by a focus group to assess the contribution of an empowerment programme with the intention of promoting school success. The preliminary action-research study involved 10 teachers of two classes with students who show disruptive behaviour in the 7th year in a school in the central region of Portugal. The teachers, of both genders, are aged between 44 and 52, and belong to several recruitment groups. The main research question was: “To what extent does an intervention programme, intended for training, contribute to developing personal and professional competences in teachers of the 3rd cycle of basic education?” The teachers revealed a rather favourable view of their participation in the programme, considering that it helped them perceive some behaviours and practices which are less adjusted to their action in the classroom with these students (shouting, scolding, etc.). From the pretest to the posttest, statistically significant differences were found in assessing their own emotions and in their use. Signs of improvement in positive affections and satisfaction with life were also found, though with a marginal significance. The preliminary data in this empowerment programme for these educational agents points towards the importance of teachers’ awareness in what concerns their pedagogical action, as well as the need to change traditional pedagogical practices that contribute to discouraging students towards learning. The need to establish closer and systematic contact with the students and their families in order to meet their needs and expectations was also highlighted.

Central Park Be-In on Easter Sunday

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Photograph by Freda Leinwand. [463 West Street, Studio 229G, New York, NY 10014].

Central Park Be-In on Easter Sunday

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Credit must be given to Leinwand from Monkmeyer Press Photo Service].

Central Park Be-In on Easter Sunday

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Credit must be given to Leinwand from Monkmeyer Press Photo Service].

Central Park Be-In on Easter Sunday

Inscriptions: Verso: [stamped] Credit must be given to Freda Leinwand from Monkmeyer Press Photo Service…

Consider your ways : a course of twenty-one brief sermons, or church readings, being one for each Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day.

Mode of access: Internet.

Training in oncoplastic surgery: An international consensus. The 7th Portuguese Senology Congress, Vilamoura, 2009

Oncoplastic Breast Surgery (OPBS) is becoming an integral part of breast cancer management, but few surgeons have received formal training in these techniques. An International Symposium has recently debated the key issues which impact on training and specialisation in OPBS, as well as patient access to these procedures. The Symposium concluded that increasing the availability of OPBS is a major challenge, which demands much closer collaboration and cooperation between breast and plastic surgeons, backed up by new training schemes, new curricula and new guidelines. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Catalonia’s participation in calls of the EU 7th Framework Programme for RTD. Period 2007-2009

English translation of the Executive summary of the report “Catalonia’s participation in calls of the EU 7th Framework Programme for RTD. Period 2007-2009” drawn up by researchers of the AQR Research Group – Research Institute of Applied Economics (IREA) of the University of Barcelona. It aims to find out the reality of the Catalonia’s participation in the EU 7th Framework Programme, the main European financial instrument for research during the period 2007-2009.

Understanding the Use of the Students’ Common Language (Creole/Portuguese) in the 7th Grade Capeverdean English Classroom

This thesis is a pedagogical and methodological work related to the Teacher’s use of the students’ common language in 7th grade (beginners-level 1) Capeverdean English classroom. It discusses the importance of a limited and judicious use of the students’ common language (Creole/Portuguese) as a teaching technique to assist in the teaching and learning process. This thesis contains four chapters. The first chapter defines and shows the difference between mother tongue, second language and foreign language, talks about the methods and approaches (classroom procedures) to teach English as a foreign language, the different opinions about the teacher’s use of the students’ first language in the EFL classroom, and presents two studies already conducted on the use of the students’ mother tongue in the English classroom in two different EFL context. The second Chapter describes the methodology of research to conduct a study on the use of the students’ common language (Creole/Portuguese) in the EFL Capeverdean context with 7th grade students. The third chapter is the presentation of the Results and Analyses of the field research. And finally the fourth chapter is the recommendations and conclusions.

The role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in oncological and non-oncological clinical settings: highlights from the 7th Meeting of AIRO - Young Members Working Group (AIRO Giovani).

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is a modern cancer treatment strategy able to deliver highly focused radiation in one or a few fractions with a radical intent in several clinical settings. Young radiation oncologists need a constant and tailored update in this context to improve patient care in daily clinical practice. A recent meeting of AIRO Giovani (AIRO - Young Members Working Group) was specifically addressed to this topic, presenting state-of-the-art knowledge, based on the latest evidence in this field. Highlights of the congress are summarized and presented in this report, including thorough contributions of the speakers dealing with the role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in both oncological and non-oncological diseases, divided according to anatomical and clinical scenarios: intra-cranial settings (brain malignant primary tumors, metastases, benign tumors and functional disorders) and extra-cranial indications (lung primary tumors and metastases, thoracic re-irradiation, liver, lymph node and bone metastases, prostate cancer). With literature data discussed during the congress as a background, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy has proved to be a consolidated treatment approach in specific oncological and non-oncological scenarios, as well as a promising option in other clinical settings, requiring a further prospective validation in the near future. We herein present an updated overview of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy use in the clinic.

Macrofossils in Raraku Lake (Easter Island) integrated with sedimentary and geochemical records towards a palaeoecological synthesis for the last 34,000 years

Macrofossil analysis of a composite 19 m long sediment core from Rano Raraku Lake (Easter Island)was related to litho-sedimentary and geochemical features of the sediment. Strong stratigraphical patterns are shown by indirect gradient analyses of the data. The good correspondence between the stratigraphical patterns derived from macrofossil (Correspondence Analysis) and sedimentary and geochemical data (Principal Component Analysis) shows that macrofossil associations provide sound palaeolimnological information in conjunction with sedimentary data. The main taphonomic factors in fluencing the macrofossil assemblages are run-off from the catchment, the littoral plant belt, and the depositional environment within the basin. Five main stages during the last 34,000 calibrated years BP (cal yr BP) are characterised from the lithological, geochemical, and macrofossil data. From 34 to 14.6 cal kyr BP (last glacial period) the sediments were largely derived from the catchment, indicating a high energy lake environment with much erosion and run-off bringing abundant plant trichomes, lichens, and mosses into the centre of Raraku Lake.