55 research outputs found
Digital skilling of working adults: a systematic review
No full textRapid development of artificial intelligence applications and widespread digital transformation are driving the need for employees to learn digital skills. The body of research on digital skills that working professionals need to thrive in an uncertain and ever-evolving workforce is fast accumulating. Although there have been literature reviews on the nature and types of such digital skills, an integrative overview of how digital skills are acquired remains lacking. This systematic literature review seeks to close the gap by focusing on digital skilling. A total of 39 journal articles published between January 2010 and June 2022 were identified using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. Based on thematic coding of the articles, eleven digital skilling approaches were identified and conceptually organized into four categories. Findings regarding the contextual factors affecting digital skilling and impacts of digital skilling indicate an emerging framework of digital skilling. Emerging interests and opportunities for future research related to virtual worlds, learning analytics, and blockchain are discussed.Ministry of Education (MOE)SkillsFuture Singapore AgencyThis study was partly funded by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) under the Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (GA19-07) Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily the views of SSG or the Singapore Government. This study was also partly funded by Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Education Research Funding Programme (DEV 04/19 PLG) and administered by National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE
Panleucogated (PLG) CD4 HIV Immune monitoring: a difference by disruption
No full textA Research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Science in Medicine (Pathology) to the faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021In 1990, the high cost of implementing a national HIV/AIDS programme was set to overwhelm South Africa’s health care budget. Not only were the prices of antiretroviral drugs prohibitive, laboratory tests needed for monitoring response to antiretroviral drugs was also unaffordable, further limiting access to care. By 1998, pleas from local clinicians to lower prices for CD4, as well as other laboratory tests like HIV viral load, were intensifying. Clinicians and local advocacy groups like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) were no longer asking for, but demanding, cheaper laboratory services for HIV treatment monitoring. Respite to the emergent HIV epidemic could only come from costeffective therapies, clinical trials, and vaccine and treatment research, as well as a reliable and affordable laboratory monitoring service that was uniquely developed and appropriate for local needs. Urgent attention was needed to deliver affordable and sustainable state HIV laboratory services considering that, certainly for CD4 testing, the prevailing, conventional guide-line based CD4 testing approaches were cumbersome and costly; highly trained and skilled scientists were also expected to do the flow cytometrybased testing.
It is from this background that novel PanLeucogated CD4 testing, invented and further developed by the author and her team, disrupted existing CD4 testing dogma of the time, and addressed the prevailing and emerging HIV challenges of high cost, local lack of technical skill and variable quality of the reported CD4 results. Patented and assigned to the South Africa National Health Laboratory Services, PLG CD4 was implemented into service at the start of the South African Comprehensive Care and Treatment programme in 2004, growing from a single reporting laboratory in 2002 to as many as 75 laboratories by 2010. The method was successfully implemented because it was simple to use; at the time, most personnel who were required to take on the testing, had not heard of CD4 testing, never mind flow cytometry needed to undertake testing. It was also considerably cheaper than existing methods. At the time, the potential costssavings of implementation were predicted to significantly cut HIV laboratory monitoring costs; CD4 count prices were reduced to 10% of original costs and there were millions of HIV+ patients who were predicted to present themselves for care.
Work subsequently undertaken by the Glencross team, and outlined in this thesis, describes the step-bystep development and expansion of the national CD4 testing programme. The implementation of uniform systems (PLG CD4) was key to the success that followed; standardised operating procedures and quality control protocols were especially developed to meet local requirements. This tailored and specific approach has ensured reliable and harmonised CD4 reporting throughout the state laboratory service. The success of the programme has emphasised the importance of thorough due diligence and planning, as well as coordinated implementation of standardised systems appropriate for the level of care, including instruments and methodologies, that have streamlined and ensured efficient delivery of the Panleucogated CD4 testing across the South African national laboratory services Initially local, then extended to a regional scheme, Glencross and her team also introduced a locally directed external quality assessment in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, introduced as the African Regional External Quality Assessment Scheme (aka AFREQAS). The scheme, established as an independent monitoring and evaluation body for PLG CD4 users in the NHLS, subsequently grew and was expanded to support and provide external quality assessment for all CD4 laboratories across the African continent, irrespective of methodology used.
Later, as requirements for additional services grew, and as an increasing number of patients accessed HIV care, new service delivery models that considered local deficiencies and strengths of service were developed. Applying these models to re-examine and appraise national services, ultimately secured nationwide service coverage, extending accessibility of CD4 counts beyond high-volume centralised testing precincts to hard-to-reach community laboratory level, but without incurring additional cost. Economically, all available resources in the national network of integrated state pathology laboratories were utilised to maximise cost savings, including use of a common laboratory management system and transport networks
to facilitate transport of specimens to reference laboratories. This hierarchical approach to service delivery has been the foundation for programmatic self-determination that has ensured the success of, and underpinned, the national South African state CD4 service over the past 20 years. As gaps in service delivery later emerged, new systems to review efficiency of PLG CD4 state services were introduced that led the way for national monitoring and evaluation and timely review of, not only PLG CD4 results, but a basket of the top 25 tests offered across the national programme.
Additional work described builds on the capacity and infrastructure created through rollout of CD4 testing and includes the development and integration of tests that can be ‘piggy-backed’ onto CD4 services (reflecting the versatility of protocol), as well as related ongoing training and technical capacity initiatives. A notable initiative, which has been successfully integrated into CD4 services nationally, has provided for screening of early cryptococcal infection in HIV+ patients with advanced disease. Before this milestone achievement, immune activation identified by CD38 expression on CD8 T cells, also incorporated into the PLG CD4 assay, was also shown to reliably predict response to antiretroviral therapy, offering a cheaper, more accessible alternative to more expensive HIV viral load monitoring.
Last, but not least, work is presented that reveals how longitudinally assembled and curated CD4 laboratory data, collected through delivery of services over the last 17 years, has provided invaluable health programme insights into the effectiveness of programmatic delivery but additionally, enabling important epidemiological review of infectious and non-communicable disease for South Africa.NG (2023
Hexagonal Boron Nitride/PCL/PLG Coatings on Borate Bioactive Glass Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration
No full textIn this study, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoparticle- containing (0.1–2 wt%) polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLG)-coated 13-93B3 borate-based porous bioactive glass composite scaffolds were prepared by polymer foam replication method and their ability to use in bone tissue engineering applications was assessed. Morphological, mechanical properties, cytotoxicity and the drug release behavior of the prepared composite scaffolds were investigated. In vitro bioactivity was tested in simulated body fluid and results were analyzed using FTIR spectrometer and SEM. Results showed that both polymer coating and the existence of hBN nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix improved the compressive strength of the fabricated composite scaffolds. Incorporation of the hBN nanoparticles enhanced the in vitro hydroxyapatite forming ability of the glass composites. Results also revealed that prepared bioactive glass based composite scaffolds showed no toxicity to MC3T3-E1 cells under in vitro conditions up to 72 h and hBN-containing glass scaffolds showed higher gentamicin sulfate release rates compared to the bare polymer coated scaffolds. Manufactured bioactive glass scaffolds containing hBN nanoparticles are found to be promising for bone repair and regeneration. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Thermodynamic and Gasdynamic Aspects of a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion
No full textThe risk of explosion due to rupture of a tank filled with pressurized liquefied gas (PLG) is one of the risks to be considered in the context of studies on tunnel safety. When a vessel containing liquid well above its boiling point at normal atmospheric pressure fails catastrophically a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE) can occur. A vessel containing a liquefied gas can rupture due to the consequences of mechanical impact and or external fire. Because at ambient pressure the thermodynamic equilibrium state of LPG is the gaseous state, after the sudden depressurisation caused by the vessel rupture a rapid vapourisation takes place possibly leading to blast waves propagating in the surroundings and possibly damaging the tunnel wall and tunnel structure. The topics of investigation in this thesis are the rapid vapourisation, immediately following rapid depressurisation, and the creation of an overpressure close to the tank. These phenomena can be described using thermodynamics and fluid dynamics. The objective of the investigation was to formulate and solve a physicsbased model that can be used to predict whether or not a BLEVE will occur and to predict the strength of the shock waves when a BLEVE occurs. In order to create an adequate model for BLEVE simulation the following steps were taken. An appropriate simplified formof the conservation equations of mass,momentum and energy was formulated. The flowof the rapidly vapourising liquid was described by the Equal-Velocity-Unequal-Temperature (EVUT) formulation of the Euler equations for two-phase flow. The flow of the surrounding air was described by the single phase Euler equations. In order to have to possibility to study in detail the coupling of thermodynamic and gas dynamic phenomena the flow was restricted to be one-dimensional. This is adequate to represent local phenomena in the direction orthogonal to a PLG/air interface or global phenomena in a tunnel geometry. Because of the short time scale of the phenomena to be described it can be assumed that there is no mass transfer at the interface between the two-phase liquid+vapour region and the air region (the contact face). A numerical scheme for the solution of the model equations of two-fluid two-phase compressible flow was formulated. Because of the restriction to one-dimensional flow the method of characteristics could be selected as solution algorithm. It was solved by the particle-path algorithm, both in the single phase region and the two phase region. An advanced cubic equation of state (EOS) was chosen to describe the relations between the relevant thermodynamic variables. The domain of application of the EOS was extended to the description of metastable states, such as superheated liquid, occurring during a BLEVE. Models were formulated for mass, momentum and heat transfer between liquid and vapour phase. Two types of heat and mass transfer models were used: a qualitative model based on the concept of a relaxation time, and a quantitative model using the concepts and formalism of non-equilibrium thermodynamics (NET). To describe the initiation of the rapid vapourisation a homogeneous nucleation model was used. The transfer models provide the source terms due to vapourisation appearing in the momentum and energy equations of the EVUT Euler equations. The two models developed in this way, the TUD-RT model when a relaxation time is used, and the TUD-NET model, when non-equilibrium thermodynamics is used,were solved for scenario’s of starting from different initial temperature and pressure of propane. The role of the TUD-RT model is mainly to demonstrate the dependence of shock strength on several parameters, but is cannot be a predictive model because the relaxation time has to be assumed. The TUD-NET model on the other hand can be expected to be predictive because it incorporates the fundamental physical phenomena in the vapourising liquid. The simulations by the TUD-NET model reveal that homogeneous bubble nucleation is the trigger of BLEVE. For each PLG, there is a minimal pressure needed for BLEVE, below which homogeneous bubble nucleation will not occur. In case of a BLEVE, the shock is mainly generated by PLG close to the PLG-air contact face and once the shock is generated, it will propagate along the tunnel in a pace faster than the expansion of the rest PLG mixture. Hence the vapourisation of the rest of the PLG has no direct influence on the shock generated in the surrounding air. But it will contribute to the dynamic pressure of the expanding two-phase PLG mixture. Both the impact of the shock in air and of the impact of the expanding two-phase mixture can lead to damage to the tunnel wall or objects in the tunnel. Compared to another simulation model using the EVUT Euler equations - the Pinhasi et al. model - , the TUD-NET model offers the following advantages i) a predictive model for homogeneous bubble nucleation is included. This makes it possible to predict the onset of BLEVE in an accident involving PLG tank rupture; ii) the interfacial fluxes model is based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics taking both the chemical driven force and the thermal driven force for the interfacial heat and mass transfer into account. Compared to a simpler simulation model - the TNO model -, the TUD-NET model predicts weaker shock blast and the dynamic impact of the two-phase mixture than the TNO model confirming the role of the TNO model as the most conservative model for BLEVE simulation. The combination of the simulation tools developed in this study with simulation tools for tank rupture and tunnel response provide a comprehensive simulation tool for estimating the consequences of PLG tank rupture in a tunnel. Implementation of the TUD-NET model in a numerical solver of the three-dimensional Euler equations is needed for further validation of the model and for application to analysis of real BLEVE events, and is recommended.Multi-Scale PhysicsApplied Science
Análise do uso de sinvastatina e arcabouços de PLGA+HA no reparo ósseo de defeitos criados na calota craniana de ratos
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Programa de Pós-Graduação em OdontologiaEste estudo avaliou a resposta tecidual e inflamatória do uso de sinvastatina e arcabouços de PLGA+HA no reparo ósseo de defeitos produzidos na calota craniana de ratos. Um defeito de 5 mm de diâmetro foi criado em cada osso parietal de 180 animais, divididos em 6 grupos: naïve, sham, veículo, arcabouço de PLGA+HA, sinvastatina (4 mg/ml) e a combinação de arcabouço e sinvastatina. As intervenções foram realizadas somente no lado direito e o lado esquerdo serviu como controle. Os animais foram sacrificados nos 1, 7, 15, 30 e 60 dias pós-operatórios para coleta das amostras teciduais. A análise estatística foi realizada por meio de análise de variância ANOVA, seguida pelos testes de Tukey e Bonferroni (p<0,05). A atividade inflamatória foi avaliada nos dias 1, 7 e 15 por meio da dosagem das citocinas TNF? e IL1?. A sinvastatina aumentou, significativamente, os níveis de TNF? no período de 1 dia quando comparado ao grupo naïve (p<0,05). A presença do arcabouço aumentou, significativamente, os níveis de IL1? no período de 1 dia quando comparado aos grupos naïve (p<0,001), sham (p<0,001), veículo (p<0,001), sinvastatina + arcabouço (p<0,001) e, sinvastatina (p<0,01). As análises de 7 e 15 dias mostraram queda nos níveis destas citocinas em todos os grupos. O reparo ósseo foi avaliado por densitometria nas radiografias das amostras de tecido ósseo, observando-se atraso na mineralização nos grupos veículo e sinvastatina nas análises de 15 e 30 dias (p<0,01). Nos demais grupos ocorreu mineralização progressiva a partir do sétimo dia e, aos 60 dias, todos os grupos apresentaram valores de densitometria estatisticamente semelhantes. Não houve diferença estatística em relação a mineralização dos lados direito e esquerdo, exceto entre o grupo sinvastatina + arcabouço do lado direito, com densitometria superior ao lado esquerdo (p<0,001). Conclui-se que o uso da sinvastatina e arcabouços de PLGA+HA, isolados ou associados, não permitiram um melhor reparo ósseo quando comparados aos controles.To evaluate tissue repair and inflammatory responses promoted by simvastatin and PLGA+HA scaffolds in bone defects created in rat calvaria. A 5-mm-diameter defect was created in each parietal bone of 180 animals, divided into 6 groups: naïve, sham, vehicle, PLGA+HA scaffold, simvastatin (4 mg/ml) and the combination of simvastatin and scaffold. All the interventions were done only on the right parietal bone while the left side served as control. Tissue sample collection was performed on postoperative days 1, 7, 15, 30, and 60. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA followed by post-hoc tests (p<0.05). Tissue levels of TNFa and IL1ß were evaluated on days 1, 7 and 15 in order to assess the inflammation status. Simvastatin significantly increased levels of TNFa on day 1 compared to the naïve group (p <0.05). The scaffold group significantly increased the levels of IL1ß on day 1 compared to naïve (p <0.001), sham (p <0.001), vehicle (p <0.001), simvastatin + scaffold (p <0.001), and simvastatin alone (p <0.01) groups. In all groups, at 7 and 15 days, these cytokines showed a decrease in levels. Bone healing was evaluated by densitometry on radiographs of the bone tissue samples, indicating that there was a delay in mineralization in vehicle and simvastatin groups until the 15th and 30th days (p <0.01). From the seventh day on, a progressive mineralization was observed in all other groups while, within 60 days, all groups showed statistically similar values of density. There was no statistical difference between the sides, except between the right side of simvastatin + scaffold, with higher density than the left (p<0.001). It may be concluded that the use of simvastatin and scaffolds of PLGA + HA, alone or in association, did not allow a better bone repair when compared to controls
Zombie pedagogies: the problems with using the undead in public pedagogies for emergencies
No full textDas aus der Kinowelt bekannte Genre des Zombie-Films hat in jüngster Zeit vor allem in den USA Einzug in Programme und Trainings im Rahmen von Katastrophenschutz und Notfallprävention gehalten. Der Autor untersucht die Implikationen des Transfers der Zombie-Metapher aus einem Segment des Hollywood-Entertainment in reale US-Militärpolitik, die die Bevölkerung auf mögliche katastrophische Großereignisse pädagogisch-unterhaltsam einstimmt und dabei, wie Preston zeigt, auf eine Art Enthumanisierung des Gegners hinwirkt. Der Beitrag zeigt die fatale Dialektik und die erschreckenden Züge einer post-ethischen Grundeinstellung: Diese erzeugt nicht nur eine scheinhafte, vermeintlich unbestreitbare Legitimität von Terrorabwehr, bei der zentrale zivilgesellschaftliche Errungenschaften über Bord geworfen werden. Unter der Hand lässt sie es obendran als akzeptabel erscheinen, bestimmten sozialen Gruppen so enthemmt zu begegnen, als ginge es darum, das eigene Leben gegen herandrängende Untote zu verteidigen. [Translation: The well-known Hollywood ‘zombie’ genre has recently begun to invade programs and training courses in disaster control and emergency prevention. The author explores the consequences of a transfer of an entertainment metaphor into real US military policies. Is it possible that this implies attuning the populace to catastrophies by means of edutainment? And does this, as Preston argues, in some ways ‘de-humanize’ one’s adversaries? The article points to a fatal dialectics and disturbing elements of a post-ethical disposition. This results not only in some sort of inevitable legitimation of the ‘war on terror’ leaving behind all tenets of civil society. It also permits, subcutaneously, to act without restrictions against certain groups as if they were ‘undeads’.
Transcript-specific expression profiles derived from sequence-based analysis of standard microarrays
No full textBackground: Alternative mRNA processing mechanisms lead to multiple transcripts (i.e. splice isoforms) of a given gene
which may have distinct biological functions. Microarrays like Affymetrix GeneChips measure mRNA expression of genes
using sets of nucleotide probes. Until recently probe sets were not designed for transcript specificity. Nevertheless, the reanalysis of established microarray data using newly defined transcript-specific probe sets may provide information about expression levels of specific transcripts.
Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study alignment of probe sequences of the Affymetrix microarray HGU133A with Ensembl transcript sequences was performed to define transcript-specific probe sets. Out of a total of 247,965 perfect match probes, 95,008 were designated ‘‘transcript-specific’’, i.e. showing complete sequence alignment, no crosshybridization, and transcript-, not only gene-specificity. These probes were grouped into 7,941 transcript-specific probe sets and 15,619 gene-specific probe sets, respectively. The former were used to differentiate 445 alternative transcripts of 215
genes. For selected transcripts, predicted by this analysis to be differentially expressed in the human kidney, confirmatory real-time RT-PCR experiments were performed. First, the expression of two specific transcripts of the genes PPM1A (PP2CA_HUMAN and P35813) and PLG (PLMN_HUMAN and Q5TEH5) in human kidneys was determined by the transcriptspecific array analysis and confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Secondly, disease-specific differential expression of single transcripts of PLG and ABCA1 (ABCA1_HUMAN and Q5VYS0_HUMAN) was computed from the available array data sets and confirmed by transcript-specific real-time RT-PCR.
Conclusions: Transcript-specific analysis of microarray experiments can be employed to study gene-regulation on the
transcript level using conventional microarray data. In this study, predictions based on sufficient probe set size and foldchange are confirmed by independent mean
Between empowerment and control - the practical implementation of New Public Management and professional learning communitiesin Canada. A case study
No full textUm zu untersuchen, welche Merkmalskombinationen eine positive Bildungsperformanz erzeugen, wird in diesem Artikel anhand einer best-case-Fallanalyse die Umsetzung von New Public Management (NPM) in Kombination mit Professionellen Lerngemeinschaften (PLG) in Alberta, Kanada, analysiert. Mittels einer Daten- und Methodentriangulation werden die spezifischen Merkmalskombinationen sowie Unterstützungssysteme herausgearbeitet. Zudem wird die Kombination von NPM und PLG diskutiert. Es zeigt sich u. a., dass Wettbewerbselemente des NPM eine geringere Rolle spielen als die Zusammenarbeit der Akteure auf horizontaler und vertikaler Ebene (PLG), die Professionalisierung sowie die Unterstützung der Akteure. (DIPF/Orig.)In order to examine which combinations of characteristics create positive educational performance, the author analyzes the implementation of New Public Management (NPM) in combination with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in Alberta, Canada, on the basis of a best-case analysis. By means of a data and method triangulation, the specific combinations of characteristics as well as support systems are revealed. Furthermore, the combination of NPM and PLC is discussed. It appears that, e. g., elements of competition appertaining to NPM play a lesser role than cooperation of the actors on both the horizontal and the vertical level (PLC), professionalization, or support of the actors. (DIPF/Orig.
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