19 research outputs found
Social work and digitisation
No full textThis article is an in-depth written version of a presentation at the seventh meeting and networking day for the social sector (“Praxis- und Kontakttag”) on October 24th 2019 at the University of Luxembourg. It analyses chances, risks and challenges for the social work profession in the context of digitisation. The article shows, that digitisation already is a part of everyday life in social work practice and that it should be considered an integrative component of a modern social work profession. As an example, the author describes and analyses the changing communication and interaction between three key stakeholders (recipients, professionals and organisations). She argues that the social work profession has to participate actively and shape digitisation processes in practice and research in order to design expedient and needs-oriented solutions. Furthermore, the active involvement of the profession is crucial to ensure compliance with its ethical and deontological principles and standardsDieser Artikel ist die Verschriftlichung und Vertiefung eines Impulsreferates beim 7. Praxis- und Kontakttag am 24.10.2019 an der Universität Luxemburg. Er befasst sich mit den Chancen, Risiken und Herausforderungen für die Soziale Arbeit im Zuge der Digitalisierung. Es wird aufgezeigt, dass Digitalisierung bereits im Alltag der Profession präsent ist und als ein integrativer Bestandteil der modernen Sozialen Arbeit angesehen werden sollte. Beispielhaft werden die veränderte Kommunikation und Interaktion zwischen drei Schlüsselakteuren (Adressat_innen, Professionelle und Organisationen) analysiert. Es wird argumentiert, dass die Soziale Arbeit Digitalisierungsprozesse in Praxis und Wissenschaft aktiv (mit)gestalten muss, um zielführende und bedarfsgerechte Entwicklungen voranzutreiben. Ihre Partizipation ist des Weiteren unentbehrlich, um die Beachtung der professionsethischen Prinzipien sicherzustellen
Concluding remarks: on the politics of climate change, migration and human rights
No full textFrom 2011 to 2015, the author had the good fortune to chair a major European research initiative called 'Climate Change and Migration: Knowledge, Law and Policy, and Theory'. This chapter represents a small but important slice of the wider COST dialogue on climate change and migration. Two important observations can be drawn from the foregoing comparison between Bronen and Mihr. The first concerns the value of postcolonial theory in coming to terms with the politics of constructing climate change, migration and human rights as a universal site of knowledge formation. The second important observation that is at stake in the discussion about climate change, migration and human rights is that it contains a full-fledged politics of place. The chapter explains that act of assuming responsibility for those who migrate because of climate change on the grounds that such a migration violates their human rights adopts a universal ethical responsibility in relation to the migrant
The impact of reneging on a fluid on-off queue with strategic customers
No full textIn the recent strategic queueing literature, there is a large number of papers that study the join-or-balk dilemma in queueing systems with server’s on-off periods, modeling vacations and failures. These studies consider the customers as discrete units and adopt the assumption that reneging is not permitted. In the present paper, we depart from this framework and study the effect of the reneging option in such systems. We consider the fluid on-off model of the basic queue with vacations/failures and study reneging vs. no-reneging when customers are strategic. We derive the equilibrium customer strategies and the corresponding performance measures of the system, and we use them to study the equilibrium throughput and social welfare. The main finding is that the existence of the reneging option is very beneficial for overloaded systems, i.e., for such systems balking alone is not sufficient to achieve good outcomes. On the contrary, for underloaded systems the reneging option is not particularly valuable. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisons
No full textPMCID: PMC3718830This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.High rates of mental disorders have been reported for prison populations worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present study aimed to establish prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisoners
“Starting from the Image”: A Tele-pathology Pre-graduate Course Aimed at Motivating Medical Students
No full textIn the tele-course entitled “Starting from the image”, medical students are confronted with practical tasks in relevant professional contexts. Initially, a macroscopic or microscopic image of a patient case is presented to learners who then receive relevant information on the patient’s history, clinical findings, and other laboratory tests. A pathologist actively discusses the pathological findings; then, a clinician explains their implications for the patient’s individualized treatment and prognosis. In this way, pathology’s interaction with other medical specialties is highlighted. Students declared that through these simulated professional practice experiences, they strengthened their decision-making skills. Educators should consider upgrading from information-based teaching to practice-focused instruction. © 2023, The Author(s)
Changes in Muscle Strength in U19 Soccer Players During an Annual Training Cycle
No full textThe aim of the study was to investigate the seasonal variation in isokinetic strength of the knee flexors and extensors, and conventional (H/QCONV) and functional (H/QFUNC) hamstring to quadriceps strength ratios in highly trained adolescent soccer players. The players (n=11; age 17.8±0.3) were measured at the end of the competitive season (autumn), at the beginning and the end of pre-season (winter) and during the sixth week of a new competitive season. Isokinetic peak torque (concentric and eccentric) was measured at 60°·s-1 in a sitting position with the hip flexed at 100°. The testing range of motion was set from 10 – 90° of knee flexion. The players performed a set of five maximum repetitions for both the dominant and non-dominant leg. Statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between the four seasonal measurements were noted for peak torque of the dominant leg knee flexors in concentric muscle action only. A post hoc analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in peak torque from the 1st to the 4th measurement (p<0.001; d=0.692) and from the 2nd to the 4th (p<0.01; d=0.564). The differences in the changes of peak torque of the knee flexors and extensors depending on type of muscle action and tendencies found in the H/Q ratios throughout the annual training cycle indicate that strength assessment of the knee flexors and extensors and their balance throughout the annual training cycle could be beneficial for elite male adolescent soccer players both in terms of performance and risk of injury
Experiential student study groups: perspectives on medical education in the post-COVID-19 period
No full textBackground: Undergraduate medical curricula often fail to integrate experiential learning methodologies. Thus, a pilot series of interactive pathology lessons was designed and implemented in an attempt to promote experiential learning. Methods: Thirty pre-graduate medical students voluntarily participated in the interactive study groups at the First Department of Pathology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School. A questionnaire was designed to investigate the satisfaction of students regarding their participation in pathology study groups and to identify the characteristics that shape students’ perceptions of the foundations of medical education. Descriptive statistics (mean values) were used to describe the students’ evaluations of the pathology study groups, and thematic analysis was conducted to investigate the data collected using open-ended questions. Results: Interactions with the professor and the option of co-observing the slides using dual-view optical microscopes and virtual slides were each evaluated as “Excellent” by ≅ 95% of the students. Four overarching themes were identified regarding the core characteristics of medical education according to the students’ perspectives: 1) educational background in medical education, 2) interaction with educators in medical education, 3) educational material in medical education and 4) assessment in medical education. Conclusions: The high rates of acceptance of the pathology study groups reflect the desire and need for active learning methodologies to be implemented in modern medical education. Nearly all the students mentioned the need for practical skill acquisition, the integration of theory into practice and ethics in medical education. The success of these optional pathology study groups highlights the need for similar modalities to be incorporated into the main medical education curriculum. © 2023, The Author(s)
Preclinical medical education: pathology through the eyes of experiential and integrated learning
No full textBackground: The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of applying active learning and integrated methodologies in the undergraduate Pathology medical education curriculum. Another goal was to acquire student feedback and explore the students’ motivation and perceptions on Pathology education. Methods: Our study involved two parts: (1) a quasi-experimental part, involving medical students enrolled in our Pathology course. An optional educational intervention was offered until the end of the semester, in parallel with the already established curriculum. The intervention involved integrated case-based seminars and group-based presentations of Pathology cases. We used a multivariate regression model in order to better assess the educational effectiveness of our method; and (2) a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was held at the end of the semester. The set of questions for the intervention group mainly involved feedback about our educational method, while the questions for the control group involved questions about Pathology education in general. Results: 348 Students completed the study. The performance of the intervention group was significantly improved at post-test. From the questionnaire, we found that intervention participants gave positive feedback, while their main reason for participation was because they already valued the Pathology professor’s teaching style. As for non-participants, even though most of them were interested in an integrated/experiential approach, more than half chose not to participate because of lack of time in general or in order to study for the final exams. Conclusions: Active learning and integrated methodologies seem to be of value in undergraduate Pathology teaching. However, regardless of the instructional approach, shifting the emphasis from purely summative achievement to formative, learning-centered development is essential. A successful educator must therefore not only employ innovative methods but also encourage intrinsic motivation and a deeper, more reflective approach to learning. © The Author(s) 2024
Fabry disease due to D313Y and novel GLA mutations
No full textObjectives Our aim is to report four novel α-gal A gene (GLA) mutations resulting in Fabry disease (FD) and provide evidence of pathogenicity of the D313Y mutation regarding which contradictory data have been presented in the literature. Setting and participants Twenty-five family members of nine unrelated patients with definite FD diagnosis, 10 clinically suspected cases and 18 members of their families were included in this polycentric cohort study. Primary and secondary outcome measures Genotyping and measurement of lyso-Gb 3 was performed in all individuals. The α-Gal A activity was measured in all men as well as plasma and urine Gb 3 concentration in selected cases. Optical and electron microscopy was performed in kidney biopsies of selected patients. All the above were evaluated in parallel with the clinical data of the patients. Results Fourteen new cases of FD were recognised, four of which were carrying already described GLA mutations. Four novel GLA mutations, namely c.835C>T, c.280T>A, c.924A>C and c.511G>A, resulting in a classic FD phenotype were identified. Moreover, FD was definitely diagnosed in five patients carrying the D313Y mutation. Eight D313Y carriers were presenting signs of FD despite not fulfilling the criteria of the disease, two had no FD signs and two others were apparently healthy. Conclusions Four novel GLA pathogenic mutations are reported and evidence of pathogenicity of the D313Y mutation is provided. It seems that the D313Y mutation is related to a later-onset milder phenotype than the typical phenotype with normal lysoGb 3 concentration. Our study underlines the significance of family member genotyping and newborn screening to avoid misdiagnoses and crucial delays in diagnosis and treatment of the disease. © Article author(s) 2017
Kya
No full textPopular Malian Mandinga music accompanied by Mandinga percussion, kora, and n'goni traditional instruments fused with Western brass, keyboard and guita
