Assessment of the perceived security among public transport users in Europe

Passenger experiences with public transport are expected to be safe, secure, comfortable, convenient and pleasant. However, this experience is often disrupted by harassment incidents, such as sexual, theft and verbal harassment that may affect passengers' perspective towards public transport services. Security perceptions and harassment experiences may vary according to gender and age. This study analyses the perceptions of 2413 citizens in six European cities over security aspects of public transport and potential measures that can improve these perceptions. Harassment experiences are also illustrated, and their patterns are discussed. The paper concludes with some recommendations to operators of public transport over enhancing the feeling of security and ameliorating negative experiences related to harassment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Experience in Nicaragua: Childhood Leukemia in Low Income Countries—The Main Cause of Late Diagnosis May Be “Medical Delay”

Background. The event-free survival for pediatric leukemia in low-income Countries is much lower than in high-income countries. Late diagnosis, which is regarded as a contributing factor, may be due to “parental” or “medical” delay. Procedures. The present study analyses determinants of lag time from first symptoms to diagnosis of leukemia, comparing pediatric (0–16 years old) patients in two referral centers, one in Nicaragua and one in Italy. An observational retrospective study was conducted to assess factors influencing the time to diagnosis. Results. 81 charts of children diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or lymphoblastic leukemia were analyzed from each centre. Median lag time to diagnosis was higher in Nicaragua than in Italy (29 versus 14 days, P < 0.001) and it was mainly due to “physician delay” (16.5 versus 7 days, P < 0.001), whereas “patient delay” from symptoms to first medical assessment was similar in the two centers (7 versus 5 days, P = 0.27). Moreover, median lag time from symptoms to diagnosis was decreased in Nicaraguan districts were a specific training program upon childhood oncological diseases was carried out (20.5 versus 40 days, P = 0.0019). Conclusions. Our study shows that delay in diagnosis of childhood leukemia is mainly associated with “physician delay” and it may be overcome by programs of continuous medical education

A P-type ATPase importer that discriminates between essential and toxic transition metals

Transition metals, although being essential cofactors in many physiological processes, are toxic at elevated concentrations. Among the membrane-embedded transport proteins that maintain appropriate intracellular levels of transition metals are ATP-driven pumps belonging to the P-type ATPase superfamily. These metal transporters may be differentiated according to their substrate specificities, where the majority of pumps can extrude either silver and copper or zinc, cadmium, and lead. In the present report, we have established the substrate specificities of nine previously uncharacterized prokaryotic transition-metal P-type ATPases. We find that all of the newly identified exporters indeed fall into one of the two above-mentioned categories. In addition to these exporters, one importer, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Q9I147, was also identified. This protein, designated HmtA (heavy metal transporter A), exhibited a different substrate recognition profile from the exporters. In vivo metal susceptibility assays, intracellular metal measurements, and transport experiments all suggest that HmtA mediates the uptake of copper and zinc but not of silver, mercury, or cadmium. The substrate selectivity of this importer ensures the high-affinity uptake of essential metals, while avoiding intracellular contamination by their toxic counterparts

Hongos anamorfos biodegradan los libros del Área Histórica de la Universidad Central del Ecuador (UCE)

Determinamos los géneros de hongos anamorfos que contaminan los libros del área de cuarentena y limpieza, dentro del Área Histórica de la Universidad Central del Ecuador (UCE). Realizamos un hisopado aleatorio a una muestra representativa de 50 de estos libros de acuerdo a una Tabla militarizada estándar. También hisopamos como muestra preferencial a 21 libros gravemente contaminados con hongos. Los hisopados tuvieron una superficie de 5x5 cm, friccionando en la pasta, el borde y el interior de estos libros. Las 213 muestras tomadas fueron inoculadas en medio de cultivo Agar Malta. Los medios fueron incubados a una temperatura de 28°C durante 7 días. Realizamos observaciones por microscopía a 40 y 100x además de usar literatura especializada para la identificación hasta el nivel de género de hongos anamorfos. Los géneros más abundantes en este estudio fueron Penicillium (80,2%) y Mucor (8,1%)

Contribution of a Mesocorticolimbic Subcircuit to Drug Context-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats

Cocaine-seeking behavior triggered by drug-paired environmental context exposure is dependent on orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)–basolateral amygdala (BLA) interactions. Here, we present evidence supporting the hypothesis that dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the OFC critically regulates these interactions. In experiment 1, we employed site-specific pharmacological manipulations to show that dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC is required for drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior following extinction training in an alternate context. Intra-OFC pretreatment with the dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, SCH23390, dose-dependently attenuated cocaine-seeking behavior in an anatomically selective manner, without altering motor performance. Furthermore, the effects of SCH23390 could be surmounted by co-administration of a sub-threshold dose of the D1-like receptor agonist, SKF81297. In experiment 2, we examined effects of D1-like receptor antagonism in the OFC on OFC-BLA interactions using a functional disconnection manipulation. Unilateral SCH23390 administration into the OFC plus GABA agonist-induced neural inactivation of the contralateral or ipsilateral BLA disrupted drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle, while independent unilateral manipulations of these brain regions were without effect. Finally, in experiment 3, we used fluorescent retrograde tracers to demonstrate that the VTA, but not the substantia nigra, sends dense intra- and interhemispheric projections to the OFC, which in turn has reciprocal bi-hemispheric connections with the BLA. These findings support that dopaminergic input from the VTA, via dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC, is required for OFC–BLA functional interactions. Thus, a VTA–OFC–BLA neural circuit promotes drug context-induced motivated behavior