Ethyl Glucuronide in Scalp and Non-head Hair: An Intra-individual Comparison

Aims: Analysis of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a minor metabolite of ethanol, is a valid tool for the assessment of social and chronic excessive alcohol consumption. Standardized analysis of EtG is usually done in head hair. As head hair cannot always be provided, alternative hair matrices become more and more interesting. Therefore, a study was performed that compared the intra-individual EtG concentrations in scalp hair and non-head hair (chest, arm, leg and axillary hair). Methods: Hair samples were collected from 68 subjects undergoing an expert assessment for fitness to drive. Aqueous extracts of the hair matrix were cleaned by solid-phase extraction, using an Oasis MAX column. EtG was first derivatized with perfluoropentanoic anhydride and then quantified by GC-MS/MS in negative chemical ionization mode, using EtG-d5 as internal standard. Results: For categorizing drinking behaviour, the two EtG cut-off values recommended by the Society of Hair Testing were applied for all different hair types. For chest, arm and leg hair, correct classification ratios were >83%. This corresponds to sensitivity values >78% and specificities >75%. Such values indicate together with φ coefficients (rφ) > 0.7 a high correlation of the categorization of the drinking behaviour based on these body hair EtG concentrations compared with the indexing based on scalp hair EtG-values. However, it must be taken into consideration that the time frame represented by non-head hair may extend way back. Conclusions: These results indicate that chest, arm and leg hair can be a valid alternative to assess the drinking behaviour of a subject if head hair is not available; whereas axillary hair is not suitable as alternative matri

Direct imaging of photonic nanojets

International audienceWe report the direct experimental observation of photonic nanojets created by single latex microspheres illuminated by a plane wave at a wavelength of 520 nm. Measurements are performed with a fast scanning confocal microscope in detection mode, where the detection pinhole defines a diffraction-limited observation volume that is scanned in three dimensions over the microsphere vicinity. From the collected stack of images, we reconstruct the full 3 dimensional photonic nanojet beam. Observations are conducted forpolystyrene spheres of 1, 3 and 5 mum diameter deposited on a glass substrate, the upper medium being air or water. Experimental results are compared to calculations performed using the Mie theory. We measure nanojet sizes as small as 270 nm FWHM for a 3 mum sphere at a wavelength lambda of 520 nm. The beam keeps a subwavelength FWHM over a propagation distance of more than 3 lambda, displaying all the specificities of a photonic nanojet

Autism and the U.K. secondary school experience

This research investigated the self-reported mainstream school experiences of those diagnosed on the autistic spectrum compared with the typically developing school population. Existing literature identifies four key areas that affect the quality of the school experience for students with autism: social skills, perceived relationships with teaching staff, general school functioning, and interpersonal strengths of the young person. These areas were explored in a mainstream U.K. secondary school with 14 students with autism and 14 age and gender matched students without autism, using self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analyses showed consistent school experiences for both groups, although content analysis of interview data highlighted some differences in the ways in which the groups perceive group work, peers, and teaching staff within school. Implications for school inclusion are discussed, drawing attention to how staff awareness of autism could improve school experience and success for students with autism attending mainstream schools

Faster or slower decarbonization? Policymaker and stakeholder expectations on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global energy transition

The COVID-19 pandemic might have tremendous consequences on decarbonization efforts across the globe. Understanding governments’ policy action in the short and medium term is key to assess whether the response to the crisis will crowd out or fast-track decarbonization efforts. We surveyed over 200 policymakers and stakeholders from 55 different countries to collect climate policy expectations in various sectors and regions in the next five years. While support for high-emitting sectors is not expected to dissolve completely, commitment to policies supporting the transition to low-carbon energy and transport sectors is expected to increase substantially. This is true for OECD and Asian countries, representing approximately 90% of global emissions. Our results suggest that expectations that the COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate decarbonization efforts are widely shared

Innovation and Transformation in Early Childhood Education in the UAE

This chapter explores the development of Early Childhood Education in the UAE, focusing on the period between birth and compulsory school age. A distinction is made between Early Childhood Care and Education, focusing on the age group birth to four and Early Childhood Education, focusing on the age group four to six. The contexts of public and private education are explored across the age range, including in-home care, public nurseries, federal nurseries, public kindergartens and kindergarten provision in private schools. Investments in early childhood give children enhanced opportunities for success later in life. Progress has been made in the UAE for the age range four to six years in terms of enhancing quality through rigorous inspection frameworks based on international best practice, as well as in terms of curriculum reform in public schools for that age group. However, for the age range of birth to four years, there has been limited progress in terms of service provision for the age range birth to four years. Quality assurance standards have been raised, but there is still no national curriculum framework in place in the UAE for the early years. The importance of this embodiment of a society’s educational aims and purposes appears well understood for school age children as the nation continues to refine and reform curriculum. The development of a curriculum framework for early childhood care and education is of critical importance in terms of reflecting broad societal values and aspirations and achieving the vision of the UAE

Artificial Neural Network Inference (ANNI): A Study on Gene-Gene Interaction for Biomarkers in Childhood Sarcomas

Objective: To model the potential interaction between previously identified biomarkers in children sarcomas using artificial neural network inference (ANNI). Method: To concisely demonstrate the biological interactions between correlated genes in an interaction network map, only 2 types of sarcomas in the children small round blue cell tumors (SRBCTs) dataset are discussed in this paper. A backpropagation neural network was used to model the potential interaction between genes. The prediction weights and signal directions were used to model the strengths of the interaction signals and the direction of the interaction link between genes. The ANN model was validated using Monte Carlo cross-validation to minimize the risk of over-fitting and to optimize generalization ability of the model. Results: Strong connection links on certain genes (TNNT1 and FNDC5 in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS); FCGRT and OLFM1 in Ewing’s sarcoma (EWS)) suggested their potency as central hubs in the interconnection of genes with different functionalities. The results showed that the RMS patients in this dataset are likely to be congenital and at low risk of cardiomyopathy development. The EWS patients are likely to be complicated by EWS-FLI fusion and deficiency in various signaling pathways, including Wnt, Fas/Rho and intracellular oxygen. Conclusions: The ANN network inference approach and the examination of identified genes in the published literature within the context of the disease highlights the substantial influence of certain genes in sarcomas

Stakeholder engagement and decarbonization pathways: Meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

Climate change is an extremely complex challenge characterized by its systemic nature and deep uncertainties. Thus, finding solutions requires a continuing and constructive dialogue between the research community and a wide range of stakeholders from governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society, international organizations, industry, businesses and financial institutions. The ENGAGE project (https://www.engage-climate.org/) is advancing knowledge co-production through an iterative process of stakeholder engagement with two main streams: (i) stakeholder co-design and assessment of global decarbonization pathways and (ii) stakeholder dialogues on national policies and pathways. Both the global and national stakeholder processes are designed to inform multiple project activities, including: conceptualization of feasibility and assessing the feasibility of decarbonization policies and strategies; decarbonization pathway development using integrated assessment models and considering both feasibility and equity; and assessment of the relative importance of climate change impacts vis-à -vis potential co-benefits. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic six months after the beginning of the project, all of the stakeholder engagement activities had to be organized as online events. Between March 2020 and April 2022, 5 online workshops were organized, two at the global level and 3 at the regional/national level. This paper documents how the challenges of effectively engaging stakeholders in a co-design and dialogue process in an online setting have been met through a process of evaluation and learning that led to the introduction of new approaches and tools to support an inclusive exploration and development of low-carbon transition pathways. We show that a combination of interactive visualizations, open channel surveys and moderated breakout groups are particularly useful tools for online stakeholder engagement. The learning that has taken place through the use of these tools is demonstrated with reference to both the research team (e.g., learning about stakeholders� views on the feasibility of decarbonization pathways) and the stakeholders (e.g. learning about experiences in other countries in dealing with the challenges of decarbonization). Despite several advantages of online engagement, such as the expanded geographical coverage and reduced CO2 emissions, the need to keep online meetings short means that important elements of face-to-face meetings cannot be included

To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools?:Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate

The working atmosphere in the classroom is an important variable in the process of education in schools, with several studies suggesting that classroom climate is an important influence on pupil attainment. There are wide differences in the extent to which classroom climate is considered to be a problem in English schools. Some ‘official’ reports suggest that behaviour in schools is ‘satisfactory or better’ in the vast majority of schools; other sources have pointed to behaviour being a serious and widespread problem. The paper details four studies conducted over the past decade which aimed to explore these disparities. The aim of the research was to gain a more accurate insight into the extent to which deficits in classroom climate limit educational attainment and equality of educational opportunity in English schools. The findings question the suggestion that behaviour is satisfactory or better in 99.7% of English schools and the concluding section suggests ways in which deficits in classroom climate might be addressed. Although the study is limited to classrooms in England, OECD studies suggest that deficits in the working atmosphere in classrooms occur in many countries. The study therefore has potential relevance for education systems in other countries

Exploring Global Climate Policy Futures and Their Representation in Integrated Assessment Models

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, paved the way for a new hybrid global climate governance architecture with both bottom-up and top-down elements. While governments can choose individual climate goals and actions, a global stocktake and a ratcheting-up mechanism have been put in place with the overall aim to ensure that collective efforts will prevent increasing adverse impacts of climate change. Integrated assessment models show that current combined climate commitments and policies of national governments fall short of keeping global warming to 1.5 °C or 2 °C above preindustrial levels. Although major greenhouse gas emitters, such as China, the European Union, India, the United States under the Biden administration, and several other countries, have made new pledges to take more ambitious climate action, it is highly uncertain where global climate policy is heading. Scenarios in line with long-term temperature targets typically assume a simplistic and hardly realistic level of harmonization of climate policies across countries. Against this backdrop, this article develops four archetypes for the further evolution of the global climate governance architecture and matches them with existing sets of scenarios developed by integrated assessment models. By these means, the article identifies knowledge gaps in the current scenario literature and discusses possible research avenues to explore the pre-conditions for successful coordination of national policies towards achieving the long-term target stipulated in the Paris Agreement