Effects of climate change on Romanian mountain tourism: Are they positive or mostly negative?

Climate change represents a real threat for the winter sport resorts, especially those situated at low altitudes and without any diversification of the tourism product. Mountain tourism represents a real attraction for the holidays and for short weekends being mostly visited by tourists in summer and winter season, which make them more vulnerable to the lack of snow in the cold season, floods, storms or even heat waves. This paper has two main objectives, firstly to measure the impact of the climate change on tourism demand for Romanian mountain tourism, and secondly to identify sustainable solutions for adaptation of vulnerable mountain resorts, such as Sinaia, one of the most known winter sport resorts in Romania. First, the authors will identify the impacts of climate change on Romanian mountain tourism, starting with the effect of the temperature increase, snow depth variation and the extreme weather events occurring in mountain resorts on tourist flows. Positive and negative effects of climate change will be identified, and starting from the results, the authors will present necessary measures to transform the Romanian mountain tourism in an adaptive destination.CNCSIS-UEFISCU - PN II-RU 94/2010, Contract no. 30/28.07.201

A critical review of South African child and youth resilience studies, 2009-2017

Abstract: In contexts of high levels of structural disadvantage, such as South Africa, resilience among children and youth becomes increasingly important to buffer children and youth from the negative effects of adversity. This article reports on a systematic review of research conducted in South Africa over the period 2009 to 2017 on the resilience of children and youth (ages 0 to 24) from the perspectives of young people themselves. It serves as a follow-up and refinement of an earlier publication in 2010. A total of 61 journal articles are reviewed. Four categories of social-ecological resilience-enablers emerge from these study, viz. personal, relational, structural and spiritual/cultural. Most of the resilience-enablers identified in these studies are in the personal and relational domains. Various reasons for this finding are discussed, and emerging recommendations for service professionals (particularly social worker and educational psychologists) and youth resilience researchers are advanced

Vasoreactivity in CADASIL: comparison to structural MRI and neuropsychology

Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity precedes histological and clinical evidence of CADASIL in animal models. We aimed to more fully characterise peripheral and cerebral vascular function and reactivity in a cohort of adult CADASIL patients, and explore the associations of these with conventional clinical, imaging and neuropsychological measures. 22 adults with CADASIL gave informed consent to participate in an exploratorystudy of vascular function in CADASIL. Clinical assessment, comprehensive vascular assessment, MRI and neuropsychological testing were conducted. Transcranial Doppler and arterial spin labelling MRI with hypercapnia challenge both measured cerebral vasoreactivity. Number and volume of lacunes, subcortical hyperintensity volume, microbleeds and normalised brain volume were assessed on MRI scans. Analysis was exploratory and examined associations between different markers. The results showed that cerebrovascular reactivity measured by ASL correlated with peripheral vasoreactivity measured by flow mediated dilatation. Subjects with >5 lacunes were older, with evidence of atherosclerosis and had impaired cerebral and peripheral vasoreactivity. Subjects with depressive symptoms, disability or delayed processing speed, also had impaired vasoreactivity, as well as more lacunes and brain atrophy. Impaired vasoreactivity and vascular dysfunction may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of CADASIL and vascular tests may be important to include in both longitudinal and clinical trials

Resting state connectivity and cognitive performance in adults with cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy

Cognitive impairment is an inevitable feature of cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), affecting executive function, attention and processing speed from an early stage. Impairment is associated with structural markers such as lacunes, but associations with functional connectivity have not yet been reported. Twenty-two adults with genetically-confirmed CADASIL (11 male; aged 49.8 ± 11.2 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest. Intrinsic attentional/executive networks were identified using group independent components analysis. A linear regression model tested voxel-wise associations between cognitive measures and component spatial maps, and Pearson correlations were performed with mean intra-component connectivity z-scores. Two frontoparietal components were associated with cognitive performance. Voxel-wise analyses showed an association between one component cluster and processing speed (left middle temporal gyrus; peak −48, −18, −14; ZE = 5.65, pFWEcorr = 0.001). Mean connectivity in both components correlated with processing speed (r = 0.45, p = 0.043; r = 0.56, p = 0.008). Mean connectivity in one component correlated with faster Trailmaking B minus A time (r = −0.77, p < 0.001) and better executive performance (r = 0.56, p = 0.011). This preliminary study provides evidence for associations between cognitive performance and attentional network connectivity in CADASIL. Functional connectivity may be a useful biomarker of cognitive performance in this population

Outcome measures in post-stroke arm rehabilitation trials: do existing measures capture outcomes that are important to stroke survivors, carers, and clinicians?

Objective: We sought to (1) identify the outcome measures currently used across stroke arm rehabilitation randomized trials, (2) identify and compare outcomes important to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians and (3) describe where existing research outcome measures capture outcomes that matter the most to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians and where there may be discrepancies. Methods: First, we systematically identified and extracted data on outcome measures used in trials within a Cochrane overview of arm rehabilitation interventions. Second, we conducted 16 focus groups with stroke survivors, carers and clinicians using nominal group technique, supplemented with eight semi-structured interviews, to identify these stakeholders’ most important outcomes following post-stroke arm impairment. Finally, we described the constructs of each outcome measure and indicated where stakeholders’ important outcomes were captured by each measure. Results: We extracted 144 outcome measures from 243 post-stroke arm rehabilitation trials. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity section (used in 79/243 trials; 33%), Action Research Arm Test (56/243; 23%), and modified Ashworth Scale (53/243; 22%) were most frequently used. Stroke survivors (n = 43), carers (n = 10) and clinicians (n = 58) identified 66 unique, important outcomes related to arm impairment following stroke. Between one and three outcomes considered important by the stakeholders were captured by the three most commonly used assessments in research. Conclusion: Post-stroke arm rehabilitation research would benefit from a reduction in the number of outcome measures currently used, and better alignment between what is measured and what is important to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians

Monitoring food marketing to children: A joint Nordic monitoring protocol for marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) towards children and young people

The protocol describes methods for how to monitor marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar towards children and young people at a given time as cross-sectional studies, as well as allowing for monitoring of trends. The data provided could also be used for evaluation purposes, for instance providing relevant data for evaluating regulation practices and schemes in the respective countries; to study advertising and marketing practices, contents and forms over time. In addition to being a tool for monitoring purposes within each country, the protocol will also enable comparisons between the Nordic countries by establishing a joint understanding on how each marketing channel should be monitored. The protocol has been developed as a Nordic project between representatives and experts from Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway together with international experts

Esculetin provides neuroprotection against mutant huntingtin-induced toxicity in huntington’s disease models

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an abnormal CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion within exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. This mutation leads to the production of mutant HTT (mHTT) protein which triggers neuronal death through several mechanisms. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of esculetin (ESC), a bioactive phenolic compound, in an inducible PC12 model and a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model of HD, both of which express mHTT fragments. ESC partially inhibited the progression of mHTT aggregation and reduced neuronal death through its ability to counteract the oxidative stress and mitochondria impairment elicited by mHTT in the PC12 model. The ability of ESC to counteract neuronal death was also confirmed in the transgenic Drosophila model. Although ESC did not modify the lifespan of the transgenic Drosophila, it still seemed to have a positive impact on the HD phenotype of this model. Based on our findings, ESC may be further studied as a potential neuroprotective agent in a rodent transgenic model of HD

Volatilização de amônia proveniente de ureia com zeólita natural.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da adição de zeólita a grânulos de ureia e dos diâmetros de grânulos nas perdas de NH3 por volatilização e na absorção de N pelo sorgo. Formulações de ureia com adição de zeólita e ligante orgânico, nos diâmetros menores que 2 mm, 2?4 mm e maiores que 4 mm e, sulfato de amônio e ureia‑NBPT, foram aplicados à superfície do solo sobre bandejas, em casa de vegetação. A adição de zeólitas naturais à superfície dos grânulos de ureia ou à composição destes diminuiu as perdas por volatilização em 20% e aumentou a extração de N pelas plantas. A acumulação de N nas plantas de sorgo foi inversamente proporcional às perdas de N por volatilização

Nationwide consensus on quality indicators to assess glaucoma care: A modified Delphi approach

Purpose Performance assessments are essential to tracking and improving quality in health care systems. Key aspects of the care process that act as indicators must be measured in order to gain an in-depth understanding of a care unit's operation. Without standardized quality indicators (QIs), it is difficult to characterize and compare the abilities of institutions to achieve excellence. The aim of this study is to reach a consensus among glaucoma specialists concerning the development of a set of QIs to assess the performance of glaucoma care units. Methods A two-round Delphi technique was performed among glaucoma specialists in Portugal, using a 7-point Likert scale. Fifty-three initial statements (comprising process, structure, and outcome indicators) were evaluated and participants had to agree on which ones would be part of the final set of QIs. Results By the end of both rounds, 28 glaucoma specialists reached consensus on 30/53 (57%) statements, including 19 (63%) process indicators (mainly relating to the proper implementation of complementary exams and the setting of follow-up intervals), 6 (20%) structure indicators, and 5 (17%) outcome indicators. Of the indicators that were part of the final list, functional and structural aspects of glaucoma progression and the availability of surgical/laser procedures were the most prevalent. Conclusions A set of 30 QIs for measuring the performance of glaucoma units was developed using a consensus methodology involving experts in the field. Their use as measurement standards would provide important information about unit operations and allow further implementation of quality improvements

Volatilização de amônia proveniente de uréia com zeólita natural.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da adição de zeólita a grânulos de ureia e dos diâmetros de grânulos nas perdas de NH3 por volatilização e na absorção de N pelo sorgo. Formulações de ureia com adição de zeólita e ligante orgânico, nos diâmetros menores que 2 mm, 2-4 mm e maiores que 4 mm e, sulfato de amônio e ureia-NBPT, foram aplicados à superfície do solo sobre bandejas, em casa de vegetação. A adição de zeólitas naturais à superfície dos grânulos de ureia ou à composição destes diminuiu as perdas por volatilização em 20% e aumentou a extração de N pelas plantas. A acumulação de N nas plantas de sorgo foi inversamente proporcional às perdas de N por volatilização