In search of a health education model: teachers’ conceptions in four Mediterranean countries

School programs are defined to promote the health of the pupils and to develop their competencies so that they can adopt behaviors favorable to their health. With the European project FP6 Biohead-Citizen (2004–2007), we analyzed the conceptions of teachers as regards health education, in France, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, in reference to the biomedical model and the social health model. These four countries were selected because their school curricula represented different models of health education. Lebanon and Tunisia addressed health education with the biomedical model. In Morocco, the curriculum was also primarily based on the biomedical model and enclosed a few instructions issued from the social health model. In France, the health education curriculum declared an approach based on the health promotion model. Our study was based on multivariate statistical analyses of questionnaires filled out by 2537 in-service and pre-service teachers. Our analysis showed that the conceptions of the teachers concerning health education were not structured and related to a specific model. We also found that the dominating factors of influence on the choices expressed with regards to health education were, among different sociocultural variables, the religion, the home country, and, to a lesser extent, the level of training. Thus, the conceptions of the teachers were not integrated into comprehensive approaches but related to individual characteristics. Consequently health education implementation would require thorough training for pre-service and in-service teachers and should also explicitly take into account their conceptions and values.CIEC – FCT Research Unit 317.European project FP6 “BIOHEAD-CITIZEN” CIT2-CT-2004-506015CIE

Análisis de requerimientos y estudio del proceso de cocción en una fábrica de arepas

En el siguiente documento se describe el análisis realizado al proceso de cocción en una fabrica de arepas, además de la planificación y el diseño de una maquina que realizara dicho proceso. Inicialmente se establece un cronograma en el cual se determinan las actividades a llevar a cabo, las cuales se presentan a continuación: - Visita a la fabrica: Con el fin de llevar a cabo un análisis, sobre las variables que intervienen en el sistema se efectúa una visita a la fabrica, logrando establecer los principales parámetros para tener en cuenta a la hora del diseño. - Investigación: Se ejecuta una investigación sobre los principales trabajos a nivel nacional e internacional que brinden una solución automatizada al proceso de cocción de temperatura o en su defecto que establezcan una forma de realizar un control sobre las variables que intervienen en el sistema. También se indaga sobre los principales aspectos mecánicos a tener en cuenta a la hora de elaborar el diseño, tal como las características de los materiales, los costos entre otros. - Diseño: Una vez obtenido una gran cantidad de información sobre los aspectos electrónicos y mecánicos mas relevantes se procede a desarrollar un prototipo que ilustra el proceso de cocción de arepas, apoyados por el software de diseño mecánico INVENTOR 2011. - Pruebas: Se realizan una serie de pruebas con el fin de garantizar que las características del producto con el cual se esta trabajando no sean alteradas y se realizan las correcciones pertinente

Análisis de requerimientos y estudio del proceso de cocción en una fábrica de arepas

En el siguiente documento se describe el análisis realizado al proceso de cocción en una fabrica de arepas, además de la planificación y el diseño de una maquina que realizara dicho proceso. Inicialmente se establece un cronograma en el cual se determinan las actividades a llevar a cabo, las cuales se presentan a continuación: - Visita a la fabrica: Con el fin de llevar a cabo un análisis, sobre las variables que intervienen en el sistema se efectúa una visita a la fabrica, logrando establecer los principales parámetros para tener en cuenta a la hora del diseño. - Investigación: Se ejecuta una investigación sobre los principales trabajos a nivel nacional e internacional que brinden una solución automatizada al proceso de cocción de temperatura o en su defecto que establezcan una forma de realizar un control sobre las variables que intervienen en el sistema. También se indaga sobre los principales aspectos mecánicos a tener en cuenta a la hora de elaborar el diseño, tal como las características de los materiales, los costos entre otros. - Diseño: Una vez obtenido una gran cantidad de información sobre los aspectos electrónicos y mecánicos mas relevantes se procede a desarrollar un prototipo que ilustra el proceso de cocción de arepas, apoyados por el software de diseño mecánico INVENTOR 2011. - Pruebas: Se realizan una serie de pruebas con el fin de garantizar que las características del producto con el cual se esta trabajando no sean alteradas y se realizan las correcciones pertinente

Infective endocarditis in patients with cancer: a consequence of invasive procedures or a harbinger of neoplasm?: A prospective, multicenter cohort.

The aim of the study was to draw a comparison between the characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with cancer and those of IE in noncancer patients.Patients with IE, according to the modified Duke criteria, were prospectively included in the GAMES registry between January 2008 and February 2014 in 30 hospitals. Patients with active cancer were compared with noncancer patients.During the study period, 161 episodes of IE fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We studied 2 populations: patients whose cancer was diagnosed before IE (73.9%) and those whose cancer and IE were diagnosed simultaneously (26.1%). The latter more frequently had community-acquired IE (67.5% vs 26.4%, P?<?.01), severe sepsis (28.6% vs 11.1%, P?=?.013), and IE caused by gastrointestinal streptococci (42.9% vs 16.8%, P?<?.01). However, catheter source (7.1% vs 29.4%, P?=?.003), invasive procedures (26.2% vs 44.5%, P?=?.044), and immunosuppressants (9.5% vs 35.6%, P?=?.002) were less frequent.When compared with noncancer patients, patients with cancer were more often male (75.2% vs 67.7%, P?=?.049), with a higher comorbidity index (7 vs 4). In addition, IE was more often nosocomial (48.7% vs 29%) and originated in catheters (23.6% vs 6.2%) (all P?<?.01). Prosthetic endocarditis (21.7% vs 30.3%, P?=?.022) and surgery when indicated (24.2% vs 46.5%, P?<?.01) were less common. In-hospital mortality (34.8% vs 25.8%, P?=?.012) and 1-year mortality (47.8% vs 30.9%, P?<?.01) were higher in cancer patients, although 30-day mortality was not (24.8% vs 19.3%, P?=?.087).A significant proportion of cases of IE (5.6%) were recorded in cancer patients, mainly as a consequence of medical interventions. IE may be a harbinger of occult cancer, particularly that of gastrointestinal or urinary origin

Interleukin 7 from Maternal Milk Crosses the Intestinal Barrier and Modulates T- Cell Development in Offspring

Background Breastfeeding protects against illnesses and death in hazardous environments, an effect partly mediated by improved immune function. One hypothesis suggests that factors within milk supplement the inadequate immune response of the offspring, but this has not been able to account for a series of observations showing that factors within maternally derived milk may supplement the development of the immune system through a direct effect on the primary lymphoid organs. In a previous human study we reported evidence suggesting a link between IL-7 in breast milk and the thymic output of infants. Here we report evidence in mice of direct action of maternally-derived IL-7 on T cell development in the offspring. Methods and Findings  We have used recombinant IL-7 labelled with a fluorescent dye to trace the movement in live mice of IL-7 from the stomach across the gut and into the lymphoid tissues. To validate the functional ability of maternally derived IL- 7 we cross fostered IL-7 knock-out mice onto normal wild type mothers. Subsets of thymocytes and populations of peripheral T cells were significantly higher than those found in knock-out mice receiving milk from IL-7 knock-out mothers. Conclusions/Significance Our study provides direct evidence that interleukin 7, a factor which is critical in the development of T lymphocytes, when maternally derived can transfer across the intestine of the offspring, increase T cell production in the thymus and support the survival of T cells in the peripheral secondary lymphoid tissue

Optical Properties of Bismuth Tellurite Based Glass

A series of binary tellurite based glasses (Bi2O3)x (TeO2)100−x was prepared by melt quenching method. The density, molar volume and refractive index increase when bismuth ions Bi3+ increase, this is due to the increased polarization of the ions Bi3+ and the enhanced formation of non-bridging oxygen (NBO). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show the bonding of the glass sample and the optical band gap, Eopt decreases while the refractive index increases when the ion Bi3+ content increases