Digital skills for workplace mentors in construction sector apprenticeships (CONDAP)

[EN] Employers in the construction industry are regularly and increasingly reporting hiring difficulties, since the sector is experiencing a skills shortage in spite of numerous apprenticeship schemes. According to the European Construction Sector Observatory, the main reason of this skills shortage is two-fold: a) the inadequacy of VET provision, and b) the low attractiveness of the sector to young people, further hindered by the perception of its limited capacity for innovation. Correspondingly, modernising construction apprenticeships is crucial for the development of key skills and the improvement of the employability of young construction workers. Training the trainers and mentors to become more engaged and involved in the design of apprenticeships and to introduce new methods, digital tools, and innovative content during their teaching practices is essential to make training more flexible and effective. Such an approach could effectively address the misalignment between VET offerings and the demand for skills and innovation in the construction sector. This article shows the focus of the European project CONDAP, whose purpose is to improve learning in the construction sector.This work has been conducted within the framework of the CONDAP project "Digital skills for workplace mentors in construction sector apprenticeships" funded by the European Commission within the Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, reference number 2018-1-UK01-KA202-048122.Cárcel Carrasco, FJ.; Peñalvo López, E.; Llinares Millán, J.; Valcuende Payá, MO. (2020). Digital skills for workplace mentors in construction sector apprenticeships (CONDAP). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 351-361. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10221OCS35136

Autochthonous Outbreak of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum in Corrientes Province, Argentina

Endemic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in northern Argentina has traditionally been caused by Leishmania braziliensis. This study aims to describe an outbreak of Leishmania infantum-caused human CL in the Department Capital of Corrientes Province, Argentina. We retrospectively analyzed the reported cases of CL in this area from May 2015 to December 2016. Eighty cases of CL were clinically and analytically diagnosed, and there was one case of visceral leishmaniasis in a boy who also had CL. Patients' median age was 33.6 years (range 1-89 years), and 18.5% were younger than 15 years; the male:female ratio was 3.5:1. Cases lived mostly in the municipality of Corrientes (72.8%), whereas 27.2% resided in Riachuelo. Although 67.9% had a single lesion, 32.1% had several. Molecular analyses showed that L. infantum was the causative species in all cases. Our results show that for the first time, there was an outbreak of CL by L. infantum in an urban area of Argentina

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Function, regulation and intracellular trafficking of the vacuolaryeast pq-loop (Ypq) proteins

The cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells contains several membrane-delimited compartments of specific molecular compositions and functions. Among those, the vacuole of fungal cells is often described as an organelle equivalent to the lysosomes of animal cells and the vacuoles of plant cells. These compartments indeed share two similar features: they contain a wide variety of hydrolases and are the most acidic compartments of the cell, which accounts for their key role in the intracellular degradation of macromolecules. In humans, dysfunctions of the lysosomes often give rise to lysosomal related diseases, such as lysosomal storage disorders. These are a class of metabolic disorders caused by the accumulation of non-degraded macromolecules or impaired export of hydrolytic degradation products. Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive disorder (1/200 000 incidence) generally associated with renal dysfunctions. It is caused by the accumulation and crystallization of cystine, the disulfide of cysteine, into the lumen of lysosomes. Cystinosin, the causative gene product of cystinosis, is present at the lysosomal membrane and catalyses the export of cystine from this compartment. The human cystinosin is a member of the Lysosomal Cystine Transporter (LCT) family. LCT proteins are conserved in all eukaryotic species and are defined by the presence of highly conserved PQ-loop motifs. During this thesis work, we have studied three LCT proteins of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, named Ypq1, Ypq2 and Ypq3 (Yeast PQ-loop proteins 1, 2 and 3). We first showed that these proteins localize to the vacuolar membrane. We next studied the roles of these proteins, the regulation of their genes and the mechanisms and signals implicated in their delivery to the vacuolar membrane. We also contributed to the functional characterization of a mammalian homologue of yeast Ypq proteins, named rPqlc2. In the first part of this work, we report that the Ypq proteins are most probably implicated in the export of basic amino acids from the vacuole to the cytosol. More precisely, Ypq2 and Ypq3 behave like vacuolar arginine and lysine exporters, respectively. Interestingly, the mammalian rPqlc2 protein expressed in yeast reaches the vacuolar membrane and functions as an orthologue of the Ypq proteins. Our results also reveal that the expression of the YPQ3 gene is regulated by the Lys14 transcription factor, responsible for the transcriptional activation of the LYS genes encoding enzymes implicated in the biosynthesis of lysine. We have also noted that, in general, the expression of the expression of the YPQ genes is regulated according to the quality of the nitrogen source available in the extracellular medium, eg. YPQ3 is sensitive to the nitrogen catabolite repression regulatory mechanism. In the last part of this thesis work, we investigated the intracellular trafficking of the Ypq proteins and show that these predominantly reach the vacuolar membrane via the ALP (alkaline phosphatase) pathway due to the presence of a dileucine-based sorting signal in their sequences. Interestingly, a similar mechanism seems responsible for targeting to the yeast vacuole of the mammalian rPqlc2 protein.Une caractéristique des cellules eucaryotes est leur organisation en compartiment internes délimité par une membrane lipidique, appelé organelles. Ces compartiments intracellulaires présentent une composition lipidique et protéique particulaire conforme à leur identité et fonction. Les lysosomes de cellules de mammifères et la vacuole fongique jouent un rôle clé dans la digestion intracellulaire de macromolécules et de ce fait leurs lumières sont enrichis d’enzymes hydrolytiques nécessaires à cette action. Des disfonctionnements du lysosome peuvent être la conséquence de pathologie chez l’homme, regroupé sous le nom de maladie lysosomale, lié à un à une accumulation de macromolécules non digéré ou un default d’export des produits d’hydrolysé depuis la lumière du lysosome. La cystinose est une maladie autosomale récessive avec une faible fréquence d’incidence (1/200 000) qui regroupe trois formes cliniques :deux formes rénales graves et une forme extra-rénale. Cette maladie est due à une accumulation et cristallisation de cystine dans la lumière du lysosome qui est corrélé à des mutations ponctuelles dans le gène CTNS qui code pour l’exporteur de cystine, la cystinosine. Cette protéine est un membre de la famille LCT (Lysosomal Cystine Transporter) qui possède des représentants chez les cellules animales, végétales et fongiques. Les protéines de la famille possèdent une taille et une topologie prédite similaire (7 segments transmembranaires) et on retrouve aussi au sein de ces protéines deux exemplaires de motifs PQ. Lors de ce travail de thèse nous nous sommes intéressés à trois membres de la famille LCT chez Saccharomyces cerevisiae que nous avons nommé Ypq1, Ypq2 et Ypq3 pour Yeast PQ-loop proteins. Ces protéines n’ayant pas fait l’objet de nombreuses études, nous nous sommes orientés vers une analyse fonctionnelle et transcriptionnelle. De plus, nous avons également étudié les mécanismes et signaux impliqué dans leur adressage vers la vacuole. Finalement, nous avons également inclus dans notre étude un homologue mammalien de ces protéines, rPqlc2. \Doctorat en Sciencesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

The AP-3 adaptor complex mediates sorting of yeast and mammalian PQ-loop-family basic amino acid transporters to the vacuolar/lysosomal membrane

The limiting membrane of lysosomes in animal cells and that of the vacuole in yeast include a wide variety of transporters, but little is known about how these proteins reach their destination membrane. The mammalian PQLC2 protein catalyzes efflux of basic amino acids from the lysosome, and the similar Ypq1, 2, and 3 proteins of yeast perform an equivalent function at the vacuole. We here show that the Ypq proteins are delivered to the vacuolar membrane via the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) trafficking pathway, which requires the AP-3 adaptor complex. When traffic via this pathway is deficient, the Ypq proteins pass through endosomes from where Ypq1 and Ypq2 properly reach the vacuolar membrane whereas Ypq3 is missorted to the vacuolar lumen via the multivesicular body pathway. When produced in yeast, PQLC2 also reaches the vacuolar membrane via the ALP pathway, but tends to sort to the vacuolar lumen if AP-3 is defective. Finally, in HeLa cells, inhibiting the synthesis of an AP-3 subunit also impairs sorting of PQLC2 to lysosomes. Our results suggest the existence of a conserved AP-3-dependent trafficking pathway for proper delivery of basic amino acid exporters to the yeast vacuole and to lysosomes of human cells.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Minimal unit vector fields

We compute the first variation of the functional that assigns each unit vector field the volume of its image in the unit tangent bundle. It is shown that critical points are exactly those vector fields that determine a minimal immersion. We also find a necessary and sufficient condition that a vector field, defined in an open manifold, must fulfill to be minimal, and obtain a simpler equivalent condition when the vector field is Killing. The condition is fulfilled, in particular, by the characteristic vector field of a Sasakian manifold and by Hopf vector fields on spheres

The TORC1 effector kinase Npr1 fine-tunes the inherent activity of the three Mep ammonium transport proteins

info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

Identification of a Novel Regulatory Mechanism of Nutrient Transport Controlled by TORC1-Npr1-Amu1/Par32.

Fine-tuning the plasma-membrane permeability to essential nutrients is fundamental to cell growth optimization. Nutritional signals including nitrogen availability are integrated by the TORC1 complex which notably regulates arrestin-mediated endocytosis of amino-acid transporters. Ammonium is a ubiquitous compound playing key physiological roles in many, if not all, organisms. In yeast, it is a preferred nitrogen source transported by three Mep proteins which are orthologues of the mammalian Rhesus factors. By combining genetic, kinetic, biochemical and cell microscopy analyses, the current study reveals a novel mechanism enabling TORC1 to regulate the inherent activity of ammonium transport proteins, independently of arrestin-mediated endocytosis, identifying the still functional orphan Amu1/Par32 as a selective regulator intermediate. We show that, under poor nitrogen supply, the TORC1 effector kinase' Npr1' promotes phosphorylation of Amu1/Par32 which appears mainly cytosolic while ammonium transport proteins are active. Upon preferred nitrogen supplementation, like glutamine or ammonium addition, TORC1 upregulation enables Npr1 inhibition and Amu1/Par32 dephosphorylation. In these conditions, as in Npr1-lacking cells, hypophosphorylated Amu1/Par32 accumulates at the cell surface and mediates the inhibition of specific ammonium transport proteins. We show that the integrity of a conserved repeated motif of Amu1/Par32 is required for the interaction with these transport proteins. This study underscores the diversity of strategies enabling TORC1-Npr1 to selectively monitor cell permeability to nutrients by discriminating between transporters to be degraded or transiently inactivated and kept stable at the plasma membrane. This study further identifies the function of Amu1/Par32 in acute control of ammonium transport in response to variations in nitrogen availability.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe