Here, there, in between, beyond…: Identity negotiation and sense of belonging among Southern Europeans in the UK and Germany

Whilst most of the research on intra-EU mobility has mainly focused on the reasons behind young Southern Europeans leaving their home countries, and secondly on their experiences within the new context, little is known about their sense of belonging and identities. This article aims to fill this gap by exploring Italian and Spanish migrants\u2019 social identity repositioning and the cultural change characterising their existential trajectories. Drawing on 69 semi-structured interviews with Italians and Spaniards living in London and Berlin, this article shows that the sense of belonging to one or more political communities and boundary work are related to individual experiences and can change due to structural eventualities such as the Brexit referendum. While identification with the host society is rare, attachment to the home country is quite common as a result of people\u2019s everyday experiences. Cultural changes and European/cosmopolitan identification are linked to exposure to new environments and interaction with new cultures, mostly concerning those with previous mobility experience, as well as to a sentiment of non-acceptance in the UK. However, such categories are not rigid, but many times self-identification and attachments are rather blurred also due to the uncertainty around the duration of the mobility project. This makes individual factors (gender, age, family status, employment, education) that are often considered as determinants of identification patterns all but relevant

The Efficiency Gap

Parameter estimation via M- and Z-estimation is broadly considered to be equally powerful in semiparametric models for one-dimensional functionals. This is due to the fact that, under sufficient regularity conditions, there is a one-to-one relation between the corresponding objective functions - strictly consistent loss functions and oriented strict identification functions - via integration and differentiation. When dealing with multivariate functionals such as multiple moments, quantiles, or the pair (Value at Risk, Expected Shortfall), this one-to-one relation fails due to integrability conditions: Not every identification function possesses an antiderivative. The most important implication of this failure is an efficiency gap: The most efficient Z-estimator often outperforms the most efficient M-estimator, implying that the semiparametric efficiency bound cannot be attained by the M-estimator in these cases. We show that this phenomenon arises for pairs of quantiles at different levels and for the pair (Value at Risk, Expected Shortfall), where we illustrate the gap through extensive simulations

Prvi nalaz tupousne barakude Sphyraena chrysotaenia (Klunzinger, 1884) i indopacifičke vrste ježinca Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) u morskom zaštićenom području otoka Zakintos, Jonsko more, Grčka

In 2021, three specimens of the Lessepsian yellowstripe barracuda Sphyraena chrysotaenia and eight specimens of the Indo-Pacific needle-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum were recorded along the coasts of Zakynthos Island, some within the Marine Protected Area.U 2021. godini, tri primjerka lesepsijske tupousne barakude Sphyraena chrysotaenia i osam primjeraka indo-pacifičke vrste ježinca Diadema setosum su pronađeni u području oko otoka Zakintos, neki unutar morskog zaštićenog područja

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy with late disease onset: clinical and molecular characteristics of 20 patients

Background: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial disease that typically causes bilateral blindness in young men. Here we describe the clinical and molecular characteristics of 20 patients with disease onset after the age of 50 years (late onset-LHON). Methods: From a cohort of 251 affected and 277 unaffected LHON carriers, we identified 20 patients with onset of visual loss after the age of 50 years. Using structured questionnaires, data including basic demographic details, age of onset, progression of visual loss and severity as well as exposure to possible environmental triggers including alcohol, smoking and illicit drugs were retrospectively collected. Groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney-U-Test for two independent groups of sampled data. Results: The proportion of late onset-LHON in our cohort was 8% (20 patients, 15 males, 5 females). The mtDNA mutations m. 11778G  > A and m. 3460G  > A were found in 16 and 4 patients, respectively. Among 89 asymptomatic carriers above the age of 50 years (28 males, 61 females), the mtDNA mutations m. 11778G > A, m. 3460G  > A and m. 14484 T  > C were found in 60, 12 and 17 carriers, respectively. Late onset-LHON patients had significantly higher mean cumulative tobacco and alcohol consumption compared with unaffected carriers. However, there was no significant difference between late onset-and typical LHON patients with regard to daily tobacco and weekly alcohol consumption before disease onset. Conclusion: As already shown for typical LHON, alcohol consumption and smoking are important trigger factors also for the late manifestation. LHON should be considered in the differential diagnosis of subacute blindness even in older patients

METIS D3.4: Final workshops packages: workshops for different educational levels and education contexts

Several decades of research in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) have clearly demonstrated the potential of digital technology to transform education. Yet the impact of TEL research on daily teaching-learning practices is still far from fulfilling this potential. Arguably, this is a gap in the capacity for learning design: educators need the tools and competencies which would allow them to identify educational challenges, describe the context in which they arise, identify the opportunities afforded by technology, project the insights derived from research, and devise new learning experiences. To address this gap, educators need tools and practices. Tools that would support them through the cycle of learning design – from conception to deployment and evaluation of techno-educational innovations. Professional practices that use such tools to ensure the robustness and effectiveness of their innovations and make learning design a daily habit and part of their professional identity. The METIS project (http://metis-project.org/) aims to contribute to this aim, by providing educators with an Integrated Learning Design Environment (ILDE) (Hernández-Leo, Asensio-Pérez, Derntl, Prieto, & Chacón, 2014; Hernández-Leo et al., 2015) and a workshop package for training educators in using the ILDE to support effective learning design. Work Package 3, led by the OU (UK), is concerned with the design and development of the workshop package. This deliverable is the final version of the METIS workshop package. It includes • a meta-design for METIS workshops that provides a flexible reusable structure so that workshops can be customised to meet different needs , • a description of the rationale and pedagogical methodology on which the meta-design is based • guidance for instantiating the meta-design in different contexts and • example workshop packages based on the meta-design for three different educational sectors. This document provides educators with a basis for delivering workshops about using the ILDE to support effective learning design. To create and run a workshop suitable for your own context, please proceed in the following way. Firstly, consider the meta-design; then choose one of the example workshop packages closest to your context; finally, use the guidelines to adapt it for your needs

Cost-effectiveness of short-protocol emergency brain MRI after negative non-contrast CT for minor stroke detection

OBJECTIVES To investigate the cost-effectiveness of supplemental short-protocol brain MRI after negative non-contrast CT for the detection of minor strokes in emergency patients with mild and unspecific neurological symptoms. METHODS The economic evaluation was centered around a prospective single-center diagnostic accuracy study validating the use of short-protocol brain MRI in the emergency setting. A decision-analytic Markov model distinguished the strategies \textquotedblno additional imaging\textquotedbl and \textquotedbladditional short-protocol MRI\textquotedbl for evaluation. Minor stroke was assumed to be missed in the initial evaluation in 40% of patients without short-protocol MRI. Specialized post-stroke care with immediate secondary prophylaxis was assumed for patients with detected minor stroke. Utilities and quality-of-life measures were estimated as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Input parameters were obtained from the literature. The Markov model simulated a follow-up period of up to 30 years. Willingness to pay was set to $100,000 per QALY. Cost-effectiveness was calculated and deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS Additional short-protocol MRI was the dominant strategy with overall costs of$26,304 (CT only: $27,109). Cumulative calculated effectiveness in the CT-only group was 14.25 QALYs (short-protocol MRI group: 14.31 QALYs). In the deterministic sensitivity analysis, additional short-protocol MRI remained the dominant strategy in all investigated ranges. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis results from the base case analysis were confirmed, and additional short-protocol MRI resulted in lower costs and higher effectiveness. CONCLUSION Additional short-protocol MRI in emergency patients with mild and unspecific neurological symptoms enables timely secondary prophylaxis through detection of minor strokes, resulting in lower costs and higher cumulative QALYs. KEY POINTS • Short-protocol brain MRI after negative head CT in selected emergency patients with mild and unspecific neurological symptoms allows for timely detection of minor strokes. • This strategy supports clinical decision-making with regard to immediate initiation of secondary prophylactic treatment, potentially preventing subsequent major strokes with associated high costs and reduced QALY. • According to the Markov model, additional short-protocol MRI remained the dominant strategy over wide variations of input parameters, even when assuming disproportionally high costs of the supplemental MRI scan

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (April, 2014)

According to reports, the following 16 species have extended their distribution to other Mediterranean areas or have made a new appearance in other regions. The first category includes the following organisms: The rare and common Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum (Lebanese coasts), the acari Thalassarachna affinis (Marmara Sea), and the non-indigenous nudibranch Flabellina rubrolineata, which has also been found in many other areas of the Aegean Sea. In addition, the rare sea slug Thecacera pennigera (Piccolo of Taranto), the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina (National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Ionian Sea), the carangid Seriola fasciata (Gulf of Antalya), Lagocephalus sceleratus (SE. Ionian Sea), the reticulated leatherjacket Stephanolepis diaspros (Slovenia, N. Adriatic Sea), the marbled stingray, Dasyatis marmorata (NE Levantine), the starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias (Iskenderun Bay, NE Mediterranean), the cephalopod Ommastrephes bartramii (Ionian Sea) have also been reported. The Atlantic crab Dyspanopeus sayi has expanded to many Italian areas and the blue crab Callinectes sapidus to a lake in N. Greece and in the S. Adriatic Sea. Finally, Farfantepenaeus aztecus has been found in the Ionian Sea, thus showing its wide expansion in the Mediterranean. The larval stages of Faccionella oxyrhyncha have been found, after many years, in the Aegean Sea and the first report of an existence on intersexual acari Litarachna duboscqi in Split(Adriatic Sea) was reported

Type II supernovae in low-luminosity host galaxies

We present an analysis of a new sample of type II core-collapse supernovae (SNe II) occurring within low-luminosity galaxies, comparing these with a sample of events in brighter hosts. Our analysis is performed comparing SN II spectral and photometric parameters and estimating the influence of metallicity (inferred from host luminosity differences) on SN II transient properties. We measure the SN absolute magnitude at maximum, the light-curve plateau duration, the optically thick duration, and the plateau decline rate in the V band, together with expansion velocities and pseudo-equivalent-widths (pEWs) of several absorption lines in the SN spectra. For the SN host galaxies, we estimate the absolute magnitude and the stellar mass, a proxy for the metallicity of the host galaxy. SNe II exploding in low-luminosity galaxies display weaker pEWs of Fe II λ5018, confirming the theoretical prediction that metal lines in SN II spectra should correlate with metallicity.We also find that SNe II in low-luminosity hosts have generally slower declining light curves and display weaker absorption lines. We find no relationship between the plateau duration or the expansion velocities with SN environment, suggesting that the hydrogen envelope mass and the explosion energy are not correlated with the metallicity of the host galaxy. This result supports recent predictions that mass-loss for red supergiants is independent of metallicity.</p

The luminous type Ia supernova 2022ilv and its early excess emission

We present observations and analysis of the host-less and luminous type Ia supernova 2022ilv, illustrating it is part of the 2003fg-like family, often referred to as super-Chandrasekhar (Ia-SC) explosions. The ATLAS light curve shows evidence of a short-lived, pulse-like early excess, similar to that detected in another luminous type Ia supernova (SN 2020hvf). The light curve is broad and the early spectra are remarkably similar to SN 2009dc. Adopting a redshift of $z=0.026 \pm 0.005$ for SN 2022ilv based on spectral matching, our model light curve requires a large $^{56}$Ni mass in the range $0.7-1.5$ M$_{\odot}$, and a large ejecta mass in the range $1.6-2.3$ M$_{\odot}$. The early excess can be explained by fast-moving SN ejecta interacting with a thin, dense shell of circumstellar material close to the progenitor ($\sim 10^{13}$ cm), a few hours after the explosion. This may be realised in a double-degenerate scenario, wherein a white dwarf merger is preceded by ejection of a small amount ($\sim 10^{-3}-10^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$) of hydrogen and helium-poor tidally stripped material. A deep pre-explosion Pan-STARRS1 stack indicates no host galaxy to a limiting magnitude of $r \sim 24.5$. This implies a surprisingly faint limit for any host of $M_r \gtrsim -11$, providing further evidence that these types of explosion occur predominantly in low-metallicity environments.Comment: Accepted to ApJL after minor revisio