Changes in murine anorectum signaling across the life course

Background: Increasing age is associated with an increase in the incidence of chronic constipation and fecal impaction. The contribution of the natural aging process to these conditions is not fully understood. This study examined the effects of increasing age on the function of the murine anorectum.Methods: The effects of increasing age on cholinergic, nitrergic, and purinergic signaling pathways in the murine anorectum were examined using classical organ bath assays to examine tissue function and electrochemical sensing to determine age‐related changes in nitric oxide and acetylcholine release.Key Results: Nitrergic relaxation increased between 3 and 6 months, peaked at 12 months and declined in the 18 and 24 months groups. These changes were in part explained by an age‐related decrease in nitric oxide (NO) release. Cholinergic signaling was maintained with age by an increase in acetylcholine (ACh) release and a compensatory decrease in cholinesterase activity. Age‐related changes in purinergic relaxation were qualitatively similar to nitrergic relaxation although the relaxations were much smaller. Increasing age did not alter the response of the anorectum smooth muscle to exogenously applied ACh, ATP, sodium nitroprusside or KCl. Similarly, there was no change in basal tension developed by the anorectum.Conclusions and Inferences: The decrease in nitrergic signaling with increasing age may contribute to the age‐related fecal impaction and constipation previously described in this model by partially obstructing defecation

Authentic leadership’s effect on customer orientation and turnover intention among Portuguese hospitality employees: the mediating role of affective commitment

Purpose: Hospitality employees’ attitudes and behaviors play a crucial role in enhancing customer satisfaction and service quality and ultimately firms’ success; therefore, organizations must have skilled, customer-oriented staff. More research is required to help hospitality managers gain insights into the best strategies to promote and retain customer-oriented employees. This study specifically sought to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the ways that authentic leadership (AL) can affect employees’ customer orientation and turnover intention, including exploring affective commitment’s (AC) potential mediating role. Design/methodology/approach: The sample included 350 employees from different hospitality organizations in Portugal. Data were collected using anonymously completed structured questionnaires available online or in a paper-and-pencil format. Findings: The results demonstrate that AL has a positive effect on customer orientation and a negative effect on turnover intention. Moreover, they indicate that AC mediates the relationships between AL and both customer orientation and turnover intention. All hypotheses received empirical support. Practical implications: Hotel managers can increase employees’ AC and customer orientation by engaging in AL behaviors. Similarly, management can avoid having employees voluntarily leave their jobs using more AL styles and strengthening employees’ affective bonds to their organization. Originality/value: Prior hospitality studies have rarely focused on AL. This study is the first to analyze AL’s effect on customer orientation and AC’s role as a mediator variable in the relationships between AL and customer orientation and turnover intention, thus integrating all these variables into a single research model.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Mixed type multiple orthogonal polynomials for two Nikishin systems

We study the logarithmic and ratio asymptotic of linear forms constructed from a Nikishin system which satisfy orthogonality conditions with respect to a system of measures generated from another Nikishin system. This construction combines type I and type II multiple orthogonal polynomials. The logarithmic asymptotic of the linear forms is expressed in terms of the extremal solution of an associated vector valued equilibrium problem for the logarithmic potential. The ratio asymptotic is described by means of a conformal representation of an appropriate Riemann surface of genus zero onto the extended complex plane.Comment: 46 page

Unusual Presentation of Tinea Corporis Associated With the Use of a Microneedling Device

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Motivating People with Chronic Pain to do Physical Activity: Opportunities for Technology Design

Physical activity is important for improving quality of life in people with chronic pain. However, actual or anticipated pain exacerbation, and lack of confidence when doing physical activity, make it difficult to maintain and build towards long-term activity goals. Research guiding the design of interactive technology to motivate and support physical activity in people with chronic pain is lacking. We conducted studies with: (1) people with chronic pain, to understand how they maintained and increased physical activity in daily life and what factors deterred them; and (2) pain-specialist physiotherapists, to understand how they supported people with chronic pain. Building on this understanding, we investigated the use of auditory feedback to address some of the psychological barriers and needs identified and to increase self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in physical activity. We conclude by discussing further design opportunities based on the overall findings

Educational innovation

Conferência realizada no Porto, Portugal, de 7 a 9 de Outubro de 2015An effective way to understand, improve and apply educational innovation is through the analysis of good practices. Sharing the acquired knowledge in the development and application of good practices helps teachers to implement educational innovation. Good practices help to reduce the teachers’ effort and to contribute structural to the educational institutions. This paper presents the good practices of the track “Educational Innovation” at the conference TEEM’15. They are organized in 5 lines corresponding to tendencies on educational innovation: Learning Communities, Learning personalization/Adaptive learning, Training and assessment of teamwork, New learning models and Innovation in online learning methods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Community acquired pneumonia and pneumonia severity index 20 (PSI-20): a retrospective study of the patients admitted to an internal medicine service, between 2007 and 2008

Introdução: A incidência exacta de pneumonia adquirida na comunidade (PAC) em Portugal não é conhecida, estimando-se entre 50 000 a 100 000 casos anualmente, verificando-se um aumento constante. Têm sido desenvolvidos índices de predição de prognóstico em doentes com PAC, entre os quais o Pneumonia Severity Index 20 (PSI-20), com o intuito de auxiliar o médico na decisão sobre o local de tratamento do doente. Objectivos: Os objectivos deste trabalho foram a avaliação da aplicabilidade das classes de risco (definidas pelo PSI-20), as recomendações de internamento na nossa população, as características demográficas e outros factores que influenciaram a mortalidade. Métodos: Análise retrospectiva dos processos clínicos dos doentes internados com diagnóstico de PAC durante dois anos num Serviço de Medicina Interna. As vinte variáveis que conformam o PSI-20 foram recolhidas e os doentes estratificados em classes de risco I-V. Resultados: Dos 582 doentes, 55% eram homens e 45% mulheres, com idade média de 74.1 anos (±14,9 anos). A mortalidade foi similar para os sexos, aumentando com a idade. A mortalidade foi superior nos doentes provenientes de lares, mas não variou de acordo com as co-morbilidades. A distribuição por classes de risco foi: classe I – 3.5%, classe II – 4.2%, classe III – 6.0%, classe IV – 28.5% e classe V – 57.7%. A mortalidade na nossa série foi similar à dos intervalos previstos no PSI-20. A terapêutica inicial foi empírica. Conclusões: O algoritmo de identificação de doentes de baixo risco é aplicável à nossa população. Baseado nas recomendações de internamento, a maioria dos doentes das classes I, II e III poderia ter sido tratada em ambulatório. A mortalidade foi maior nas classes IV e V, tal como no estudo de Fine et al.1 e subsequentes validaçõe

Evaluation of thermal comfort and building form attributes in different semi-outdoor environments in a high-density tropical setting

In highly dense tropical cities, a semi-outdoor space (SOS) is frequently used as a social space within tall building forms where people can interact and connect. Thermal comfort in SOSs within tall buildings, however, may vary depending on the type and form attributes that define it. This study classifies 63 SOSs in four tall buildings of Singapore into five types based on literature review: perimeter buffers, sky terraces, horizontal breezeways, breezeway atria and vertical breezeways. Findings suggest that the five SOS types perform differently in terms of thermal comfort (based on PMV*), environmental parameters (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity), and building form attributes (height-to-depth ratio, open space ratio, and green plot ratio). Of these five, vertical breezeways and horizontal breezeways are the most thermally comfortable for all activities during a typically warm hour. It is postulated that higher thermal comfort levels in these SOS types are linked to form attributes that enhance air velocity. This study examines the pros and cons of each SOS type in terms of thermal comfort in their role as communal spaces in tall buildings situated within a highly dense tropical city