Expression of PRB, FKBP52 and HB-EGF Relating with Ultrasonic Evaluation of Endometrial Receptivity

Background: To explore the molecular basis of the different ultrasonic patterns of the human endometrium, and the molecular marker basis of local injury. Methodology/Principal Findings: The mRNA and protein expression of FKBP52, progesterone receptor A (PRA), progesterone receptor B (PRB), and HB-EGF were detected in different patterns of the endometrium by real-time RTPCR and immunohistochemistry. There were differences in the mRNA and protein expression of FKBP52, PRB, and HB-EGF in the triple line (Pattern A) and homogeneous (Pattern C) endometrium in the window of implantation. No difference was detected in PRA expression. After local injury, the mRNA expression of HB-EGF significantly increased. In contrast, there was no difference in the mRNA expression of FKBP52, PRB, or PRA. The protein expression of FKBP52, PRB, and HB-EGF increased after local injury. There was no difference in the PRA expression after local injury. Conclusions: PRB, FKBP52, and HB-EGF may be the molecular basis for the classification of the ultrasonic patterns. HB-EGF may be the molecular basis of local injury. Ultrasonic evaluation on the day of ovulation can be effective in predicting the outcome of implantation

In-play sports betting: a scoping study

Technology has changed the nature of gambling practices over the last decade and is continuing to do so. The online sports betting industry has become a rapidly growing sector of the global economy, with online sports betting contributing 37% of the annual online gambling market in Europe. There has been an integration of social and technological processes that has enabled the cultural saliency of contemporary online betting. One of the more newly introduced forms of online sports betting is in-play sports betting behaviour (the betting on events within a sporting event such as football and cricket). In-play sports betting features (such as 'cash out') are increasing in popularity amongst online gambling operators. A scoping study was carried out examining the evolution of this new form of gambling practice which included both a systematic literature review and the examination of 338 online gambling websites that offered sports betting. The present study identified a comprehensive list of what in-play betting features are currently being offered on online gambling websites as well as other information concerning in-play sports betting. A total of 16 academic papers and two 'grey literature' reports and were identified in the systematic review. Out of 338 online gambling websites that were visited, 26% of these offered at least on in-play betting feature. Results from the systematic review suggest that in-play sports betting has the potential to be more harmful than other ways of gambling because of the inherent structural characteristics

Internationalisation in Higher Education as a catalyst to STEAM

Internationalisation efforts in Higher Education are usually led by the institutions' International Offices in partnership with the academic units at various levels, thus providing an ideal opportunity to promote collaboration across colleges, schools and departments, and to bring staff with a broad range of experience and expertise to work together. This chapter discusses two ways in which Higher Education institutions can take advantage of these internationalisation efforts to cultivate and nurture STEAM. First, considering internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) across disciplines, which entails the incorporation of 'an intercultural dimension into the content of the curriculum as well as the teaching and learning processes and support services of a programme of study' (Leask 2015). Inasmuch as IoC seeks to develop students' international and intercultural perspectives as global professionals and citizens, it requires engagement with the arts, humanities, social sciences and sustainability initiatives across programmes, providing an opportunity to embed STEAM in the curriculum. Further, I argue that there is a parallelism between the national cultures that IoC seeks to draw from and the disciplines themselves, which are also different cultures, 'separate communities of practice with their own organisations, power hierarchies, questions to answer and [sometimes heavily policed] entry boundaries' (Brown and Harris 2014, 115). An interdisciplinary approach, and in particular one that promotes STEAM, should enrich the curriculum and increase its relevance in the same way that an international approach would. And second, through matching an employability and transferable skills training programme across disciplines to the 'internationalisation at home' initiatives that seek to deploy international students and staff as resources in Higher Education institutions (Altbach and Yudkevich 2017). Such a programme would focus on bringing skills traditionally associated with the arts and humanities - such as aesthetic appreciation, critical thinking or communication skills - to students of technology and science, while also bringing skills traditionally associated with science and technology - such as planning and problem solving, numeracy and the use of information technology - to students of arts and humanities, actively taking advantage of the innovative perspectives that international staff and students bring. In sum, the chapter argues that the internationalisation agenda in Higher Education partly inherently overlaps with that of STEAM cultivation, and highlights two practical ways in which curricula can be modified to promote the latter while advancing the former for a more inclusive student experience, enhancing employability skills and promoting the interdisciplinary outlook to the most pressing wicked problems that societies so badly need today

In-play sports betting: a scoping study

Technology has changed the nature of gambling practices over the last decade and is continuing to do so. The online sports betting industry has become a rapidly growing sector of the global economy, with online sports betting contributing 37% of the annual online gambling market in Europe. There has been an integration of social and technological processes that has enabled the cultural saliency of contemporary online betting. One of the more newly introduced forms of online sports betting is in-play sports betting behaviour (the betting on events within a sporting event such as football and cricket). In-play sports betting features (such as 'cash out') are increasing in popularity amongst online gambling operators. A scoping study was carried out examining the evolution of this new form of gambling practice which included both a systematic literature review and the examination of 338 online gambling websites that offered sports betting. The present study identified a comprehensive list of what in-play betting features are currently being offered on online gambling websites as well as other information concerning in-play sports betting. A total of 16 academic papers and two 'grey literature' reports and were identified in the systematic review. Out of 338 online gambling websites that were visited, 26% of these offered at least on in-play betting feature. Results from the systematic review suggest that in-play sports betting has the potential to be more harmful than other ways of gambling because of the inherent structural characteristics

Sand fly synthetic sex-aggregation pheromone co-located with insecticide reduces the incidence of infection in the canine reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis: a stratified cluster randomised trial

The predominant sand fly vector of the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum, that causes human and canine visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas, is Lutzomyia longipalpis. Dogs are the proven reservoir. Vector control tools to reduce transmission suited to this predominantly exophilic vector are lacking. Insecticide-impregnated dog collars protect dogs against infectious bites from sand fly vectors, and result in reductions of new infections in both dogs and humans. However, collars are costly for endemic communities, and alternative approaches are needed. Recently the bulk synthesised sex-aggregation pheromone of male Lu. longipalpis was shown to attract large numbers of conspecific females to lethal pyrethroid insecticides, indicating the potential for use in a vector control application. This study, conducted in Brazil, evaluated the efficacy of this novel lure-and-kill approach to reduce seroconversion and infection incidence with L. infantum in the canine reservoir, in addition to measuring its impact on household abundance of Lu. longipalpis. Deployed in 14 stratified clusters, the outcomes were compared to those attributed to insecticide impregnated collars fitted to dogs in another 14 clusters; each intervention was compared to 14 clusters that received placebo treatments. The beneficial effects of the lure-and-kill method were most noticeable on confirmed infection incidence and clinical parasite loads, and in reducing sand fly abundance. The overall effect of the two interventions were not statistically dissimilar, though the confidence intervals were broad. We conclude that the novel low-cost lure-and-kill approach should be added to the vector control toolbox against visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas